Americans simply love a great rivalry.  It may be Duke versus North Carolina on the hardwood, Ohio State versus Michigan on the gridiron, or Yankees versus Red Sox on the diamond.  Yet another great American rivalry is the Ford Mustang versus the Chevrolet Camaro.

 

The Ford Motor Company unveiled the Mustang midway through the 1964 production year and a legend was immediately born.  A completely new classification of car had been discovered. Small, nimble and powerful, dubbed “pony cars” due to the Mustang’s pony emblems.  Sales went through the roof immediately and continued for decades. The original Mustang utilized many component parts from the very pedestrian Falcon model, but reskinned into a much sleeker and sexier form.  The entry level models had six cylinder engines and three speed transmissions, but performance models were available equipped with V8’s, four speeds, handling packages, improved brakes and acceleration minded rear end gear ratios.

 

Mustangs naturally fit the SCCA’s new Trans Am racing series which featured stock bodied cars with production engines and components.  The series included car manufacturers from the world over, but the Mustang dominated early on in the classification for car with engines displacing over two liters.

 

The executives at GM quickly realized that Ford was onto something and burned the midnight oil to catch up.  In the Fall of 1966 the ‘67 Chevrolet Camaro was introduced and the next legendary pony car was let loose on the American roads.  The Pontiac Firebird was based upon the same platform, only powered by Pontiac engines, and was introduced in the middle of the ‘67 model year.  The Camaro line ran the gamut of performance, ranging from six cylinder cars to powerful V8’s with performance and handling packages.

 

These two rivals have competed against one another on showroom floors, road racing courses, drag strips and between stoplights for more than four decades.  Both cars began their lives with uncompromising performance and have seen several generations of development.  They have been upsized, downsized, seen the onslaught of emissions controls and safety regulations, weathered fuel crises, and been transformed from bare knuckles machines into vehicles sporting electronic fuel injection and onboard computers.

 

In recent years these old rivals have also become two of the most popular and desirable cars among collectors.  Baby boomers drove these cars as young kids or rode in cars owned by their Dads and older brothers.  The most desirable models are still the oldest.  The Mustang’s first generation spanned ‘64 through ’66, but ’67 through ’70 is also very desirable, and the Camaro from ‘67 through ’69, with additional interest through the late 1970s.

 

The SCCA rules for its Trans Am Series limited engine displacement to 305 cid.  By 1967, both Ford and Chevrolet had developed fire breathing 302 cid engines for their performance oriented street cars, forming the basis for the SCCA race cars.  The showroom cars were factory rated at 290 horsepower, but in reality both engines developed over 350 horsepower.

 

The recent 2010 Barrett-Jackson auction at Scottsdale, Arizona contained several excellent examples of these old pony cars.  There was a beautiful, fully restored Rally Green 1969 Camaro Z28 (Lot #90) which sold for $64,350. 

 

This car is a perfect example of a first generation Camaro and is essentially a factory race car which would have been perfect to convert into SCCA Trans Am duty.  It’s been restored from top to bottom on a rotisserie, meaning the car was completely torn down and reassembled on a rotisserie device to allow the car to be spun upside down for perfect detailing.  It has the original DZ 302 engine with the upgrade to a dual Holley equipped JL8 cross ram intake manifold, plus the M-21 “Rock Crusher” four speed transmission.  The rear end is a 12 bolt posi-traction unit stuffed with 4.10 gears and it’s equipped with four wheel disc brakes.  Outside, the car has an immaculate new paint job in the rare original Rally Green color, the bulging cowl induction hood and Chevy Rally wheels.  Inside it has an AM/FM radio, rosewood dash insert, center console and black vinyl bucket seats.  The price paid for this near perfect car is near the top of the scale in today’s market.

 

 

Another great example was a Hugger Orange 1969 Z28 RS (Lot #443.2) equipped very similarly to the previous Z28, except it lacks the dual carb cross-ram set up and is a more common color.  But this Rally Sport model is a frame-up restoration, runs the DZ 302 engine, four speed transmission, rally wheels and it has the optional hideaway headlights.  This car sold for a somewhat more reasonable $49,500 and has massive head turning power.

 

 

At the lower end of the scale was a very sharp bright red 1968 Camaro Coupe (Lot #413).  This car retains a very stock appearance inside and out, although it has incorrect “SS” (Super Sport) badges.  The engine is a 327 cid V8, which is the base-level V8.  It’s equipped with a Turbo Hydramatic three peed automatic transmission, which is highly streetable although less collectable.  This restored Camaro is an excellent example of a great looking, reasonably priced, boulevard cruiser.  It’s not a true competitor for a street fight and has some minor non original modifications, but will still draw attention everywhere it goes.  This is a great entry level first generation Camaro for the $22,000 sale price.

