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**Joe[_1_]** · August 17th 06, 02:41 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang

wrote in news:1155778071.122201.32220
@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com:

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

Gotta love it!