Charger vs Mustang

[RedDragon]

I had a very interesting talk with my dad tonight about his mustang forum and how much better they think the mustang is over the charger. Also that the Charger is not a muscle car because it has 4 doors. I was just wondering what you guys think of what makes a muscle car.

[TehKing]

I love the Charger, but from a modification stand point the Mustang will always be better until Chrysler gets their heads out of their butts and allows the ECU's to manipulated.

[RedDragon]

True. It seems that for the most part Dodge/Chrysler think that factory equipped means perfect. I would like to see more stuff for everything they make, dont see it happening though.

[00R/T]

The mustang has a huge following of enthusiasts and aftermarket companies as well. Even if they get the challenger out for a comparable price, Chrysler is gonig to have a tough fight with the 'stang for the american muscle car.

[RedDragon]

Well it was funny because the Stang guys were saying how they are kind of afraid of what will happen when it comes out, because they wont have the "muscle" car market locked down like they do now. Now that is there words, not mine. But I find it interesting they are worried about it.

[CleanTrep]

Well I wonder what the new Camaro will do for them as well...

[RedDragon]

I dont know, but I watched Transformers last night with the wife, and DAMN that car is sweet looking....I think at least.

[sc.intrepid]

Since we are defining the class...

I guess at a minimum a muscle car has to be a V8. Also needs to be American(at least where the company started)

V6s just don't qualify although they can be powerful. So V6 mustangs are NOT muscle cars-you can call them "pony cars" if you like.
Station wagons are out

[Virginia_Dodge]

Hey king, love your little pic of LHFOrums and the rolling over of Di.net

[IntrepidBus IV]

It's a 4-door muscle car, just a unique segment!

[EagleESi]

I think to be honest, all the Real muscle cars are no longer built regardless.

But, Muscle car to me, is a V8 American Built Monster, with clean lines, plenty of power. And just sheer great looks.

[gary681]

I think to be honest, all the Real muscle cars are no longer built regardless.

But, Muscle car to me, is a V8 American Built Monster, with clean lines, plenty of power. And just sheer great looks.i know they're built still, i saved the receipt :smartass:

[RedDragon]

:) I dont know if the new GTO counts...its kinda weak...:) j/k I think it counts, and the only cars that dont really count in my book are the v-6's. Granted there are models out there that can blow cars away with just a v-6, however a true American muscle car is a V-8 power house.

[In2Deep]

Mustang vs. Charger? Apples vs. Oranges. Not really a good comparison since they appeal to two very different groups. The Charger owners that I have talked to love the fact that they get Hemi power, "sporty" looks, and room for 5. Most Mustang owners prefer two doors, and some don't even realize they HAVE a back seat. :D

The Challenger and Camaro will be the ones to compare the Mustang with. All of them are "pony" cars.

[Dodgeyaussie]

I had a very interesting talk with my dad tonight about his mustang forum and how much better they think the mustang is over the charger. Also that the Charger is not a muscle car because it has 4 doors. I was just wondering what you guys think of what makes a muscle car.


4 door muscle car;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Dodgeyaussie/0542939400.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Dodgeyaussie/fordfalcon_wideweb__470x3422.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Dodgeyaussie/falcon_xygtho.jpg


Record $600,000-plus for GTHO Phase III

The $683,650, including buyer's premium, paid at auction yesterday has set a new record price for an Australian muscle car. We hate to say it, but Wheels predicted 30 years ago this month that Ford's 1971 legend was as good as money in the bank.


