The muscle car is back — the jury’s still out on mullets

by James Bryant, August 29th, 2006, 7:00 am

General Motors recently announced plans to resurrect the famed Camaro - the model was discontinued in 2002. While Ford is moving Mustangs and Chrysler has debuted the new Charger and has the Challenger on the way, GM is looking to get back in the muscle car business. The new Camaro, based on a concept GM debuted at this year’s North American International Auto Show, is scheduled to roll off a Canadian assembly line in 2009.

With record-high gas prices why is GM picking this time to roll out a gas-sucking muscle car? GM thinks it can sell a lot of Camaros. Before the Camaro rebirth was green-lighted, GM product Czar Bob Lutz said the company would have to sell at least 100,000 units per year for the Camaro to be a viable program. Ford sold more than 160,000 Mustangs in 2005, and Lutz wants some of those sales. But beyond that, muscle cars are just cool.

When I was about 11 I was thumbing through my latest issue of Hot Rod at the breakfast table. “When I can drive I’m gonna get a car like that,” I said mashing my finger on a purple 1968 GTO convertible. “No wait! I’m gonna get a car like that!” This time I pointed to a blue 1971 Mach 1.

My dad looked at me over his glasses, “And how exactly do you expect to pay for a car?” I thought about it for a second before coming back with my father’s all-time favorite response…”I don’t know.”

I proceeded to hear the granddaddy of father-son fiscal responsibility lectures. The gist of it was – Not one cent of my father’s money was leaving his wallet for a car, gas, repairs, etc. If I wanted a car I could have one at 16 so long as I paid for it myself.

Approximately 182,000 copies of the Houston Chronicle later, I had my first car – a rusted out 1973 Firebird with 110,000 miles on it. SWEET!

It was 1983. The Sabbath was cranked. My mullet was coming in nicely. The only problem was I spent more time lying in a puddle of oil and fire ants under the car than cruising for babes inside it.

Flash forward to the year 2019. Mullets are back in style. A 16-year-old kid gets his first car – a 2009 Chevrolet Camaro. The 2-quart puddle of oil he’s lying in costs $22. Fire ants have been extinct for three years. Life is good.