Of course, performance figures do not tell the whole story. The Camaro still held the upper hand. How about the contests that don t reward brute power? As you d predict for otherwise similar cars, the 275-horsepower Camaro creams the 215-horsepower Mustang in sheer speed. In nearly every performance measurement we take, the Camaro Z28 runs all over the Mustang GT.

Against a commendably smooth and refined new Mustang, the Camaro redesigned last year for it fourth generation, more than holds its own. But the report from the front as 1994 gets underway shows the tide clearly running in Chevrolet s favor. The Fortunes of war have varied over decades. Chevy s pony car quickly established itself as the Mustang s most bitter rival, and the two have been brawling ever since - in showrooms, on racetracks, and between the covers of magazines.

Chevrolet was caught flat-footed and had to spot the Mustang more than a million sales before responding with the Camaro in the fall of 1966.