2023 is the last year of the LC-type Challenger and sixth-generation Camaro, which is a bit of a shame for the pony and muscle car scenes. On the other hand, Stellantis and General Motors are well aware both require full redesigns in order to stay relevant.
Over at Dodge, a brand-new Charger (yes, Charger!) is due in 2024 with three doors. The liftback-style newcomer has been recently photographed with a fuel door and – get this – a transmission tunnel. In other words, there’s no denying the Hurricane twin-turbo I6 is coming to the Charger with 500-something horsepower on deck. Of course, all-electric powertrains with 400- and 800-volt systems are in the offing as well.
As for the Camaro, the biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit somehow dropped the ball rather early in the sixth generation’s production life cycle. For starters, General Motors didn’t bring any proper updates to the Camaro since the introduction of the 10-speed automatic developed by crosstown rival Ford. The Camaro will return at some point in the future, though. Most probably in the form of an electric sedan, but that’s a story for another time.
If zero-emission muscle isn’t your thing, fret not because Ford isn’t abandoning the 5.0-liter Coyote and 5.2-liter Predator engines anytime soon. In fact, Dearborn’s favorite son worked its magic on both of them for the GT, Dark Horse, and limited-run GTD that Multimatic will assemble in Canada.
Pictured at the Dunnville Autodrome in Ontario, the Dark Horse in the video below is equipped with a Tremec-supplied manual. The 392-powered Challenger to its right is manual as well, and the same can be said about the blue Camaro LT1. Their engines couldn’t be more different, though.
Photo: Throttle House on YouTube
In the order of displacement, the 392 is a HEMI, the LT1 is a direct-injected small block, and the Coyote is a DOHC affair with dual throttle bodies for a claimed 500 horsepower at 7,250 revolutions per minute. Be that as it may, the 5.0-liter mill in the Dark Horse isn’t as torquey as the 6.4- and 6.2-liter engines of its direct rivals.
The Mustang also slots bang in the middle in terms of weight, clocking 3,949 pounds (1,791 kilograms) compared to 3,619 (1,642) for the Camaro and 4,373 (1,984) for the Challenger. As you’d expect from a track-oriented car that serves as the successor to the Mach 1, the ‘Stang makes easy work of both rivals in the quarter mile.
From a rolling start, it also manages to keep the Camaro at bay. On both occasions, the Challenger finished last because – no surprises here – it’s harder to launch and heavier than both rivaling ponies. Care to guess how the Trofeo RS-tired Dark Horse fared at Dunville Autodrome’s 1.375-mile circuit?
Not surprising in the least, the most powerful naturally-aspirated Mustang in production today recorded a slightly better time than the Cup 2-tired Mach 1. With Throttle House’s Thomas Holland at the wheel, the Dark Horse and Mach 1 posted lap times of 1:10.22 and 1:11.31 at said circuit.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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