I’ve received a number of requests for more in-depth reviews and explorations of what different vehicles have to offer, such as the 2021 Chevy Camaro vs 2021 Ford Mustang, which – given my expertise – is understandable. According to my most recent analytics, a surprising portion of my readership comes from the men and women that sell fish in this great nation of ours. Known as fishmongers, these hard-working individuals sling fish about all day so that the rest of us can enjoy fish sandwiches, fish sticks, and crispy, golden fish and chips.
Today, I’m going to help you decide which of these two sports cars is surprisingly ideal for the transportation of some of the more popular types of fish. After all, I assume that fishmongers need high-performance vehicles not only to get to the port every day but also to occasionally transport their aquatic goods to market. So, with that in mind, here’s what you should consider if you’re looking at these two models and need to sling some salmon (or trout, or tuna…).
The 2021 Chevy Camaro
First things first: let’s take a quick look at these two vehicles to see what we really need to know about them. These are both excellent sports cars, of course, and they’re both available as either a coupe or a convertible. The 2021 Chevy Camaro comes with a 2.0L Turbo 4-cylinder engine standard, which delivers up to 275 hp and up to 295 lb-ft of torque.
So you can definitely get your fish to the market or to a restaurant for delivery quickly, which means you don’t have to worry too much about refrigeration. The real issue, of course, is storage and how many fish you can load into your vehicle. Chevy’s standard coupe model features 9.1 cu.ft. of trunk space, along with 93 cu.ft. of total passenger volume inside. By comparison, the convertible model also gives you 93 cu.ft. of passenger space but only 7.3 cu.ft. of trunk space. If we assume you need to take up at least 12 cu.ft. of space, then that leaves you with about 81 cu.ft. of interior space – plus trunk space – for your fish with the Camaro.
The 2021 Ford Mustang
By comparison, the standard 2021 Ford Mustang comes with a 2.3L EcoBoost engine that delivers up to 310 hp and up to 350 lb-ft of torque. So the Mustang already has an advantage here: more power to get you and your fish where you need to go faster. In terms of space, the standard Mustang Fastback has 13.5 cu.ft. of trunk space and 82.8 cu.ft. of total passenger volume. By comparison, a Mustang Convertible gives you only 11.4 cu.ft. of trunk space and 79.2 cu.ft. of passenger volume. So if we keep the same 12 cu.ft. of space for you as the driver, you get about 70 cu.ft. inside the Fastback and 67 cu.ft. in the convertible.
Atlantic Salmon
The average length of an Atlantic salmon is 28 to 30 inches, according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, though they have been reported as long as nearly 60 inches. We’ll assume you have a good supply of large, healthy fish and estimate each one at 36 inches long, just to account for any variances and keep things simple. They average about 8 inches in height, and we’ll say about 3 inches in width, just for illustration purposes. So, you can fit about four Atlantic salmon into a space that is 3 cu.ft. in size (picture a 1 sq. ft. by 3-foot rectangular volume).
2021 Chevy Camaro Coupe: 90 cu.ft. available – 120 Atlantic Salmon
2021 Chevy Camaro Convert: 88 cu.ft. available – 117 Atlantic Salmon
2021 Ford Mustang Coupe: 84 cu.ft. available – 112 Atlantic Salmon
2021 Ford Mustang Convert: 78 cu.ft. available – 104 Atlantic Salmon
Impressive results, now let’s continue.
Steelhead Trout
Once again, according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, steelhead trout, one of the most important fish in America, normally grow to 24 inches in length. While they can get up to 45 inches, we’ll keep things simple and just assume your steelheads average out to 24 inches long. We’ll once more simplify height and width and assume you can get four steelhead trout into a space that is 2 cu.ft. in size.
2021 Chevy Camaro Coupe: 90 cu.ft. available – 180 Steelhead Trout
2021 Chevy Camaro Convert: 88 cu.ft. available – 176 Steelhead Trout
2021 Ford Mustang Coupe: 84 cu.ft. available – 168 Steelhead Trout
2021 Ford Mustang Convert: 78 cu.ft. available – 154 Steelhead Trout
I’m beginning to notice a pattern here…
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Most fish lovers will tell you that few things compare to the delicate taste and succulence of an Atlantic bluefin tuna. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, these massive fish are typically caught wild, often using either traps or longline fishing, and they can measure more than 75 inches in length. They are absolute beasts, and while such a large fish provides a tremendous amount of meat, it also takes up a lot of space in your car. We’ll assume that one Atlantic bluefin tuna will occupy 6 cu.ft. of space.
2021 Chevy Camaro Coupe: 90 cu.ft. available – 15 Atlantic bluefin tuna
2021 Chevy Camaro Convert: 88 cu.ft. available – 14 Atlantic bluefin tuna
2021 Ford Mustang Coupe: 84 cu.ft. available – 14 Atlantic bluefin tuna
2021 Ford Mustang Convert: 78 cu.ft. available – 13 Atlantic bluefin tuna
Although the pattern continues, we can see things get a bit more touch-and-go here. With such a large fish, the cutoff for fitting one more in your vehicle becomes more pronounced. Unless you plan on transporting part of a tuna, these numbers should hold up.
Farmed Nile Tilapia
Over the past couple of decades, tilapia has become increasingly popular among seafood connoisseurs here in the US. Nile tilapia, in particular, were among the very first fish ever cultured in human history and remain the most widely cultured species of tilapia in Africa. They are easy to farm since they can tolerate poor water quality and eat many different types of organisms, though they’re usually imported and not farmed here. Nile tilapia can grow up to 24 inches in length, though they are typically smaller on average, so let’s assume you can fit six Nile tilapia into a 2 cu.ft. space.
2021 Chevy Camaro Coupe: 90 cu.ft. available – 270 Nile Tilapia
2021 Chevy Camaro Convert: 88 cu.ft. available – 264 Nile Tilapia
2021 Ford Mustang Coupe: 84 cu.ft. available – 252 Nile Tilapia
2021 Ford Mustang Convert: 78 cu.ft. available – 234 Nile Tilapia
As one would expect, we see the pattern continue since, overall, more space inside for passengers and in the trunk means you have more room for your fish. Now let’s quickly rank these two vehicles and their two configurations to see how they have done.
Fishmonger Ranking
Looking over these results, the decision is pretty clear. If you need to get the highest number of fish into your vehicle, especially if you’re transporting smaller fish like tilapia or steelhead trout, then the 2021 Chevy Camaro coupe is definitely the way to go. While a convertible might let you feel the wind in your hair, you’re going to lose some trunk space, and that means fewer fish. Plus, you have to worry about smaller fish going airborne with the roof down – the last thing you want to do is carpet-bomb the people behind you on the freeway with farmed Nile tilapia!
By comparison, the 2021 Ford Mustang definitely comes up short, with less interior space across the board. If you only need to load up with larger fish like tuna, then that might not be the end of the world, but smaller fish will definitely see a big difference. Several dozen fewer fish will fit into the Mustang convertible compared to the Camaro coupe, so you really need to decide on what’s most important to you.
Ultimately, I’d give the 2021 Chevy Camaro 8 flippers out of a possible 10, while the 2021 Ford Mustang gets only 7 flippers out of 10. That may sound harsh, but the results are clear.
Editor’s Note: We’re not sure which analytics the writer was looking at before creating this piece, but they’re certainly different from ours. While there’s no denying his popularity among fishmongers, we’re not convinced that the numbers justify an entire piece dedicated to their craft. Also, why sports cars? Still, we hope you found this useful for all of your high-performance fish transportation needs. Thank you.
