The new herd of pony cars

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Story by Nancy A. Herrick

The year 1967 began with the Green Bay Packers winning the first-ever Super Bowl. “The Graduate” and “The Dirty Dozen” were among the top grossing movies. On television, “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” and “The Flying Nun” made their debuts.

On warm summer nights The Doors’ “Light My Fire” or Sam and Dave’s “Soul Man” could be heard blaring from AM radios as young drivers cruised down Sheridan Road with their car windows rolled down, enjoying the breeze off the lake.

If they were lucky they were driving a brand new Camaro, just introduced by Chevrolet. Or perhaps a Ford Mustang. Or an AMC Javelin, built in Kenosha.

Known as pony cars, Mustang introduced the genre in 1964. These sporty compact cars were high on both style and performance. The list also would include the Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger, Pontiac Firebird and Mercury Cougar.

They had bucket seats, long hoods and a choice of engines, from basic to powerful. Generally quite affordable, pony cars were marketed to a young (or young-thinking) audience. Although the Mustang has been in production right along, the pony cars’ golden era was waning by the Oil Embargo of 1973.

Now, more than 40 years later, Camaro and Challenger have joined Mustang in leading a new pony car charge. This time they are as likely to be sold to those who remember them from the first time around as to a youthful crowd.

“I’ve sold many of the new, well-equipped Camaros with bigger engines to people who had them — or wanted them — when they were younger,” says Michael Palmen, general manager of Roger Palmen Chevrolet in Union Grove. “But no matter what Camaro model draws a customer’s attention, they all have the look and styling that Camaros always have been known for.”

Brian Harrig, regional general manager for Frank Boucher Chevrolet in Racine, says today’s pony cars appeal to two types of customers.

“There are people who have a nostalgic connection to the cars who want to relive that era,” Harrig says, “but also buyers who are interested in what Camaro has to offer now.”

When it comes to the Mustang, Tony Wheatly says the car’s classic appeal has been a constant. Wheatly is the general manager of Gordie Boucher Ford in Kenosha.

“‘I wish I still had my ’67 Mustang’ or ‘why did I ever get rid of that ’75 Mustang’ is something I hear all the time,” says Wheatly. “There is something about a Mustang of any era that helps people preserve their youth.”

Don Kirschbaum of Pleasant Prairie doesn’t pine away for his original Mustang. If he wants to see it, all he has to do is lift his garage door.

It’s a 1964½ Mustang — the first of its kind — in a Guardsman Blue color that was only available that year. He and his wife, Sandy, bought the sporty car in July 1964 from Lyons Ford in Kenosha for $2,405.87, as verified by the original sticker Kirschbaum has kept all these years.

“We saw the brochures and thought we should have one,” says Kirschbaum, who retired 14 years ago as production manager of the Kenosha News. “We only had two kids then and they would fit in the small back seat. But then we had two more and outgrew the car.”

Instead of trading it in on a larger, or more practical car, the Kirschbaums decided to store it in a barn that belonged to a friend until years later when Don decided to get it out and work on it.

“The fenders were rusted out, but otherwise it was in good shape,” he says. The car has been stripped and repainted, but Kirschbaum never felt the need to pull out the engine. One winter he reupholstered the seats himself in his basement.

He only drives the car in summer, and mostly to car shows where it has won ribbons and Best of Show trophies. “There seems to be a show every weekend,” he says, “and you always see a lot of Mustangs. They are so popular with people of all ages.”

Jerry Fjelsted is a pony car fan, too, and has both a 1967 Camaro RS convertible and a 1967 Mustang. He bought the Camaro in 1990 and the Mustang in 2005.

“I just like the cars of that era,” says Fjelsted, 70, also of Pleasant Prairie, who says he remembers them well from when he was not yet 30. “They were small and fast and the styling was great.”

Fjelsted knows old cars: he has more than 15 that range from a 1925 Schlitz Brewery truck to a 1991 third-generation Camaro with only 550 miles on it.

“I’ve been collecting for 45 years,” he explains, “and most of the cars I own I remember from when I was younger. If an unrestored comes along and is in good shape, I’m probably interested.”

He also has seen the Camaros, Mustangs and Challengers of today and is impressed.

“Of course, they have a lot more bells and whistles now,” he says.

By today’s standards the original pony cars were pretty bare-bones. The radio was AM only and had just one speaker. A padded dash was a selling point. Backup lights were an option.

Today’s cars are more comfortable, fuel efficient and technologically sophisticated.

For example, Dodge Challengers, introduced in 2008 after being discontinued in 1983, come with leather upholstery, heated seats, a sunroof and, of course, a HEMI V-8.

Camaro, which suspended production in 2002, was reintroduced in 2010 and now comes in a convertible model, too. Among Camaro’s offerings are more than 170 XM radio channels, graphic information display, personal cell phone connectivity and stability and traction control.

The new fifth-generation Mustangs are available with eight speakers and a SYNC system that talks to you about what music you would like to play. The power seats and headrests can be adjusted all sorts of ways and the interior temperature can be controlled by zones.

“Ford brought back some of the original Mustang colors, which have been popular,” says Wheatley. “And of course, the pony on the grille is still the same.”

Kirschbaum, who also has restored a 1955 Ford Sunliner convertible, has taken a look at the new Mustangs and is impressed.

“The technology in new cars is amazing,” he says.

Fjelsted takes each of his old cars out for a spin at least once during warm weather, but is content driving his current Chrysler 300 most of the time. He says the new pony cars are appealing and he would consider buying a new Camaro.

“The styling is great and now that they’ve upped the horsepower, it can really move,” he says.

“In fact, all three are nice cars. The people in Detroit who designed them, they really got it right.”

What is a pony car?

Definitions vary, but most car fans agree that a pony car:

l Is a performance car built on a passenger car chassis.

l Is compact in size.

l Has plenty of power, but not as much as a muscle car.

l Is built in North America.

l Celebrated its heyday from about 1964 to 1973.

l Is part of a genre that started with the Ford Mustang, and grew to include the Chevrolet Camaros, Pontiac Firebird, Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger, AMC Javelin and Mercury Cougar.

Pony cars are among the more collectible cars today and are a big part of summer car events around Wisconsin. Here are just a few of the places you can see them:

l OnTuesday nights in summer at Wendy’s on 39th Avenue and 75th Street in Kenosha.

l At the Iola (Wisconsin) Old Car Show in mid-July, which is a huge show that draws entries from all around the country.

l Wisconsin Mustangers All Ford show held each May at Ewald’s Venus Ford in Cudahy.

l Vintage Chevrolet Club of Wisconsin’s annual Chevrolet show each June at Andrew Chevrolet in Glendale.

l The annual Wisconsin MOPAR Club show held each August at Ewald Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Franklin.

To learn more about pony cars, check out these websites:

l Wisconsin Early Mustangers, dedicated to the restoration, preservation and enjoyment of Mustangs, www.wemustangers.com.

l Great Lakes Region of the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America, dedicated to the preservation of all years of Chevrolets, www.vcca-glr.com.

l Wisconsin MOPAR Muscle Club, dedicated to the preservation and restoration of all Chrysler-produced vehicles, www.wmmc.net.