In the automotive manufacturing world, it is all about being better than the competition—and there is always plenty of competition. Usually, one company will introduce a new model to fill a void in the market, and then a year or two later, a competitor will try and fill the same void. Sometimes the original car holds strong and keeps its place in the market, and other times the competition proves to be a better choice. We thought we would take a look at three popular classic Chevys that had a similar Ford counterpart, and why Chevrolet is better.

The Corvette And The Thunderbird

The first-generation Corvette was released during the 1953 model year, and had a somewhat rough start. That being said, by 1956, the car was a real contender in the market. The release and success of the Corvette prompted Ford to rush into production of the Thunderbird. Both cars were meant to fill the two-seater Sports car market, and remained level competitors until Ford started to transition the Thunderbird into a larger car, while Chevy kept the Corvette going fast and faster. By the mid-’70s, the Thunderbird was just another big car. It was comparable to the Lincoln Mark IV, and even though it had a standard 429 cubic-inch V8 engine, it was too large and heavy to maintain any level of performance. While Ford was bulking up their car, Chevy was streamlining their Corvette, and attaching the name Stingray. The Thunderbird has shown itself to be flashy and overdone, whereas the Corvette keeps it simple, clean, and fast.

The Camaro And The Mustang

This time Ford beat Chevy to the punch and released their pony car, the Mustang. The Mustang was a hit, and prompted Chevrolet to fast track a project that was initially code-named “Panther.” The name would eventually change to Camaro,  and although the Camaro was a response to Ford’s Mustang, it turned out to be a more desirable car. The Camaro started strong with an optional 350 cubic-inch engine, and in subsequent years, special-order cars with high-performance racing equipment were available. According to UrbanDictionary.com the classic Mustang is most often compared to economy cars like the Civic. Why? Maybe because people are too afraid to compare them to a more powerful car like the Camaro.

The Nova And The Falcon

The Corvair was outsold by the Falcon during 1960, and Chevrolet realized they needed a different kind of car to effectively combat Ford. They needed the Nova. During early production and up through the late-’60s, the car was simply known as the Chevy II. The name Nova was to designate the top-of-the-line body style. It was designed specifically not to be ground breaking, but to give customers a simple, back-to-basics car. While the Falcon immediately proved to be unreliable with gearbox problems and front suspension trouble, the Nova proved to be a durable car that was also capable of better performance than the Falcon. It’s no wonder the Chevy II/Nova was a better car than the Falcon, all Ford initially delivered was 260 cubic-inch V8 while the Nova had optional 283 and 327 cubic-inch V8s. It was the Chevy II’s simplicity that helped it beat the Falcon, and outlast it by nearly five years of production.