T he golden era of American muscle cars—from the mid-1960s through the early 1970s—was filled with high-horsepower beasts ...

Ford and Mercury may be similar, but there are some crucial differences between their muscle cars gearheads should know.

The cars, a third-year redesigned Mustang GT 390 and a freshly minted Camaro RS/SS 350, could’ve competed in round one of an epic Mustang vs. Camaro battle.