Today’s muscle car wars are nothing like the original battles that waged between Ford, GM, and Chrysler in the 1960’s. For one, today’s cars are significantly more powerful, and there are a lot fewer choices in cars as well. The battle now boils down to the Mustang GT, Camaro SS, and Challenger R/T. The GM boys seem particulary peeved though, as the Camaro SS was on top of the pack very briefly before being knocked off by the 5.0 Mustang. GM’s solution? More horsepower.

Rumor has it, according to GM Authority, that General Motors is considering bumping the horsepower of the 2010 Camaro by 20-something ponies to take back the muscle car crown from the Mustang.

There is little to go on or substantiate these rumors, but a quick history lesson leaves little doubt this is the path GM will take. From the outset, GM saw the Mustang as its main competitor to the Camaro, so when the first-gen car launched it was offered with an array of engines that easily matched the Mustang. When Ford went to the Pinto-based Mustang II, GM stayed the course with its lineup of V8 engines. In the 1980’s, both Camaro and Mustang launched into their third generation and were in a battle over horsepower. By the end of the third generation of muscle cars, the Mustang was rated at 225 horsepower, and the Camaro was rated at 245 , up almost 100 horsepower each from when the generation debuted. This back-and-forth has been going on for decades, and the Camaro held a horsepower advantage up until it was dropped from Chevy’s lineup in 2002.

So really, does it come as any surprise that GM is considering a power bump to the Camaro? Despite having 14 more horsepower than the Mustang (when equipped with a manual transmission), the Camaro still outweighs it by about 300 pounds. It would cost more money to drop weight than add horsepower (which can be as easy as refining the intake or exhaust system), thus GM seems to be contemplating a bump in power. We think a nice nudge up to 450 ponies should keep the Mustang at bay, at least for a little bit, and return the muscle car crown to the Camaro.