The Chevrolet Camaros ride quality is marginally stiffer than the Mustang's and were easier to modulate. Had the Z28's performance advantage come at a huge cost in such areas as ride comfort, ergonomics, and noise control, we might feel more reserved about its dominance. Ford Mustang GT Highs:Catchy new look, sophisticated new feel. Still, a shoot-out is a shoot-out, and the tradition of Camaro-Mustang faceoffs gives little credit for finishing second at the track. The Mustang has a tight, polished feel that we would not have thought possible from a platform whose roots are in the 1978 Fairmont. As we reported in a preview drive , Ford's work to improve the structural rigidity and suspension control of this chassis has paid impressive dividends. The new generation Mustang GT is a much sweeter automobile than this evidence suggests.

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.

Thirty years ago, in the spring of 1964, Ford invented the American two-plus sporty coupe when it popped the Mustang on an eager public - A public that responded by ordering 22,000 cars on the first day.