The $600,000-plus paid for a restored-but-original GTHO Phase III Falcon at yesterday’s Bonhams & Goodman tri-state auction is a hands-down new record price for an Australian muscle car.
http://www.wheelsmag.com.au/wheels/wheelsed.nsf/6f41c1d13a3b1f07ca256c2700808185/73b49dc87051e4ceca2572aa0009ed5e/Body/0.1A8?OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg


The car fetched an incredible $683,650, which included the 14.3 percent, including GST, buyer’s premium. The actual “hammer price” for the car was $605,000.
Bidding opened at $400,000 and, we’re told, it accelerated quickly via telephone bids and from the floor in the Melbourne and Sydney salesrooms. The car eventually went to a Sydney buyer, who had bid on the phone.
Yesterday’s result is significant, and not just because it represented a phenomenal amount of money paid for a classic Australian muscle car. While rumours persisted of $400,000-plus private sales, this was the first Phase III in a long time to come up for auction, thereby setting an official price yardstick for the model.
We hate to tell you so, but Wheels predicted way back in 1977 that the car would become a gilt-edged investment. Writing in the March, 1977 issue (that’s Brian Woodward, dog and shotgun on the outtake from out cover shoot, pictured), Wheels stalwart Mike McCarthy got it right when he said: “This is it – the best investment on the market: the Phase III HO. The superest supercar ever made in Australia, it has no peers. None.”
McCarthy went on to say: “The first HO (Handling Option), the 1969 XW, was a mild performance car and so was the 1970 Phase II version. But the Phase III blows them and all others into the weeds for sheer performance, mystique and special-interest appeal. It is, simply, the King, and needs no more testimonial than that.”
The GTHO Phase III’s new price in 1971 was $5302. When our cover story appeared in 1977, an original car was said to be worth $7500, and Wheels predicted that in 1982 in would be worth a then-astonishing $20,000.
On our Wheels’ value rating in that March, 1977 issue, the car was given a 10-out-of-10 value rating. All of which begs the question: how much would the rumoured two or three Phase IV Falcons in existence be worth if they came onto the market today? Surely, they’d be Australia’s first $1 million muscle cars.

The GT-HO Phase III was the third evolution of the GT-HO series, and was the greatest Australian supercar of its time. It was specifically homologated for the Austrailian touring car championship (http://www.supercars.net/cars/2357.html#) with 300 examples being produced.

One of the most sought-after GT models is the XY 'shaker' and one of the most collectible of all Australian performance cars (http://www.supercars.net/cars/2357.html#) is the Phase III GT-HO version. The XY GT extended the tradition of the true Aussie muscle car by being the first and only model to feature an exposed centre bonnet air-scoop that was attached to the air cleaner of its Cleveland 351 engine, hence the 'shaker' name. The Phase III was to be the ultimate expression of the art with a fully functional 'shaker' air' intake and front and rear spoilers.

The 1971 Bathurst 1000 saw a field that seemed to be dominated by Falcon GT-HOs. The first several rows were entirely Falcons and, at the finish, so were the first three places. Even though the XY GT had long been replaced by the XA, the GT-HO Phase III had to soldier on for another season in 1972 after the supercar controversy killed off its XA replacement.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GTHO_Phase_III

[LH body New Yorker]

OK, here's how I look at it. Ford took the "retro" look that is now making a comeback when they kicked out the new Mustang.

Dodge engineers, in Chrysler's own words, were given the chore of designing what they thought the Charger would have evolved into had the name not dissappeared for so long.

In a world of mini-vans and SUVs, 4 door cars are really still the high sellers. Statistics show 2 door cars are rather slow sellers, and have a small market niche at best. People like to have their cake and eat it too, and with the Charger they have it. Room and Tire-roasting power.

And I ask-Why not? What's wrong with 2 extra door handles?

Oh and don't worry if you're square in the Chrysler camp. Challenger is going to steal every bit of the Mustang's Thunder. By the time the old gray-haired General gets the Camaro out, it'll be viewed more likely as just another "me too" car. If GM wants to do something real with that platform, they'll realize everyone will be screaming for a Firebird as well, and if they want to get serious, they'll take it to the next level, and give Buick a Grand National based on the platform.:drool5:

In my humble opinion. Thanks for listening.

[gary681]

it's rather easy to have a muscle car if you know how to turn a wrench... you don't have to be lazy and buy a cookie cutter mustang or charger to have fun