(EXPANDED FROM 5/2/2023)
When car enthusiasts talk about high-end pony cars, they tend to focus on which ones were the fastest or won the most races. I would like to focus on a nerdier question: Which high-performance models sold the best? And I would further like to focus only on the years 1970-74.
Why? Because during those years Detroit was moving in the opposite direction from the marketplace. Whereas each U.S. automaker was trying to squeeze more profits from its pony cars by adding pricey models, a recession and soaring insurance rates were among the factors that pushed a goodly number of potential pony car buyers to traditional compacts or imported sporty coupes.
Pinpointing which high-performance models sold best isn’t as easy as it might sound. One challenge is that production data is spotty. Another challenge is that the market was exceptionally volatile, so high-performance models came and went with unusual speed. For example, the Dodge Challenger R/T was replaced after only two years with a decontented Rallye model; a T/A series disappeared after one year.
Perhaps the biggest reason for these cuts was that the pony car market collapsed. Production fell 65 percent from a peak of almost one million units in 1967 to under 350,000 units in 1972. Output partly rebounded in 1974 mainly because the Ford Mustang was downsized to a subcompact.
Another reason why it isn’t always easy to compare the popularity of high-performance models in an apples-to-apples way is that pony cars deviated from Detroit’s usual approach of copying each other’s lineup hierarchies.
As a case in point, in the late-60s the big car lines of Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth all had five series that included a luxury and sporty nameplate at the top. Thus, an Impala SS was roughly comparable to a Sport Fury and an XL. In contrast, the structure of pony car lineups could vary.
Pony cars experimented with new lineup structures
The Firebird arguably came the closest to sticking with Detroit’s traditional multi-series hierarchy. From 1970 onward that pony car was offered in base, Esprit, Formula and Trans Am models.
Chevrolet’s Camaro took the opposite approach by only offering trim and equipment packages — the RS, SS and Z28.
Also see ‘Lee Iacocca got lucky with the 1964-66 Ford Mustang’
In 1969 the Mustang lineup was expanded to include a luxurious Grande notchback and a sporty Mach 1 fastback model. The latter was roughly comparable in price and features with high-end sporty models such as the Z28 as well as the mid-level Firebird Formula.
For 1970-71 the Plymouth Barracuda mimicked the Mustang by offering a sporty Cuda and luxurious Gran model. The Challenger gave that approach a new twist by allowing buyers to mix the sporty R/T with the luxurious SE trim. The Camaro could also be ordered with both the RS and SS packages.
From 1968-71 the AMC Javelin was offered in base and SST trim, but in 1972 the latter was dropped. Although limited-production models were offered such as a 1970 Trans Am edition, the most significant high-end Javelin was the 1971-74 AMX. That nameplate had previously been affixed to a bad-selling two-seater.
Also see ‘1970 Plymouth Barracuda should have been like an Australian Valiant Charger’
Pontiac’s Trans Am was the priciest pony car. For 1971 the model listed for $4,595 — a whopping $1,500 more than the base Firebird. That year the limited-production Mustang Boss 351 was arguably the Trans Am’s closest equivalent, with a price tag of $4,124.
Cuda and Mach 1 were among the biggest successes
I offer the above context to underline that you can make apples-to-apples comparisons in only some cases. For example, the Cuda and AMX were relatively comparable yet the Plymouth consistently outsold the AMC — mostly by more than two-to-one margins from 1971-74. This was surprising to me because the overall Javelin lineup outproduced the second-generation Barracuda’s in four out of five years.
The Cuda also did better in 1970-71 than its corporate sibling, the R/T. Again, this was surprising because the Challenger lineup outsold the Barracuda’s from 1970-74. However, in 1973-74 the Cuda was overshadowed by the Z28.
Interestingly, at best the Z28 only ran neck and neck in sales with the Formula, which was arguably the closest Firebird in price and features. Why didn’t the Z do better given Chevrolet’s bigger dealer network and overall Camaro sales, which were consistently twice as high as the Firebird’s in 1970-74? Perhaps more Camaro buyers were price conscious and went for the cheaper SS package, which consistently outsold the Z28 (and the Formula) until it was discontinued at the end of 1972.
The Mach 1 was far and away the most successful high-performance pony car of that period. This was the case even if you add together output of the Camaro SS and Z28. For example, in 1969 the Mach 1 surpassed 72,000 units compared to roughly 54,000 units for the Camaros.
Note that the Trans Am didn’t take off in sales until the second half of the 1970s. That may have partly reflected the disappearance of competition. After 1974 the Firebird and Camaro were the sole surviving compact-based pony cars.
In 1974 the Cougar was bumped up to the mid-sized field while the Mustang shifted down to a subcompact Pinto body. The rest of the contenders — the Barracuda, Challenger and Javelin/AMX — were discontinued.
