A sales race that CarThrottle has consistently covered is the one between the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang. The Mustang, with its universal appeal and wide model range, has historically outsold its cross-town rival the Camaro.

When the Camaro first launched, it was speculated that it would surpass Mustang sales, at least in the first year. That didn’t work out though due to its late start.

Last year, was the first full year of sales between the two. Despite Ford fielding the improved 2011 Mustang, the Camaro managed to outsell the Mustang by 7,655 units.

This year, the Chevrolet Camaro gets a convertible variant as well as a high-performance ZL1 model to stir interest. Camaro Convertible sales haven’t managed to kick in yet in a meaningful way though, and Ford has put incentives on the Mustang to boost sales. The result? Very close. For March, Chevy managed 8,964 Camaros, while the Mustang checked in at 8,557 units. Very close. For the year, the tallies stand at 19,972 Camaros and 15,419 Mustangs. Stay tuned.

We already know Ford has launched the Mustang Boss 302 recently. Using a name that hasn’t been used since 1970, the Boss 302 is Ford’s most powerful normally aspirated Mustang to be sold to date. It has a 5.0liter V8 that makes 440bhp and should allow the Boss 302 to achieve a sub 5 second 0-60mph time.

Whilst the specs of the Boss 302 are all fine and dandy, one item caught my eye. It comes with a regular ignition key and another coded ignition key to access the full performance of the Boss 302. Ford calls it the TracKey and its main purpose is to sharpen all engine responses for use during track days, or mainly during periods of showboating at the local parking lot with friends. I call it another gimmick or toy for the owners of the car.

The TracKey unlocks the Powertrain Control Module which supposedly turns the Boss 302 into a competition ready track car. If you use it, the software in the PCM will adjust up to 200 parameters of the 5.0 V8 engine in order to give maximum performance. These parameters include camshaft timing, ignition timing, fueling and even throttle response. The TracKey also accesses a two stage launch control system for controlled idiot-proof track and traffic light launches. Ford says that “a skilled driver will really appreciate the benefits” as the car becomes a very focused track day special with instant throttle response and feel. Ford then concludes that the owner of the Boss 302 can then restart the car with the normal key and everything goes sensible again. IF you consider having 440bhp sensible in the first place.

The thing is, why do you need an additional key to access all of this extra sportiness? Isn’t a Boss Mustang supposed to be something outright sporty in the first place? This basically reminds me of the E39 BMW M5, the first in a long line of performance cars that started offering two or more ‘power’ settings that are driver selectable. The M5 had a ‘sport’ button that allowed the driver to tootle about town with less aggressive steering and throttle response. Now being an M5, why would you ever want less steering response and less throttle response? The M5 felt perfect with the sport button on and soggy with it off. I blame the E39 M5 (pictured below) for starting this trend for extra gimmickry in all present day cars. The E39 M5 was a fabulous car. But because of this little addition that somehow caught on with almost every performance car manufacturer, I have some thought of taking a sledge hammer and bashing it.

Of course all this technology comes into play if you want a car to stay eco-friendly with less aggressive mapping so that it sips instead of gulps petrol. But in a performance car, a button which can switch settings between economy and power is all you need and sometimes, a button is a button too many. And a key for this is even worse. Imagine if you lost the TracKey and have to go through all the trouble of getting another one from the dealer. Wouldn’t a tiny little button marked ‘Track’ be simpler instead of aping the ‘top speed key’ of the Bugatti Veyron?

Ford’s marketing men should realize that this new Mustang Boss 302 has more than enough heritage to stand on its own instead of having to resort to unnecessary gimmicks. Or then again, these extra keys and buttons are there to please owners who are eight years old at heart. Big Boys Toys, and the more bells and whistles, the better.

We’re in the last month before 2010 is over, heading into 2011. Earlier in the month we reported on a sales race between the Camaro and Mustang that looks to have already been called for the Camaro. The Mustang is close behind however.

With 2011 just around the corner, manufacturers will start introducing their 2012 models and the various option packages, tweaks and price changes that inevitably comes with a model changeover.

The 2011 Mustang was a significant update. For 2011 the Mustang received a new 3.7-liter V-6 making 305 horsepower and 280 pound feet of torque. The engine stunned with its 30 miles per gallon on the highway figure. Perhaps most importantly to enthusiasts though, the Mustang 5.0 was brought back, with an engine making 412 horsepower.

Most manufacturers are raising prices, but Ford had cut the base price of the base model 5.0 by $500. The cut brings the price tag to $29,995, under the crucial-for-marketing $30,000 barrier.

The other changes are minor and less exciting. Standard equipment has been upgraded, with the biggest being an EPAS steering system that offers choice between Comfort, Normal and Sport models.

There is also a new universal garage door opener and sun visors with storage system and illuminated mirrors. Changes are rounded off with the availability of a a new color Lava Red Metallic, while Sterling Gray Metallic is deleted from the options list. We know, so exciting…..but we like the price cut.

Last year, we extensively covered a sales race that was developing between the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang.

Historically, the Mustang has nearly always outsold the Camaro. That has carried through from the very beginning in the 1960′s – the Mustang was the first on the market and its leadership position stuck.

The new Camaro went on sale in April 2009 amid a sagging economy and poor public perception of General Motors. However, with a high amount of pent up demand and public hype, the Camaro handily outsold the Mustang.

Many figured this would be a short-term trend and that the car’s sales would be very front-loaded. When the final numbers were tallied for 2009, the race was close but the Mustang eked out a victory.

