Written By Derek Putnam
About a year ago, the muscle car landscape changed, and some would proclaim the end for the second coming for factory supercars was in sight.
The ‘Last Call’ for the highly popular Gen 3 Hemi Challenger and Charger models was announced to much fanfare, and an 8-second pass at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s drag strip for a factory-built car.
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Just a few days later, Chevrolet confirmed the last model year of the current generation of Camaro will be the 2024 model. The final Camaro would roll off the GM Michigan plant’s line in December 2023.
Granted, the Camaro also endured an eight-year lull between the fourth and fifth-generation models, with the fifth gen rejoining the Chevrolet line-up in 2010, so there’s a chance this may not be the last we hear about the Camaro.
But, in the wake of the depressing news from two of the ‘Big 3’ auto manufacturers, Ford confirmed the arrival of the new generation Mustang, the S650 model.
The new S650 would replace the S550 for 2024, and continue through at least 2028, although Ford hasn’t commented on a date the S650 models will cease.
And although the newest Mustang model has only been about six months now, people have already been modifying the latest model, with single-digit drag strip passes happening for a couple shops already.
The question that comes to mind: with two of the ‘Big 3’ auto manufacturers axing their ‘muscle cars’ for the foreseeable future, what will this do to the auto enthusiast and racing community? With a limitation of these cars in the pipeline, both new and used, what will enthusiasts turn to next?
The racing community might also be affected, as the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) hosts a Factory Super Car class, which the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) also hosts a similar class under the Factory Stock Showdown name.
Both racing series showcase cars that must retain factory roof and quarter panels, and although some start with a factory VIN, some are also from the limited run Camaro COPO and Mustang Cobra Jet race car build designs.
The NHRA also introduced the next-level Factory X class in December 2022, taking a page from the Factory Stock Showdown class to use the same powerplant and factory dimension limitations, but allowing lighter components to get cars down by as much as 1,000 pounds, with a manual transmission in the tunnel.
Both classes get a lot of attention from enthusiasts as a ‘modern Pro Stock’ that has more of a connection to a factory showroom car versus the sleeker NHRA Pro Stock class cars.
My take on this? I try to be optimistic, and from the number of events I’ve been to, I think the new car versus old car balance at certain events favors the older stuff.
Yes, there are plenty of events where cars that are beyond 20 years old are limited, and the recent TX2K event is an example. There were plenty 1980-2000 model cars and trucks, but the majority didn’t fall in that range.
I think the community will find a way to adjust and overcome, but the fact you could buy a 600-850 horsepower car with a factory warranty was appealing. Mopar even built models around drag racing, including the ‘1320 edition.’
Let’s hope the bean counters take a hard look at things, and realize not everyone wants a gas sipping 4-cylinder or a slow electric car.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, Motion Raceworks, David Hakim, Geoff Turk and NMRA.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com
