America Flexing its Muscle

It's a well known fact that the '80s and '90s were not a bright spot in the history of the automobile, particularly for American marques.  Ford got America motoring with the Model T, yet in the 90s, they were reduced to rebadging Korean econoboxes.  Similarly, Dodge and GM, the other two-thirds of the trifecta that made up the "Big Three" had their fair share of rebadges, such as GM's entire Geo sub-brand, and Dodge's lineup of Mitsubishis.  Oh how the great had fallen.
The industrious up-and-comers from the far east showed America that they weren't the only ones who could make cars, and make them well.  Stuck in florescent lit offices smelling of stale coffee, the Big Three's bean counters held the reigns so tightly that bright spots were few and far between in America's lineups.  Cars like the original Taurus and the Buick Regal Grand National come to mind, offset by the fact that at one point, the almighty Mustang produced less power than a current base model Camry.  GM forgot to make the Corvette in '83, and Dodge was MIA for decades in the muscle and pony car game.
Ghosts of the American car industry's checkered past persisted into even the last decade; the aughties, if you will.  I remember sitting in a Ford dealership about five years ago.  Looking up I saw a banner, with Ford's entire lineup proudly displayed.At that moment it struck me just how bland the whole lineup was.  If you were to open up a dictionary, circa 2005, and search for "car," you would see a Ford..
Blame the collapse of the American auto industry on whatever you want.  Blame it on the housing bubble, blame it on the economy, blame it on the flatulence of farm animals.  The truth is, American companies fell into complacency.  Their products were as stale as the office coffee.
The tables have turned.  American car companies suffered the largest loss of ego ever.  Toppled like Jenga in an earthquake.  And in traditional American fashion, they picked themselves up by the bootstraps and got back on their horse.
Three cars embody this American success story best: The Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro, and the Dodge Challenger.  A decade ago, the Mustang GT made less horsepower than today's V6, Chevrolet was building the last model year of the Camaro since its introduction in 1967, and the Dodge Challenger hadn't been spoken of in years.
Each of these cars does something that the other two don't.  Each has their own fan base.  Their own niche.  Each is quintessentially American.
All three exploded onto the scene within a couple of years of eachother, all in a cloud of tire smoke.  All three have a presence and pantomime that is reminiscent of the past, but for the first time, these are real performance cars.  The new 5.0 Mustangs are not Vanilla Ice's Mustang.  Throw a turn at any one of these and they won't plow into a fence or flip over or lose a hubcap.  They'll actually turn.  These are genuinely good cars.  Of course none of these are without their faults.  The Camaro has Abrams Tank sight lines, the Challenger floats and bobs more than some would like, and the Mustang still has a solid axle out back.  That said, even Top Gear UK said that all things good could be said about the Boss 302 without adding the caveat that it still has a solid rear axle.  Pretty serious stuff.
Call me a domestic fanboy, but the fact is, I like a good car when I see it.  And there have never been better cars than what the Big Three is producing right now.