A 1965 Ford Mustang hardtopFord
At first blush it might not seem fair to compare the first-generation Ford Mustang to the original Chevrolet Camaro. After all, the Camaro came about as a direct response to the awesome success of the Mustang, which had taken the plain-Jane bones of the Ford Falcon and dressed them up as a sleek coupe-convertible combo that delivered affordable performance as well as a stylish and thrifty commuter car, depending on how it was ordered.
It was a grand slam for the Blue Oval right out of the gate, and it created a new ‘pony car’ market that slotted in just below the mid-size two-doors that had previously been popular.
There are a few other complications when comparing the births of these two models. Specifically, the Camaro didn’t arrive on the scene until 1967, a full three years after the birth of the Mustang. It also left by the end of 1969, while the first-generation Mustang would last all the way until 1973, giving it triple the life span and seeing it venture into more than a few weird places as the lights dimmed on the go-go-gasoline ’60s in the face of the upcoming energy crisis.