Pony car

Pony car is an American class of automobile launched and inspired by the Ford Mustang in 1964. The term describes an affordable, compact, highly styled car with a sporty or performance-oriented image.

The pony car had its origins in the late 1950s demise of the original two-seat Ford Thunderbird. While the model's 1958 transformation into a larger, four-seat personal luxury car proved to be a sales success, Ford dealers and consumers alike lamented the loss of the sporty halo car. For several years Ford explored various plans for a similar showroom traffic-builder to attract buyers who would ultimately purchase more mundane automobiles.

An added impetus came from the 1960 introduction of the popular Chevrolet Corvair. Initially positioned as an economy car, the Corvair's plusher-trimmed and sportier Monza model sold around 144,000 units by 1961, serving as the catalyst for Ford to create the now instantly recognizable Mustang.

The Monza's bucket seats and floor-mounted transmission shifter started a trend toward sportier cars equipped with both in all sizes from compacts to full-size cars. Ford initially responded with Futura and Futura Sprint versions of its Ford Falcon, Chrysler with the Plymouth Valiant Signet and Dodge Dart GT, American Motors (AMC) with the 440-H and Rogue versions of the Rambler American, and Studebaker with the sporty Daytona version of its compact Lark. Other sporty bucket-seat compact cars that appeared during the early 1960s included the Mercury Comet S-22, Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass, Buick Special Skylark, and Pontiac Tempest LeMans. Most of these sporty compacts came with the same economical six-cylinder engines as their more mundane counterparts, but in some cases more powerful V8 engines were at least optional along with four-speed manual transmissions and center consoles between the front bucket seats.

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