My wife left. Time for a muscle car

Share

Cato, Vaughan:

I've taken the package - done at 57. Retired. At least until I become so bored, I take that counter job at Tim Hortons. Did I mention the wife left? She said it's her or the ponytail, and I said I like my hair more than her.

So here's the bottom line, guys. I've got time to burn, money in my pocket, and I want to put some muscle into my flabby life. You got it: I want a muscle car. It's a new start.

I want to drive the car I could never afford when the ex and I got together, bought into suburbia, started popping out babies. The kids are gone, the wife took off, the house is sold, and I've left a job I hated for 34 years with a good package. So which muscle car? Camaro, Challenger or Mustang?

Al in Oshawa

Cato: Flabby? Reminds me of Vaughan.

Vaughan: Your wit is breathtaking, Cato. The things I've put up with, carrying you all these years.

Cato: We'll let the audience decide, my camera-mugging friend. But, Al, I fell off my chair when I read your letter.

Vaughan: No doubt causing the Earth to shudder.

Cato: I was reminded of a trip Vaughan and I just made to Oshawa. We dug into muscle cars, old and new; talked to a bunch of guys like you - guys whose passion is for pony cars. They are why General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have taken a last stab at reinventing the pony car.

Vaughan: Cato has a point, though he's never hurried to get to it. The point is, we're not likely to see another generation of pony cars after this latest wave. Baby boomers get one last kick at this.

Cato: At least it's a good kick. The new Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang pay perfect homage to their forebears of the 1960s and early 1970s. Still, Steve McQueen has passed on and so, too, will the final era of the pony car. Eventually.

Vaughan: Cato, such depth in your comments. You belong over in the sports department. There, you can put your Hemingway-ish talent to work.

Cato: Let's settle for Hemingway-ish brevity. The cars: the brooding 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, the range-topping 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500.

Vaughan: Cato, there definitely is a job for you in the sports department.

Cato: Hemingway started his career writing sports.

Vaughan: The cars, Cato. At its core, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS is a North Americanized coupe version of GM's Holden Commodore. From Australia.

Cato: The Thunder from Down Under - the first example of this GM rear-wheel-drive platform with independent rear suspension.

Vaughan: The 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 rides on a chassis that started life eons ago as a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, then turned into the Charger and Chrysler 300C. The Challenger SRT8 has more engine and a sport-tuned suspension.

Cato: The 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 draws heavily from the limited-production GT500KR from last year, not to mention its Mustang roots.

Vaughan: Of these, I'd put the Challenger in third place. It's fast - zero to 100 kilometres an hour in just over five seconds - and in our slalom tests it has done well. But in the real world, the SRT8 needs to communicate more. Capable as it is, it feels like a La-Z-Boy recliner on four wheels.

Cato: Agreed. The isolated road manners are not to my liking. Too much understeer, over-boosted brakes and a heavy feel. I love that pistol-grip manual shifter, though.

Vaughan: Okay, the Camaro SS has a very stiff chassis and that allowed GM's engineers to dial in the friendliest balance of ride and handling.

Cato: The zero-100 km/h time is about five seconds, so that flat roar you get from the 6.2-litre V-8 is for real. This car is lighter than the Challenger and feels so, too. I would still like the Camaro SS to respond more quickly when really pushed.

Vaughan: Al, you need to muscle up with the Shelby GT500. It looks a bit over the top, with its stripes and badges. From the moment I took in the dual-cowl dashboard, this car felt right.

Cato: Once I had twisted the key, fired up that gurgling, supercharged 5.4-litre V-8 and gripped the cue-ball-style shift knob, I knew we had a winner here.

This one's the fastest of the lot, with zero-100 km/h below five seconds.

Most important of all, though, the GT500's body motions are tied down with firmer suspension underpinnings, responsive steering, predictable and flat cornering and monster brakes.

Vaughan: The old sportswriter has it right, here. Time for a return engagement in the sports department.

Jeremy Cato and Michael Vaughan are co-hosts of Car/Business, which appears Fridays at 8 p.m. on Business News Network and Saturdays at 2 p.m. on CTV.

Do you have a question for Jeremy Cato and Michael Vaughan? Send it to what-car@globeandmail.com