Author: Patrick Bedard

Duke-out in Detroit: Imagine Ford and Chevy, side by side, throttles wide open. This ain’t fiction.

Through the entirety of their existence, the Camaro and Mustang have been irresistible canvasses for tuners and hot-rodders—many of whom come from within Chevrolet’s and Ford’s own walls. In January of 2000, we took the opportunity to match up the no-holds-barred baddest from both companies’ garages. Both packed motors edging 9.8 liters (that’s 600 cubic inches for you muscleheads), and the weaker of the two was pushing 770 horsepower. It was a showdown for the ages.

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Whozzat huff-and-puffer with the electric hair? You know, the guy who matches up fighters in those hyped-to-heaven slugfests. Yeah, that’s him—Don King.

Well, we’ve out–Don King’d the man himself on this one, ginned up a face-off that makes the Thrilla in Manila seem like 14 rounds of patty-cake. Forget Marquess of Queensberry rules. We’re going back to bare knuckles. Such a free-for-all, in the car culture, is called “run whutcha brung.” No tech inspections, no EPA sniffers, no excuses. Just unload ‘em and let it happen. This is about bragging rights, and corporate honor. Get ready for the Duke-out in Detroit!

It’s FORD vs. CHEVY.

Keep Reading: 2000: Chevrolet ZL-1 Camaro vs. Ford Boss Mustang – Archived Comparison

Related posts:

1. 1999: Chevrolet Camaro Z28 vs. Ford Mustang GT – Archived Comparison
2. 1983: Ford Mustang GT vs. Chevrolet Camaro Z28 H.O. – Archived Comparison
3. 1968: Tunnel Port Ford Mustang vs. Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – Archived Comparison

1975’s skinny little new kid on the block takes on Ford’s hot-selling bully—and comes out on top.

Oops. The ’70s were such a dreary time that we fell into a funk and forgot to compare the Mustang and Camaro for a full decade. What we did do, however, was pit a Mustang II against a Chevy Monza in this Toilet Bowl of sorts. The bellowing 302-cubic-inch (we’re going retro; there ain’t no liters in this house) V-8 in the Mustang was the more powerful of the two engines, with 129 screaming ponies just waiting for their chance to unleash a stonking 10.1-second hump to 60.

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When Ford and Chevrolet put their ears to the ground, they both apparently hear the same hoofbeats. And if the Mustang II and Monza 2 + 2 are any indi­cation, both companies respond by cir­cling their wagons in the same direction. If you are looking for a 1975 sports car Detroit-style, these two compact coupes are your only choices. And though they are worlds apart visually and in terms of the corporate engineering preferences, the fundamental concepts behind them are so close that you’d think the product planners had been sifting each other’s wastepaper.

Keep Reading: 1975: Chevrolet Monza 2+2 vs. Ford Mustang II – Archived Comparison

Related posts:

1. 1968: Tunnel Port Ford Mustang vs. Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – Archived Comparison
2. 2010 Lingenfelter Chevrolet Camaro SS vs. 2010 Roush Ford Mustang Stage 3 – Comparison Tests
3. 2010 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport vs. 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – Comparison Tests