Cars - Trash Talking Before The Rumble

With ithis already going on, you can bet the pony car wars are REALLY
going to heat up. Read on...

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ROYAL OAK -- Woodward wasn't big enough Tuesday morning for two classic
Detroit muscle cars that will soon roar back into showrooms.

The Woodward Dream Cruise provided the backdrop for the first salvo in
a much-anticipated showdown between the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge
Challenger.

To set the scene, the Chrysler Group was hosting a media event in front
of Duggan's Irish Pub in Royal Oak. The automaker was showing off its
Dodge Challenger concept muscle car and the 1970 Challenger that
inspired it.

Without warning, a Chevrolet car hauler embossed with a massive bowtie
logo and carrying two Camaros -- the 2006 concept car and a 1969
classic -- came rolling by, turning the head of media members.

Jason Vines, Chrysler's top PR official, took the slow-speed Camaro
drive-by as an invitation for a Dream Cruise rumble.

He (jokingly) called it a "wuss" move to haul the Camaros in a trailer
rather than driving the vehicles by Duggan's.

Chevy spokesman Terry Rhadigan denied a turf war. General Motors Corp.
has been showcasing the Camaros for days on Woodward as part of the
Dream Cruise and they were en route to two GM events Tuesday, he said.

"We'll definitely do battle with them in the showroom in a couple of
years, but right now this was more or less an opportunity to display
the iconic brand," he said.

Both Dodge and Chevrolet have promised to build production versions of
vehicles in the next couple years.

The muscle car tussle caught the attention of Jalopnik.com, a popular
auto Web site, which likened it to a Sharks-versus-Jets feud.

"Chevy made a point of letting the Chrysler folks know that they were
stepping on the General's turf ... almost goading the Chrysler Group
into a 'West Side Story'-like knife fight," the Web site said.

"It slowly passed in the right lane," Ray Wert, Detroit associate
editor for Jalopnik.com, told The Detroit News. "It was quite possibly
the greatest coincidence in the history of automobiles."

The modern-day muscle car battle reignited when Ford Motor Co. gave its
2005 Mustang a throwback design.

Dodge and Chevy entering the fray is a good for Detroit and the auto
industry, Wert said.

"This is what the enthusiasts want," Wert said. "This gets their blood
running. The baby boomers all want to push their pony car as being the
best pony car among them all."

Vines agreed, but couldn't help taking one more swipe at his rival.

"It's healthy for Detroit and it's healthy for the industry," Vines
said. "Despite the lameness of the GM stunt, it gets people talking."
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Patrick