In the realm of muscle cars and Ponys there are a few cars that everyone forgets existed simple because not many of the cars were manufactured and brought into production. One of the most popular Pony Cars is the Ford Mustang. Pony cars are American classics that are inspired by the Ford Mustang post-war. A lot of manufacturers soon jumped onto the bandwagon of the pony car craze. The cars are affordable, compact, stylish and have a sporty or high-performance engine and finish. Pony cars were Ford’s response to a demand for small, sporty cars targeted at younger customers. Though in the 60s, some of these customers may not have been able to afford these cars on their own.

There are often arguments about which manufacturer has the best pony car, but even the best manufacturers as you will read about, have made forgettable pony cars. It didn’t stop them from trying though and they were able to produce some unforgettable cars. This list comprises of our top picks for 9 Pony Cars Everyone Forgets Exists, and 10 Pony Cars that are unforgettable.

19 Forgotten: 1969 Oldsmobile Rallye 350

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The Pontiac GTO judge may have been the most iconic muscle car, but Oldsmobile Rallye 350 was no slouch either, despite being forgotten. The Rallye was offered in an outrageous color, Sebring Yellow. The wheels matched the color of the car and bumpers and its hood was made of fiberglass. The car has 310-hp 350-cubic inch V8 engine and was built a little lighter. This meant that the car could get from 0 to 60 mph in seven seconds (not bad for the time) and drive a quarter of a mile in 15.27 seconds. Good luck finding one of these as only 3,500 were made.

18 Forgotten: 1969 Ford Torino Talladega

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Pony cars are all Ford, so it is surprising that one of their cars would be on this list. The Torino Talladega wasn’t their most iconic car of the time, so it is no surprise that the car is all but forgotten.

The Torino Talladega was Ford’s attempt at trying to build a car with aerodynamics.

To build this car, they worked with Holman-Moody, a race shop to design the body of the car. The result was a sleek car with a longer front clip and rear fascia, a novelty for its time. Only 75 of the 429-cubic inch V8 engine cars were built.

17 Forgotten: 1968 Plymouth Barracuda 426 Hemi

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The Hemi is actually a high-performance 90ᵒ426-cubic inch 7.0-liter V8 engine, and in 1968 Plymouth prepared 50 Barracudas for racing. While the interior of the car was pretty basic compared to other cars in its class with its standard black interior and omitted radio, the bodies were steel with a seam sealer and insulation removed. Its block material was made from cast iron. We’re not certain how fast the Barracuda Hemi accelerated to 60 mph from 0, but regular Barracudas accelerated to that speed in 7 seconds. If you are a classic car collector, we wish you all the best in securing this car, as it is going to be a rare, but expensive find.

16 Forgotten: 1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone

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Few would believe (or remember) that Ford was responsible for the Mercury Comet. Unless you are old enough or follow cars,you wouldn’t know that Mercury was a defunct division of the Ford Motor Company.

Compared to other Ford products of that time period, the Mercury Comet was the most basic despite being based on the Ford Falcon.

The Mercuries were built complete with a fiberglass hood and its windows made of plexiglass. The car also had the same 425-hp 427 V8 engine that could be found in the Shelby Cobra. Despite the car being amazing on paper, it still couldn’t compete with other cars by Ford.

15 Forgotten: 1970 Chrysler Hurst 300

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Despite the name of the car, it is in no way related to a hearse that transports coffins with their corpse’s in it. This car existed in the 1960s, but Chrysler brought the 300 series back on the market because consumers were becoming a bit nostalgic. The 1970 coupe was outfitted with an imperial interior, had a fiberglass hood and was decked out with a 375-hp 440-cubic-inch V8 engine. The car was 4,400 pounds heavy and 18.5 feet long. The Hurst is one of the rarest cars of all time, as 500 were built and had an acceleration from 0 to 60mph in 7.1 seconds.