That was due to the Camaro having just 6 months on sale. With front-loaded sales for the Camaro gone and new engines for the 2011 Mustang, many speculated the Mustang would leave the Camaro in the dust for 2010. That hasn’t proved to be the case.

In fact, the Camaro has consistently outsold the Mustang – without incentives, a plenthora of special models or a convertible variant. For the year Chevy has logged sales of 75,685 Camaro coupes while the Mustang comes in at 68,264.

If the sales numbers hold through December, Newsweek says the Camaro will end the year at about 82,500 sales, while the Mustang will finish with 74,500 sales. That would put the Camaro in the lead for the first time since 1985.

Ford appears to have already accepted the fact, with Mustang spokeswoman Angie Kozleski commenting that “It’s not a sales race.” If the Camaro posts a win for 2010, we could see the trend carry through to 2011. Next year, Camaro will have the aid of a convertible model to boost sales.

This time, it is American muscle lapping the Virginia International Speedway. The Ford Mustang has been upgraded for 2011 significantly and down the lineup. The GT500′s power output, however, wasn’t touched – at 540 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque, it didn’t need changing.

Instead, it got an aluminum block that reduced weight by 120-pounds, helping speed and agility. Want proof weight has a lot to do with performance?  Check out the video below, and watch the GT500 lap the track in 2:58.5 –  nine seconds faster than the 2010. Wow.

Last year at the Los Angeles International Auto Show the Mustang V-6 was introduced for 2011, making some impressive figures. 305 horsepower and 31 MPG!

That is one for the record books Ford says, making the Mustang V-6 the only car with that kind of fuel economy from 305 horsepower. The new 5.0-liter’s figures are no less impressive.

The 5.0-liter V-8 in the 2011 model makes 412-horsepower (!) and achieves an EPA rating of 17 mpg city and 26 highway, when equipped with the six-speed manual transmission.

Those are best-in-class figures. When equipped with the six-speed automatic, it gives one and takes one, resulting in 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. These numbers manage to give the Mustang a win over the Chevrolet Camaro however it is equipped.

These improvements are despite an increase in power over 2010′s 4.6-liter V-8 Mustang. That car got 15/23 mpg with the manual and 15/22 mpg with the automatic.

“Mustang powertrain development has reached a point where customers don’t have to choose between fuel efficiency and performance,” says Barb Samardzich, Ford vice president of Global Powertrain Engineering. Indeed!

Since the Camaro went on sale, it has been outselling the Mustang. Originally, it was to expected due to the Camaro’s newness and pent up demand. As the year wore on though, the Camaro continued to outsell – a surprising fact, given the Mustang’s historical dominance over the Camaro and widespread appeal.

The crown for overall sales in 2009 still goes to the Mustang though. Why? Because the Camaro went on sale in June of 2009, halfway into the year. Even 6 months behind, the Camaro managed to sell 61,618 Camaros in that time period, versus 66,623 Mustangs.

Pretty impressive – the Camaro would be well ahead if there was a full calendar year. 2009 is over with though – 2010 is a new year. The real test is who will end up on top this year, and Ford has a few tricks up its sleeve in the form of an updated V-6 engine and return of the 5.0-liter V-8.

With the Camaro outselling the Mustang over the past few months, Ford had to up its game with the Mustang. The new 305 horsepower, 30 miles per gallon (impressive) Mustang V-6 was released at the beginning of the month for the LA Auto Show. With the V-6 only 10 ponies under the Mustang GT, it was clear the V-8 was due for an upgrade.

It has gotten that – a bit earlier than expected too. Thanks to the power of the internet, details of the new powerplant leaked out on Facebook, a little less than a month before it’s supposed official launch at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The new engine marks the return of the 5.0-liter designation, and reports saying it will be put on the car’s fender once again for the 2011 model year.

Horsepower is bumped up significantly, to 412 – a bump of just under 100 horsepower. That puts it competitive with the heavier Camaro SS V-8′s 422 horsepower. The images shown are still for the V-6 model – the embargo hasn’t been broken yet on the 2011 GT. At this rate though, it shouldn’t be long!

With 305 horsepower and 280 pound feet of torque, the specifications on the Mustang are certainly impressive. But, what does it sound like? Judge for yourself in the video below. It isn’t anything fancy though….

The Mustang, on the other hand, has been slipping a bit with recent news about the Camaro outselling it for the past few months. Ford aims to change that with announcement of a new engine for the Mustang at this week’s Los Angeles International Auto Show.

The V-8 powertrains have always been where the action is at on muscle cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. Particularly with the new Camaro, people looking for a good value are considering the V-6 equation more than ever before.

The V-6 in the Camaro is GM’s 3.6-liter unit, and a quite good engine at that – CarThrottle recently posted our First Impressions article on the V-6 Camaro.

Ford’s engine in the Mustang works to leapfrogs the Camaro’s standard engine for 2011, offering an all-aluminum Duratec® 3.7-liter DOHC with Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) V-6. Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president for Global Product Development says that the “Mustang is completely transformed with this new engine.”

The 3.7-liter six revs to a 7,000 rpm redline, making 305 horsepower and 280 pound feet of torque. Perhaps most impressively, it delivers an expected 30 miles per gallon on the highway when equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission.

That figure amounts to a 25% increase over the 2010 model, and is achieved in part by changing over from a standard power steering system to an Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) system instead.

So what do you think, will Ford’s bid to make the Mustang a more attractive package help it in the sales race against the Camaro? Tell us what you think in the comments section!