As far as automotive enthusiasts in general and muscle car aficionados, in particular, are concerned, everyone and their mother knows that the 'Holy Trinity' of modern pony nameplates is about to dissolve soon.
The only one that will remain a traditional ICE-powered affair will be the 2024 Ford Mustang, which recently started production of the S650 seventh generation and is about to embark on the sales journey beginning this summer. And, after its first deliveries kick off at home in America, the iconic 'Stang will also reach more than 100 markets worldwide, no worries.
Meanwhile, its two main rivals are in for a bumpy last ride. The Dodge Challenger, alongside its four-door Charger sibling, is about to end production with gasoline engines onboard after the 2023 model year and the release into the wild of no less than seven 'Last Call' special editions. Including the 1,025-hp SRT Demon 170, which on E85 might be capable of duking it out with the Tesla Model S Plaid at the quarter-mile dragstrip. Afterward, though, it is all an EV lifestyle with nine levels of Banshee EV prowess for the upcoming series production version of the Charger Daytona SRT Concept.
As for the ailing sixth-generation Chevy Camaro, it cannot claim the pony and muscle car throne – which is now a distant two-way battle between the Mustang and Challenger. As such, it is no wonder that General Motors has announced the retirement of the iteration after January 2024 and a singular 'Collector's Edition.' Even worse, there is no replacement in sight, even if the company promised this is not the end of the road for the nameplate. But that is all in the real world.
Across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, meanwhile, some folks just cannot help but take matters into their hands, or, rather, at the tip of their CGI brush, as is the case here with the virtual artist tucked behind the Carmstyledesign moniker on social media, who drops the Shelby and Ford shenanigans for a GM and Mopar CGI piece of action. First, a few days ago, it was about the red or Hulk green vision of how the 2023 Chevy Camaro ZL1 should look – all slammed and widebody on a matching–color set of deep aftermarket wheels.
But now it looks like the retiring 2023 Dodge Challenger has also joined the party and sits neatly tucked in between a couple of the artist's (slightly different) Camaro ZL1 versions. Please do not ask us why he decided against CGI-mating the Detroit Holy Trinity of pony/muscle cars since the pixel master also rendered a new widebody version of the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse a while back, though. Maybe he just wanted to say goodbye to the 2023 Camaro and Challenger properly; who knows?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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