14 Forgotten: 1964 Studebaker Avanti R3

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For some weird reason, Avanti’s are not considered to be muscle cars, and the Studebaker had a hard time getting into the Pony market because it isn’t really much of a powerhouse. The car looks like a pony with its long hood, short rear and 289-cubic inch V8 engine.

The car had a V8 engine almost 2 years before the Ford Mustang!

Studebaker eventually upped the V8s to 304-cubic inches, put a Paxton supercharger on the cars to get them to a speed of 171-miles per hour and one of the fastest cars. In 2010, the R3 was auctioned for $96,250.

13 Forgotten: 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ

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While the Pontiac may be forgotten as a muscle car, it was popular for being a car in the personal luxury coupe market.

Despite this labeling, it was one of the hottest cars on the street. The car had a long hood, probably the longest of any production cars in 1969 and a short deck.

The car was made with a 390-hp 428-cubic-inch V8 engine. The car could get to 60mph from 0 in 6.5 seconds. The car wasn’t just luxurious, it was also powerful, and it was a massive hit. Too bad, the car isn’t one of the first that comes to mind when thinking about Pony cars.

12 Forgotten: 1971 AMC SC/360 Hornet

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In 1970, AMC introduced the Hornet to replace their Rambler, a muscle car that failed in sales but impressed wherever it went. The Hornet had 285-hp 360-cubic inch V8 engine under its hood and could hit 60 mph from 0 in 6.7 seconds. It wasn’t a bad time, but at the same time, the acceleration time was not the best. Despite AMC’s efforts, displacement ruled, and they were only able to sell a little less than 800 of this car’s model. So, maybe that’s why the car is forgotten. It may have been disappointing, but the car ages well, and looks good 47 years later.

11 Forgotten: 1965 Pontiac 2 + 2

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One of Pontiac’s most iconic muscle cars was the 1965-1967 GTO. The GTO was a car that came bug, but Pontiac wanted to put its formula on a big car. This big car came in the 2 + 2 that is based on the two-door Catalina.

The car though is no slouch in the pony world with its 338 hp 421-cubic inch V8 engine and in high output guise, the power jumped to 376 ponies.

This car could also accelerate to 60mph from 0 in as little as 3.9 seconds. For its time, the statistic is pretty decent, but speed freaks often forget that this pony exists.

10 Unforgettable: 1964 ½ Ford Mustang

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A list of unforgettable pony cars would be incomplete without the car that started it all, the 1964 ½ Ford Mustang.

It is a car that several persons have in their classic car collection, and it is also a car most people know about, and it has nothing to do with most of the Western World reading Nancy Drew books as children.

While this Mustang is pretty basic and can’t compete with the performance of younger pony cars (including Mustangs), it is unlikely that you would see a more iconic car burning rubber on the American roads. It is also going to cost an arm and a leg in our time.

9 Unforgettable: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

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This Camaro was definitely a car that Chevrolet got right, and the 1968 Chevrolet gave us the Z-series. The car came with the 302 Muncie and could be purchased with one or two 4-barrels. This car paved the way for other pony cars to come. The car was available as a 2-door hardtop or convertible. It could also be purchased with a V8 4.9 L 302-cubic inch engine making it race ready with its 4-speed manual transmission. Now, the Camaro is known as one of the coolest cars, and it even makes debuts in Transformers movies making us lust for a yellow Camaro.

8 Unforgettable: 1969 ½ Pontiac Trans Am

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The Trans Am was basically Pontiac’s attempt to upgrade from its Firebird. And the Firebird was considered to actually be an upgrade of the Camaro. Drama aside, the Trans Ams were released mid-year and Pontiac basically changed the body of the Firebird.

The ½ Pontiac Trans Am is the first generation of the car, and the best thing about the car was that you can get the car in any color that you wanted.

These cars are convertibles and the rarest of all pony cars making them the most popular. Only eight were produced though, and the white with its blue racing stripes was pretty nice.

