What is a Pony Car?

The Pony Car is the American line of cars that were originally inspired by the Ford Mustang. Muscle Car is another term that many use to refer to Pony Cars. These cars were highly affordable back in the 1960s when they were first released and were sporty with a high performance image that made women swoon and men consider them a “must have”. They typically carried a V8 engine which was mounted under the front hood and were rear wheel drive. Although they were small cars, Pony Cars were very powerful.

Pony Cars were first released during the late fifties from the Ford Motor Company. They were launched immediately following the discontinuance of the Ford Thunderbird, which during that time was a sporty, two seat coupe. When the Thunderbird was redesigned to be more of a passenger car with four doors and four seats, people began to miss the two seater and its sportier look. Ford worked for several years to come up with a vehicle that could match the popularity of the Thunderbird.

The 1964 Corvair Monza was released by Chevrolet and although it was originally considered to be an economy car, it instantly became the model for which all Pony Cars would be designed. Ford then responded to Chevrolet’s Monza and released their own sporty version of the Futura and Futura Spring versions of the Falcon. Chrysler followed suit with the Plymouth Valiant Signet and the Dodge Dart GT and American Motors or AMC had their own Pony Car with the Rogue version of the Rambler American. Studebaker, normally considered a family-type car, even got in on the Pony Car craze with its Lark Daytona. Other cars quickly followed these Pony Car designs and became very popular, particularly among the younger crowds.

The 1964 Ford Mustang actually provided the blueprints for this new class of “muscle cars”. Dennis Shattuck, who at that time was editor of Car Life Magazine, actually coined the phrase for Pony Cars. He claimed that the idea came from the actual pony that adorns the hood of the Ford Mustang. Although different eras have brought much different body styles and performance factors from various vehicles, many feel that there are no cars in history that can compare to these coveted Pony Cars. Today, the cars in this class are highly popular as collector’s items and many shows are held around the United States as well as other countries, showcasing Pony Cars and others that were considered to be muscly, sporty and full of spunk.

The original values for Pony Cars – stylish, sporty and affordable have changed little, although today, these cars which originally were sold for less than $2,500 can cost upwards of $50,000 or more, depending on the condition that they are in and where they are purchased. Fully restored versions of original Pony Cars are very expensive but highly popular collector’s items. Pony Car enthusiasts around the world will agree that there simply is not another vehicle in creation that compares.