These days, it's important to remember that we are not going to see the American muscle cars forever – at least not with them roaring down the track enveloped in the sound of their thundering V8s.
The 2024 Ford Mustang GT is keeping the ICE-powered pony and muscle car banner up – although it is slowly turning into a veritable sports car, so we don't know how much time it is going to remain a flag-bearer. Meanwhile, the 2023 Dodge Challenger and Charger are fading into the sunset and waving goodbye to the Hemi V8 engine.
No one knows what will happen with the Challenger, though. Its Charger sibling is reverting to a two-door body style and is also adopting the EV lifestyle. The rumor mill does keep our hopes up as reports speak about the incoming 3.0-liter Hurricane family that could keep the ICE lights on a little longer, just like with the 2025 Ram 1500 series.
The iconic Chevrolet Camaro, meanwhile, got a lease until the 2024 model year – but officially, production is ending in January next year, and unofficially, there is more bad news. Apparently, the Convertible will end production later this month, and the coupe will bow out in early December. On the other hand, GM said this is not the end of the road for the nameplate – but also didn't announce a direct successor.
As such, are we going to be picky and pass the opportunity to see a V8-powered Chevrolet Camaro SS at work doing some passes at the local quarter-mile dragstrip? Not at all, especially since the Chevy has some competition. The good folks over at the racing-focused ImportRace channel on YouTube have a nice set of (slow) brawls focused on this mildly tuned Chevy Camaro SS, which allegedly sports a K&N intake to help it breathe easier under heavy load.
The action occurs at the Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey, during a traditional Test and Tune Day. The first opponent is a blue Honda Civic, and the sound of the roaring Camaro SS is probably much faster than both of them – however, the Chevy snatches a well-deserved victory (12.76s versus 15.54s). Next up comes another blue vehicle – a Chevy Silverado, which is actually a tad faster than the Civic (12.57s versus 15.13s).
The Chevy Camaro SS driver thought that a Lexus IS-F was a worthy opponent for the third skirmish but miscalculated the Christmas tree's lights and red-lighted the pass. Last but not least, there's also a heavily modified vintage diesel truck – probably a Ford, according to the description – which could only huff and puff at the sight of the Camaro SS nailing one final victory with its best time: 12.37s versus 15.7s.
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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