After the Seventies squeezed most of the fun from cars, the U.S. Big Three automakers needed years to get back on their feet. During the decade Ford's Mustang became a glorified Pinto for a while but started to recover with the 1979 Fairmont-based generation. Chevrolet's Camaro and Pontiac's Firebird languished for a dozen years until a new downsized version of the "F" body that they shared arrived in 1982, just in time to revitalize the crosstown rivalry with the original "ponycar."Meanwhile, poor Chrysler just wanted to stay alive. It had no time for the frivolity of sporty coupes. Instead Chrysler narrowly averted closing its doors and introduced American buyers to the sensible and economical K-cars, the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant. Who could have realized that these humble little boxes held the fate of the corporation-and would pave the way for a return to more expressive, fun cars?
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