 

 

Finally, there was a 1968 Camaro RS/SS Coupe (Lot #686).  It is a fine example of a factory street machine.  It has the 325-horsepower, 396 cid big block engine, Turbo Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic transmission and 12 bolt posi-traction rear end with 3.73 gears.  This model is significantly heavier and more front heavy compared to a small block car with a manual transmission.  But such a model is great for cruising and the big displacement, high torque engine demands respect.  This Camaro is fully restored, perfectly repainted with the original and very mellow Butternut Yellow color, black SS stripes, Rally wheels, reproduction polyglass tires, drum brakes, console and wood grain dash.  The big block engine makes this car a fair purchase for $55,000.

 

 

Turning to the Mustangs, there were several excellent examples of a basic, yet great looking, first generation Mustangs. A numbers matching 1966 coupe (Lot #356) painted Silver Blue, equipped with the base level 289 cid V8 engine, C4 three speed automatic transmission, factory air conditioning and power steering.  Although not a fire breather by any means, the V8 engine is a great upgrade from the base straight six cylinder.  The sale price of $16,500 for this vehicle is very affordable and makes this car a very good deal.

 

 

There was also a 1969 Mustang 428 Cobra Jet fastback (Lot #430.1) which is the epitome of the pony car platform transformed into a boulevard cruiser.  The larger, heavier 428 Cobra Jet engine adds a lot of weight to this vehicle and degrades the handling characteristics due to the resultant front heaviness.  However, all those wonderful cubic inches give this Mustang amazing acceleration performance which is the stuff that street racing legends are based upon, and the automatic transmission is a very good fit for more of a “straight-line” performer.  The car is impeccably restored, repainted in the original Aztec Aqua color, and is equipped with some rare options such as power brakes, power steering, the sport deck fold down rear seat, and seat belt warning lights.  The sale price of $69,300 is definitely a fair price for such a rare and beautiful car.

 

 

The classic early Mustang is the coupe, or “notch back”, body style.  However, the introduction of the “fastback” body style dramatically changed the character of the Mustang’s looks to a somewhat racier and meaner stance.  A 1965 Mustang Fastback (Lot #703.1) a prime example of the fastback’s good looks. It has the 289 cid V8 engine, four speed manual transmission, disc brakes, power steering and Rally Pac.  This is just the sort of model ordered back in 1965 by a guy who wanted to do a little track racing on the weekends but use the car as a daily driver during the week.  The one unusual option is the factory air conditioning.  While somewhat gaudy by today’s standards, the black exterior with red interior is a highly desirable look for 1965. This car is professionally restored and its $39,600 sale price is very justified.

 

 

Finally, there was an excellent example of one of the ultimate factory built race cars, a 1970 Mustang Boss 302 (Lot #1037.1).  For a guy looking to build a competitive road racing car, this was where to begin.  This example is rotisserie restored and painted the original, and very rare, bright white color.  It’s equipped with the under rated 290 horsepower 302 cid “Boss 302” engine, four speed manual transmission, oil cooler, front/rear spoilers, spacesaver spare tire and hood tach.  With very few modifications, this car would have been race ready for its owner back in 1970.

 

 

One of the fastest-growing segments of the collector car market was very visible at the 2010 Barrett-Jackson auction.  This is the category known as “resto-mods”.  The cars are fairly stock-looking in appearance, but run modernized super-high-performance aftermarket parts.  A wonderful example of a Mustang resto-mod was the 1965 Mustang Custom Fastback (Lot #978).  It’s definitely a one of a kind white Mustang with stock looking bright red stripes.  Under the hood is a 693 hp, 347 cid V8 engine constructed from a Dart block with Stage 2 aluminum heads, Paxton supercharger and Accel DFI fuel injection.  It also runs a custom 1.75” stainless steel exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers, Tremec five speed manual transmission, Auburn limited slip rear end, huge brake rotors.  The interior is completely custom rendered in gray leather and features an integrated roll cage.  Outside, the factory appearing body is very subtly modified with smooth fender flares, shaved door handles, a custom made front grille, PIAA fog lamps and 18” Torque Thrust wheels.  The sale price was $104,500 but the amount of custom work on this car completely justifies that price.

 

 

A wonderful example of a Camaro resto-mod was the bright red 1967 model (Lot #734) powered by a 565 cid all aluminum big block featuring a Kinsler progressive throttle body and F.A.S.T electronic fuel injection.  The custom exhaust is fabricated from 3” stainless steel tubing.  There is a Corvette ZF six speed transmission, Ford 9” rear end with 3.89 gears, Baer four wheel disc brakes and custom machined wheel.  The sale price was $126,500 for this truly unique Camaro.

 

The 2010 Barrett-Jackson auction became just the latest location for the ongoing Mustang versus Camaro rivalry.  The car collector hobby and each enthusiast benefitted from the entertaining stream of these cars which crossed “the block”, each unique and special in its own way.

By Steven Hennis

Steven is a freelance writer.

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