Japanese Failed to Bet on the Pony Car

FOREIGN automakers have come to dominate, or at least take a chunk of, every segment of the market that Detroit once ruled. Every segment, that is, except pony cars.

While Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have sold tens of millions of Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers, no Asian rival has gone mano a mano with their own V-8-powered, rear-drive sporty coupes.

On Friday Ford celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Mustang, the first of the small sport coupes that wrapped freedom and rebellion in an all-American bow. Over that time, Japanese manufacturers have largely stuck with more timid 4- and 6-cylinder models, from the Toyota Celica to the Nissan 240SX, that accentuated practicality at the expense of personality. Even long-lived models that delivered respectable performance, like the 4-cylinder Honda Preludes of 1978-2001, had no trace of the daring, danger and aggression that appeal to fans of powerful American muscle cars.
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