Best looking wasn’t always best selling
The pony cars collectors most prize today were usually not the biggest sellers. For example, the 1971 Mustang Boss 351 only saw 1,800 units leave the factory. Even fewer Mach 1 models were produced with the 429 cubic-inch engine and other high-performance doodads. This is but one example of how all the expense of squeezing big-block engines into pony cars didn’t pay off that well in sales.
The thing I am most perplexed about is why cars that were generally viewed as better designed didn’t always sell as well as those that had mixed reviews. I could see how the 1971-73 Mach 1 might have been more popular than the SS/Z28 partly because Ford still had momentum from getting into pony cars a few years ahead of Chevrolet.
What is less obvious is why the Cuda was punching above its weight, particularly in 1971. Perhaps the reputation of Chrysler drivetrains trumped the car’s less-attractive styling.
NOTES:
This article was originally posted on May 2, 2023 and expanded on Oct. 25, 2024. Production figures, prices and specifications from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (2006), Flory (2004) and Gunnell (2002, 2006).
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 2002. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, Ill.
- Flory, J. “Kelly” Jr.; 2004. American Cars, 1960-1972. McFarland & Co., Inc.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- ——; 2006. Standard Catalog of American Muscle Cars: 1960-1972. KP Books, Iola, WI.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: AMC AMX (1972); Plymouth Barracuda (1971)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Dodge Challenger (1970); Ford Mustang (1969); Plymouth Barracuda (1974); Pontiac Firebird (1970.5, 1979)
Some corrections on which cars were directly positioned to each other.
The Z28, Boss 302, Trans Am, AAR Cuda, Challenger TA, Javelin Mark Donohue were all homologation specials for the SCCA Trans Am series. Up to 1969 each car had to use an engine that was less than 5 liters (305 cu/in). In 1970 the SCCA rules changed and the engine could be could be modified to reach the 5 liters but the block had to be the same as the homologated model. Chevrolet increased to a 350 small block. Ford with the 351 small block. Chrysler with the 340 small block. AMC and Pontiac only had one block size.
The bigger engined version of the Camaro was the SS. With the Mustang it was the Mach 1 or the Boss 429. Plymouth = ‘cuda; Dodge = R/T.
As for collectability the biggest, baddest and considered to be the quickest (as in 1/4 mile) are going to be at the top of the heap. With Mopar that means Hemi and 440 Six Pack. Mach 1 with the 428 Cobra Jet. GM never offered the Camaro with their biggest/badest limiting them to the 396/375 hp; no 427s or 454s.
Also look at this period of 70 and 71 as the last of the biggest engines, premium gasoline, and rear end ratios that were drag racing focus but not real daily driver friendly.
Your comment looks like an addendum rather than a correction. There were a number of low-volume offerings such as the Challenger T/A and the Javelin Mark Donohue that were oriented toward homologation rather than sales. However, the Z28, SS, Cuda, Mach 1, AMX and Trans Am nameplates were kept around for a while and generated meaningful sales. My question was which sold the best?
In order to make apples-to-apples comparisons, one needs to group the entries. How they fit into racing is one way, but my guess is that many (even most) cars wouldn’t ever show up on a race track. So other considerations such as cost and styling likely played a much bigger role in buying decisions.
Judging from the Standard catalogs, the big-block engines sold in fairly small numbers. So, aside from racing, they functioned as halo models rather than generating high volume.
Both of you seem to be drifting toward a simpler idea than sorting out the computer generated password model names and laundry list options. Now, I do not know what data is handily available to you but how about dividing each pony car into 4 classes? 1. six cylinder engines. 2. Small blocks 305 ci and under. 3. Small blocks above 305 ci. 4. Big blocks. Believe me, back in the day we couldn’t keep up with the name and spec changes either.
One possible reason to explain why the Trans-Am sales skyrocketed in the mid-to-late 1970s might be due to the movie “Smokey and the Bandit” where Burt Reynolds drived a 1977 Trans-Am.
I think Stephane Dumas is correct about the mid-to-late 1970s Trans-Am and its tie-in with the “Smokey and the Bandit” movies. After 1973, the Mustang was a fancy Pinto and the Z-28 had fallen out of consciousness with Chevrolet pushing the Berlinetta. Image does sell cars if the car is reasonably consistent with the picture in the mind’s eye. like the early first four generations of the Thunderbird and the Corvette after 1955.
Watching auctions of classic cars, while bidders snap up Corvettes, the first three generations of Mustangs and the first generation of Camaros, the big sellers seem to be 1968-1974 MoPars (Baccarudas, Challengers, Satellites, GTXs, Super Bees, R/Ts, and RoadRunners !)