I'm an admirer of all great cars. I'm mainly a Chevy guy, but appreciate all good cars. I love Mustangs (though like I said...this version will need growing time). But really and truthfully, Camaros rock the pants off of Mustangs. As long as you're running equals I guess I should say (3.8L Camaro ~vs~ SVT wouldn't be fair...SS versus SVT would be...).
Probably the coolest move Chevy ever did in my book was keep the 3rd gen SBC underhead cam. Sure they're not quite as efficient at high RPM's, but the low end torque kicks butt. And with fuel injection, the torque is available all over the RPM range. The LT1 in my Caprice (2nd gen SBC) doesn't have a torque curve...it's a torque flatline at or above 300 ft.lbs. all over the place!
As for your Dad's cat problems, I've never heard of that happening. I have the original Kitty Cats on the Caprice (albeit, the B-bodies use two cats, and the F-bodies only one), and never had any problems. Is he using OEM cats, or some cheap knock-off?
Anyways, really and truthfully, this is about the new Pony's, so I'll quit now. Just had to defend my marque. Remember every company makes some good stuff, and strikes out on occasion!
Chris