Logan Diemert
Mrs. Boreson
Expos Period 4
Persuasive Essay
February 1, 2009
Ford Motor Company’s motto is “Drive One” (Ford.com). If you are a proud Ford Mustang owner, then you know what it is like to drive a Mustang. You know the thrill, the action, and the excitement when you drive a Mustang. If have not driven a Mustang, then you are missing out, my friends. This is because Mustangs have more power, are more stylish, and have overall better performance. When comparing the Mustang to one of its pitiful rivals, you can clearly see the differences and the advantages the Mustang has. When compared to the Chevy Camaro, these differences are clearly noticeable. You see, the problem people are having these days are driving any car other than a Mustang. Especially when these people drive Chevy Camaros. If everyone would drive a Mustang, there would be no more wars. This is because everyone will be driving their breathtaking cars.
History is a very important part of these two competitors. The past of these two cars is what has created what the cars are like in the present. Around the mid-sixties, the baby boomers were looking for their first cars. The only cars that were appealing to them were corvettes. These were much too expensive, and Ford Motor Company looked into designing an appealing and inexpensive car. In 1962, Ford presented the Mustang I prototype. The presentation was at the US Grand Prix in Watkins Glen. One year later, Ford presented the Mustang II prototype. This model resembled the current mustang more, and had a 271 horsepower V8 engine. Then, in April of 1964, the Mustang was unveiled. At the press conference that it was shown, twenty million people viewed in to view the most impressive car built to date. The day after the Mustang was shown, Ford sold 22,000 of the spectacular cars. Ever since that spectacular date, Ford has been producing Mustangs for the general public (home.pon.net). However, the Camaro’s history is a little…interesting. The Camaro started production in 1967. After the huge success that Ford was having with the Mustang, Chevy thought that they would try to come up with a car that would come close to competing with the Mustang. After the Camaro started in ’67, the Mustang impersonator continued production until 2002. Chevy realized that the Camaro was not making as much of a profit, so they decided to stop production. That is, until this year. The new Camaro Concept should be out before the year 2010 (wiki.gmnext.com). Even though that they are coming out with a new concept car, keep in mind that the Ford Mustang Concept is also coming out, and that Mustangs have been here for 45 years straight.
When looking at the Mustang, we also have to look at their shabby competitors. The Chevy Camaro is a beat down car that has an awkward and unusual history. When GM was creating the Camaro, they didn’t even have a name for it until shortly before release. When they chose the name Camaro, the press wanted to know what the name meant. The Chevrolet Product Managers said that it meant, “A small vicious animal that eats Mustangs”. That is cute and all, but according to an old Spanish dictionary, it means a “small, shrimp-like creature”. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think shrimp eat Mustangs. I don’t even think they are vicious. A journalist even found an alternate definition which means, “loose bowels” (hotrodscustomstuff.com). There is no better name for a car to compete against the Mustang than diarrhea. The people at Chevrolet are incredibly brilliant. Only a true genius would name a car after what you leave in the toilet when you are sick.
I believe that we should look at the varieties of the two cars now. When the Camaro was first produced, it came in two varieties. You could either get it in an RS or SS package. The SS package was an upgraded version of the RS. In 1969, the Camaro still had its basic SS and RS packages. This year was the best year for Camaros. This was because this was their best selling year and the best engines were put in at this time. Along with the RS and SS packages, there was an additional Indianapolis 500 version. One more year that we will compare is the year 2002. This was the last year of the past Camaro, and the Camaro only had one more addition. The Camaro came in an RS and SS model, but also a Z-28 model. The Z-28 became an option in the early 1970’s (wiki.gmnext.com). When the Camaro was on its last stretch, the Mustang was in its golden years.
In 1967, the Mustang had already become a house-hold name. In 1967, there were many different varieties of the Mustang. These types were the Shelby GT-500, GT-350, V6, and a V8 GT model. During this time, the Mustang’s closest competitor was the Mercury Cougar. And compared to the Cougar, the Mustang was outselling it by a three-to-one margin. In 1969, Ford had the basic V6 and V8 coupe packages. Along with these, there was also the GT-350, GT-500, BOSS Mustang, and the Mach 1. The BOSS Mustang had a very interesting career. The BOSS Mustang was made to race in NASCAR after the success of the 426 Hemi. And the year 2002 was also a good year for the Mustang. During 2002, there was the V6, V8 GT, Cobra, and Saleen Mustang (home.pon.net).
As you can plainly see, Mustangs are overall superior compared to Camaros. If you want a car with class, power, and a history that you can count on, then you must get a Mustang. There is just no substitute for the excitement that comes over a person when they own a Mustang. You cannot get the type of thrill you get with a Mustang than if you did with a Camaro. Because when I hear the word Camaro, the words weak, shaky history, and diarrhea come to mind. The old Camaro slogan was “We’ll Be There” (http://future.v.omgili.com). Even though the Camaro is going back into production sometime, the Mustang is here and now. Chevy has waited a long time to be “there”. The Mustang has been here for the last 45 years, and it is not going anywhere.
