Camaro versus Mustang. Ever since the fall of 1966, the Chevrolet Camaro’s main nemesis has been Ford’s pony car, and that’s pretty much because the Camaro was GM’s knee-jerk reaction to the Mustang’s success. Pick a year, any year, between when the Camaro was unleashed to testers and now, and you’ll find “Mustang vs. Camaro”…be it Shelby versus Yenko, LT-1 vs Boss 351, Type LT vs. Stallion, 5.0 vs IROC, or the legendary Toy Box ZL-1 vs Shinoda Boss combination. Fifty years on, it’s still Camaro versus Ford. And that’s fine…the competition has brought out the best in both cars, with GM and Ford righting to get the upper hand while playing off of the other’s weaknesses.

Fifty years on, however, and both GM and Ford are trying to ditch their pony car and muscle car roots for the sake of being a world-beating sports car. This, naturally, brings minor snickering from the rest of the world. Sure, both cars are loved for what they are, but can a brand-new version take on…oh, let’s say, a BMW M4? The BMW 4-series is simply the coupe variations of the severely lauded BMW 3-series, a car that has captured auto reviewers’ hearts and has consistently held top-tier accolades, often enough that magazines are often accused of taking kickbacks, bribes, or other goodies in exchange for consistent high praise. What’s the harm, then, of putting an M4 against a brand-new Camaro SS? It’s only a pony car…right? Why should the German super coupe have anything to fear from a Camaro?