Ford Mustang Fastback vs Chevrolet Camaro (1967–69)

The rivalry between the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro is the original pony-car war, and it started with the Mustang Fastback and the first Camaro. Ford introduced the Mustang on 17 April 1964 at the New York World's Fair, as a hardtop and a convertible, and the fastback followed in August 1964. Taking 22,000 orders on the first day, the Mustang created a new class of compact, sporty and affordable cars built on everyday mechanicals, in Ford's case those of the Falcon.

Chevrolet's response arrived two and a half years later. The first Camaro went into production on 29 September 1966 as a 1967 model and was built until November 1969, on the F-body platform it shared with the Pontiac Firebird. It came as a two-door hardtop coupé and a convertible; unlike the Mustang, it had no fastback.

Mustang Fastback vs first Camaro: key differences

Engines and how to read the figures

All power figures of this era are SAE gross ratings, measured on an engine without accessories or a full exhaust. They are noticeably higher than the net figures American makers quoted from the early 1970s. The Mustang's range started with a 200 cu in (3.3 L) six of 89 kW (120 hp gross). The 289 cu in (4.7 L) V8s gave 149 kW (200 hp) or 168 kW (225 hp), and the high-performance K-code 289 had 202 kW (271 hp). The 390 cu in (6.4 L) V8 arrived for 1967 with 239 kW (320 hp), and the 428 Cobra Jet of 1968 had 250 kW (335 hp). The Camaro started with a 230 cu in (3.8 L) six of 104 kW (140 hp). The SS offered a 350 cu in (5.7 L) V8 with 220 kW (295 hp) and 396 cu in (6.5 L) big blocks of up to 280 kW (375 hp). The Z/28 used a 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8 rated at 216 kW (290 hp). Per litre, the K-code 289 and the Z/28's 302 are almost level at about 43 and 44 kW. For 1969, special COPO orders put 427 cu in (7.0 L) engines of 317 kW (425 hp) and 321 kW (430 hp) into a small number of cars.

Body styles and famous versions

The Mustang offered three bodies, and the fastback 2+2 became the basis of its most famous derivatives. The Shelby GT350 of 1965 was available only as a fastback, the Shelby GT500 followed for 1967, and Steve McQueen drove a modified 1968 Mustang GT 2+2 Fastback in the film Bullitt. The Camaro's best-known options were the Rally Sport package with concealed headlights, the SS and the Z/28, and an RS/SS convertible with the 396 engine paced the 1967 Indianapolis 500.

Sales

Ford built 559,451 Mustangs for the 1965 model year and 607,568 for 1966. Chevrolet built 121,051 Camaros in 1967, 159,087 in 1968 and 150,078 in 1969, a strong result that still left the Mustang clearly ahead.