Hooniverse Asks: What History’s Greatest Pony Car?

Did you know that the term pony car almost came to describe the class of two-seater mid-engine sports cars? That’s right, we could today be describing the Porsche Cayman as the best pony on the planet if not for Ford going a different direction with the car that wgave name to the category. The Mustang I was in fact, a low-slung sports car that used the drivetrain from the German Ford Taunus cleverly repositioned behind the open passenger compartment. Flip-over headlights and an integrated (but woefully low) roll bar gave the car a racer’s flair. None of that made it to production however.
Instead we got a cool looking coupe and convertible—and later fastback—based on the Falcon’s pedestrian mechanicals. Oh but that was only the beginning. The Mustang wasn’t just wildly successful, its clever mix of sexy body, cheap greasy bits and available romper-stomper motors created an entire category that arose in its image. The pony car that we know and love today is a direct descendent of those original Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, ‘Cudas, and others, and brought the muscle car ethos into a more compact and hence higher performance package.
What we want to know today is your opinion on which member of that pony car clan you think is history’s greatest. Do you think it’s the Yenko Camaro? How about the Boss 302? What is history’s best-ever pony car?
Image: Car and Driver