The definition of the American muscle car centers on lots of performance for not muchmoney. Big engines, driving the rear wheels, in swoopy 2-door bodies. And of all these
fairly affordable muscle cars that once poured off the American industry's assembly
lines, the General Motors F-body cousins--the Pontiac Firebird and ChevroletCamaro--are
the only two that have offered, year in and year out, an unbroken line of performance
of this uniquely American recipe.
Some diehard sentimentalists moan the passing of what they remember as truly fast
cars, but they ought to open their eyes. The current Firebird and Camaro are far
faster than their ancestors ever thought about being, and they're better in every
other way, too. At the top you'll find the Firebird Formula and Trans Am, available
with GM's familiar 5.7-liter V8 rated at 285 hp. With the optional WS6 Ram Air
package, horsepower is upped to a remarkable 305, zero-60 mph will take less than six