Page 187 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

THE BACKSTORY
The makers of America’s so-called Pony Cars each confronted the peak of the malaise-plagued 1970s with distinct strategies. Ford, through a combination of luck, foresight and research, correctly read that customers were drifting away from ever-larger and increasingly heavier Mustangs and towards smaller cars like its own Maverick, as well as an increasing number of well-made and attractive European and Japanese imports. Dearborn’s response was the downsized Mustang II, which initially shocked the Mustang faithful but wound up being a commercial success, with over a million units sold over four years.
Chrysler faced the turbulent era by dropping the Challenger and Barracuda entirely in 1974, only reviving the Challenger name several years later on a Mitsubishi-sourced product that bore no resemblance whatsoever to its forebear beyond frameless door glass. Plucky AMC, which had punched above its weight with the Javelin and AMX siblings, also departed the Pony Car business in 1974, though it would later follow Chrysler in holding its nose and pushing out a Hornet labeled as an AMX.
That left GM, who seemed determined to stay in the Pony Car game without making fundamental changes to its two-division offering. The second generation Camaro and Firebird threw gas-rationed caution to the wind and went to market, in early 1970, longer, lower and wider than their predecessors. Despite the tremendous challenges of harsh safety, emissions and fuel consumption standards, the Camaro actually thrived throughout the decade, with sales peaking at nearly 300,000 units in 1979, before falling to less than half that level in the runout year of 1981.
And then there were two...
With AMC and Chrysler essentially out of the market, it was time for Ford and GM to figure out what to do next. The Mustang and Camaro brands still held equity for their respective makers, with loyal fans capable of maintaining sales with a product mix that melded the performance that customers wanted with the affordability and efficiency levels increasingly available from foreign competitors. Ford was first to show its hand, with the 1979 launch of a dramatically different Mustang (from the Mustang II,
TOP LEFT: Ford responded to the energy crises of the 1970s with the Mustang II. Although some enthusiasts were disappointed by downsized dimensions, customers didn’t seem to mind at all.
LEFT (BOTH): Challenger, Barracuda, AMX and Javelin were all gone by 1974, though some returned later in diminished form.
TOP: Second generation Camaro remained true to its original roots, despite regulatory challenges.
ABOVE: Third generation Mustang was derived from “Fox” architecture shared with the Fairmont and Zephyr, which helped amortize its development costs.
Chevrolet Camaro 3rd Generation
Wayne Carini  Affordable Classics  185