7 Unforgettable: 1968 Shelby Cobra GT 500

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The Shelby Cobra was a tweak made to the original pony car by racing legend Shelby Cobra. The car was one of the most iconic of its time and is as American as you can get. The brand put their own versions of the Mustang from 1965 to 1970. The 1965 Cobra had a 428 Cobra Jet engine and was labeled as the King of the Road. The Shelby was outfitted with fiberglass nose panels and hood, vents on the hood and a spoiled tail. It had improved gauges and its woodgrain finish marked the interior. The Shelby Cobra is one of the most popular pony cars on the market.

6 Unforgettable: 1970 AAR Plymouth Cuda

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The Plymouth AAR would have been one of the most iconic and memorable muscle cars, even if Plymouth didn’t go into racing at the Trans Am Series. The car has a preponderance of strobe stripes, a matte black hood, side pipes and 340 engine that was rated 290-hp and 460-hp for its race version.

The car also had a trio of Holley two-barrel carburetors.

The 1970 version was longer, wider and lower and finally in class with its competitors. The car was popular with young drivers, but not many could actually afford to buy it. Though, posters of the car could be found in most teenage boys bedrooms in Detroit.

5 Unforgettable: 1970 Dodge Challenger

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The Dodge Challenger was one of the most iconic pony cars of its time. The 1970 Challenger despite arriving late into the Pony Market had a 440 6-pack. This car was expected to compete with the Camaro and the Mustang. With this car, you basically own the road. It has a long wheelbase and was described as having a more luxurious interior than its competitors. Despite the power, and look and feel, the Challenger wasn’t enough to sway the devoted Mustang and Camaro fans. Some Challengers were outfitted with Hemi V8 engines that had 390hp. This could propel the Challenger to a quarter mile in 13 seconds.

4 Unforgettable: 1994 Ford Mustang GT

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The Ford Mustang is the flagship of all pony cars, and it’s obvious considering that the badge for the Mustang is a Mustang. Anyways, the 80s saw pony cars taking a hit and even the iconic flagship car was not exempted from taking a hit.

In the 1990s though, Ford designed a Mustang that actually looked like its namesake.

If you want to get a Mustang that has the iconic 302 small blocks, then the 1994 and 1995 models are the cars for you to get your hands on. A plus side of getting the car is that this Mustang is extremely reliable and doesn’t burn too much gas for its age.

3 Unforgettable: 1967 AMC Javelin

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The AMC Javelin was a popular car in 1967. The American Motors Corporation wanted to compete with the iconic Ford Mustang. They did a good job, but they didn’t have as many resources as Ford did so only one version of the car was created. The Javelin is a small pony car that has a powerful engine, making it no pushover or slouch to its competitors. The car, despite not being too popular with consumers won multiple Trans-Am racing competitions. The car was a rear-wheel drive vehicle with a front engine and was available in a variety of trims choices.

2 Unforgettable: 1964 to 1974 Plymouth Barracuda

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No list of muscle cars is ever complete with the Plymouth Barracuda. Maybe one of its versions was forgotten, but the 2-door car made by Chrysler between 1964 and 1974 was one of the most iconic in an attempt to compete with the Mustang.

It may be a bit hard to compete with the Mustang in anything, especially since the car (cult) has its loyal followers and fans.

Plymouth almost named the car the Panda. It would have been an interesting name especially if the car was black with white accents or had white seats. The car makes it to our list because it is just awesome and unforgettable.

1 Unforgettable: 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator

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When you think about the Mercury Cougar, you may very well have thought that the pony car would have been a popular ride for women over a certain age. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that wasn’t always the case. The Mercury Cougar was built on the same platform as the Ford Mustang. This shouldn’t be surprising because Mercury was owned by Ford Motor Company. It wasn’t as popular as the Ford Mustang, but what it lacked in performance, it moved towards luxury and could have been purchased with a large engine, making it a true muscle car and menacing to look at.

Sources: thedrive.com, cheatsheet.com, automoblog.net, ranker.com