What were the coolest "Pony Cars" from the past 20 years?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 16,176
From: Chicagoland IL
What were the coolest "Pony Cars" from the past 20 years?
Real factory production cars only. No tuner cars like Saleen, Firehawk, etc.
My list:
-Late '80s 1LE Camaro/Firebird
-Late '80's/early '90's 5.0 Mustang LX sedan (preferably with 3.08 and 5 speed).
-Mid '80s Mustang SVO
-'03/'04 SVT Cobra
-'89 Turbo T/A
-SE Mustangs ( Bullitt, Mach1)
My list:
-Late '80s 1LE Camaro/Firebird
-Late '80's/early '90's 5.0 Mustang LX sedan (preferably with 3.08 and 5 speed).
-Mid '80s Mustang SVO
-'03/'04 SVT Cobra
-'89 Turbo T/A
-SE Mustangs ( Bullitt, Mach1)
Last edited by Z284ever; Feb 1, 2004 at 12:18 PM.
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,417
From: Chilliwack, BC, Canada
I'd have to say the most poplular,biggest following and most made would be the 5.0L's...........
They weren't always the most powerfull - but hard to get past for bang/buck.
I'm a Chevy guy at heart - but I've always had a soft spot for a nice notchback LX 5.0L.
They weren't always the most powerfull - but hard to get past for bang/buck.
I'm a Chevy guy at heart - but I've always had a soft spot for a nice notchback LX 5.0L.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,713
From: The Golden State
1. 1976-1979 Pontiac Trans Am: By today's standards, they weren't THAT fast, but they were must haves & THE performance car of the day.... quicker than the Corvette in some years! 
2. 1965 Mustang Fastback: In retrospect, it wasn't a hot seller, but it sure looked cool.
3. The last Plymouth Barracuda: They rusted out like crazy (especially the fenders) and they were a bit large to be performance cars, but at least they still had big blocks and carried tripower till 1973, long after everyone else cashed out on these. They also had agressive grilles, and could put up a tiresmoking show unparalled till the tail light Mustang 5.0s of the 80s.
4. 1983 Camaro Z28: These cars had it all on paper: Traffic stopping looks, a chassis that was engineered from the start to handle, a state of the art interior that didn't look weird, and that really cool looking cross fire injection that looked like dual carbs, top off with a functional cold air hood scoop!! By 1984, the thrill wore off when the reality set in that these cars were E*X*P*E*N*S*I*V*E, quality was spotty, and the way cheaper Mustang not only came with a stick, not only got picked up by the CHP as a patrol car, but it could actually smoke the new Camaro though it looked old.
That's my list of the COOLEST. My list of the best?
1. 1985-1993 Ford Mustang LX 5.0: Dirt cheap, easy to modify, great (for the 1980s) quality, no fewer than 3 mags devoted just to the car, and a Ford Performance Catalogue that created rushes at the parts counter when the latest version came out yearly. Can't beat it.
[b]2. 1978-1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6:[b] Actually quicker than Corvettes, big displacement power from a downsized engine that actually had performance pieces, and all round one hell of a car for it's day next to the all show & no go Mustang King Cobra. The movie Smokie & the Bandit didn't hurt either!
3. LT-1 Camaros: Yes, LS1s are quicker & more powerful, but the LT1s were more innovative. Reverse flow, optispark (bad idea when the waterpump leaks or engine cleanings, good idea for everything else), over 10:1 compression, and a whole host of other things. Add in 6 speed trannys and a steal of a price, and it's a great ride.
2. 1965 Mustang Fastback: In retrospect, it wasn't a hot seller, but it sure looked cool.
3. The last Plymouth Barracuda: They rusted out like crazy (especially the fenders) and they were a bit large to be performance cars, but at least they still had big blocks and carried tripower till 1973, long after everyone else cashed out on these. They also had agressive grilles, and could put up a tiresmoking show unparalled till the tail light Mustang 5.0s of the 80s.
4. 1983 Camaro Z28: These cars had it all on paper: Traffic stopping looks, a chassis that was engineered from the start to handle, a state of the art interior that didn't look weird, and that really cool looking cross fire injection that looked like dual carbs, top off with a functional cold air hood scoop!! By 1984, the thrill wore off when the reality set in that these cars were E*X*P*E*N*S*I*V*E, quality was spotty, and the way cheaper Mustang not only came with a stick, not only got picked up by the CHP as a patrol car, but it could actually smoke the new Camaro though it looked old.
That's my list of the COOLEST. My list of the best?
1. 1985-1993 Ford Mustang LX 5.0: Dirt cheap, easy to modify, great (for the 1980s) quality, no fewer than 3 mags devoted just to the car, and a Ford Performance Catalogue that created rushes at the parts counter when the latest version came out yearly. Can't beat it.
[b]2. 1978-1979 Pontiac Trans Am T/A 6.6:[b] Actually quicker than Corvettes, big displacement power from a downsized engine that actually had performance pieces, and all round one hell of a car for it's day next to the all show & no go Mustang King Cobra. The movie Smokie & the Bandit didn't hurt either!
3. LT-1 Camaros: Yes, LS1s are quicker & more powerful, but the LT1s were more innovative. Reverse flow, optispark (bad idea when the waterpump leaks or engine cleanings, good idea for everything else), over 10:1 compression, and a whole host of other things. Add in 6 speed trannys and a steal of a price, and it's a great ride.
Last edited by guionM; Feb 1, 2004 at 03:41 PM.
