DENVER -- Muscle car enthusiasts will love the 2009 Denver Auto Show, which features brand new, high performance editions of the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger.

It's the first time there have been souped-up versions of muscle cars from the Detroit three competing head to head in more than 30 years.

"We invite people to come down open the doors, look under the hood and compare," said Scott Settlemire, of General Motors.

Those who do will find distinct grills and tail lights on all three muscle cars that hearken back to the heyday of the so called pony car.

The Camaro SS boasts a 6.2 litre V-8 that generates 400 horsepower. With active fuel management, the car can operate on four cylinders and gets a respectable 24 mpg highway.

When asked how fast the SS will go from zero to sixty, Settlemire responded, "We haven't published any numbers for performance, but we expect it to be best in class."

The competition is pretty tough.

The Mustang GT comes with a 4.6 litre V-8 which kicks out 315 horsepower. The Shelby GT500 has a 5.4 litre V-8 rated at 540 horsepower.

"This vehicle isn't all about horsepower, it's about refinement," said Ford spokesman Octavio Navarro.

The 2010 Mustang features voice control navigation, and an ambient lighting system which can change colors.

"So you can set the mood in the vehicle to match your mood," Navarro said.

Chrysler LLC's entry in the pony car field is the Dodge Challenger. Of the three muscle cars, it is the one that enthusiasts say most closely resembles its predecessor from the 1970s.

"The SRT 8 version of this vehicle has 425 horsepower and will go from zero to 60 in less than 5 seconds," said Wendy Orthman, of Chrysler LLC. "It is an absolutely screaming machine that is so much fun to drive."

All three makes offer V-6 versions of their muscle cars.

The V-6 versions, V-8 versions and hundreds of other cars, trucks and SUVs will be on display at the Colorado Convention Center through Sunday.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 7-12 and those under 6 can get in free.