The key slides in with a soothing click. As the ignition is turned on, the 4.0 L 210 HP springs to life with a menacing snarl. There are no stuttering or raspy sounds from the engine like your everyday compact or utility car that serves the sole purpose of going from point A to B.The initial snarl settles down into a loud, anticipatory growl - like a stalking cheetah on the verge of pouncing on its prey. For all the pulsating power under the hood, the interior remains surprisingly vibration free and noise proof when idling. As the 5-speed manual transmission is engaged and the clutch released, the beast pounces forward with a screeching roar. The tachometer needle climbs like a rocket and the roar grows till the second gear is engaged. In that split second, time seems to be suspended and the noise subdued, and then again, like a hungry tiger going for the kill, the machine surges forward and in just under 6.7 seconds is at the 60 mph mark. Say hello to my friend - The 2008 Ford Mustang Coupe.
The sun glints off the jet black hood. The white racing stripes accentuate the rugged sportiness of the vehicle whilst the exquisite galloping mustang on the front grille and the round headlights are reminiscent of the 60s and 70s. Out on the streets when one sees a Mustang at a light or an intersection, one gets the inimitable feeling of watching a hulking beast, stalking its prey before springing forward in a frenzied blur with a deafening roar . The 90s and the early 2000 s saw mustangs with contemporary styling that was pretty common in that time. That era was marked by conservative styling and timid engines that saw Ford focus (pardon the pun) on the family car, compact car and economy segments. With the 2005 Mustang, Ford ushered in the modern age of the quintessential American muscle car (or the pony car if you are a purist) with aggressive, beefy lines and bulky bodies that harkened back to the legendary muscle car days of yore - those days when oil wars were unheard of, when bombastic engines, rock bottom fuel economy, screeching tires and ear-splitting engine revs ruled the roost. But the ford mustang has endured - from the first mustang introduced in 1964 under the stewardship of the legendary Lee Iacocca to the latest 2012 Ford Mustang Shelby 500 - the most powerful production V8 in the world featuring a 5.8L supercharged V8 putting out 650 horses. The mustang has endured the stiff competition from competing muscle cars like the camaroes, dodges and pontiacs in the 60s and 70s, the oil crisis of the 80s, three wars and the economic boom of the 90s. The fifth generation Mustang kick started another slug fest between American car makers with the revived Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger R/T competing for market share in the late 2000s.
I think it was sometime when I was probably around 14 years old that I first became fascinated with cars. That's when most teenage boys in India start closely watching their fathers, elder brothers or uncles drive and one day want to pilot their own. There's something about boys and cars that is fascinating - some bond that defies explanation and turns introverts into gleeful, adventurous fan boys.Then came the video game revolution of the late 90's bringing along with it the Need for Speed racing series - the first time that gamers could get into fully realized virtual super cars a la Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches and its ilk. Those years opened my eyes to the world of automobiles. To a an entire Indian generation whose view and knowledge of cars was entirely composed of the compact and functional maruti suzukis and fiats of the 90s, the chance to get into a Lamborghini Diablo and let rip around an exotic, fictional locale quickly became the stuff of wet dreams.As iteration after iteration of the Need for Speed series came out, bringing with it ever richer detail, technical realism, the ability to tune our virtual machines, customize its look and then burn rubber with virtual friends, my passion towards cars grew exponentially. Granted, I am not big on the intricate technical wizardry of the cars, I did not pursue an automobile degree (although I took a great deal of courses in my Mechanical Engineering Degree that focused on automobile technology) and I wasn't as passionate a follower of the Formula 1 Racing Series as some of my friends but I knew enough to appreciate the beauty of the machines, the flow and lines of an outstanding design, the roar and thunder of a V8 engine, the smell of burning rubber, and the pure joy of commandeering a mean machine.
That said, my first driving experiences were on my Dad's Maruti Suzuki Zen, and later the SX4. These were your everyday, functional cars with woeful power and handling characteristics, but nevertheless introduced me to the thrill and unbridled excitement of driving. I drove super cars either in the virtual world of games or in my dreams. Even when I earned my driving license, I did not know much about the pedigree of American made cars (apart from the corvette and the chryslers), living as I was, in a country flooded with cheap, economical Japanese imports. Video games showcased mostly European sports and luxury cars and so I dreamed of one day driving the Porsche Cayman S, or the Audi. Then I read the biography of Anthony "Lee" Iacocca.
The life story of Iacocca is a fascinating account of expert management and sales philosophies. In fact his autobiography is compulsory reading material in all the top B Schools.The memoirs of how Iacocca single handedly led the Ford Motor Company to the forefront of the Automotive revolution with iconic designs such as the original Mustang enthralled and captivated me. Eventually I decided my first car would have to be the Mustang.
The 2011 mustangs were given a small cosmetic makeover from the 2005-2010 era but a bigger leap in terms of the technology. The front grille size was reduced, the headlights upgraded to a HID while reducing the size of the circular main light and the tail lights sporting LED accents around each of the the three 'light bars'. The interior which has never been Ford's forte, was spruced up a bit with a variety of tech like SYNC App link, navigation system, in dash adjustable performance features and aluminum accents. Some models included an optional glass roof and other performance packages. Under the hood, Ford phased out the SOHC engine and put in its new generation Duratec 3.7L DOHC engines which puts out 305 HP @ 6500 rpm in the base model as opposed to 210 HP in the previous year's base model.
Considering that the base model of the 2011-2012 mustang starts at just 22,000 $ MSRP, it was tempting to go for it if only for the additional 100 HP that lets it compete with the SS Camaro. In the end due to financial reasons I had to settle for a used 2008 V6 Mustang. Granted the power was under whelming compared the the GT, BOSS and Shelby versions of the Mustang but the unmistakable pedigree is still present in all its glory. The interiors are a bit drab, with an abundance of cheap plastic and old school round tachometer dials and generic instrument panel but then, to quote the legendary Carroll Shelby " 'Refined' has never been one of the Mustang's Selling points". It's all about the wild, unbridled passion and symbolic aggression that starts under the hood and extends to the tips of the suspensions.
So, as I gear up for a trip to the mountains this weekend, I envision caressing the beast through winding switch backs, under a speckled forest canopy, with the wind in my face, and 210 horses purring gently beneath me. This is bliss. This is the legacy of the Stang - One of the greatest pony cars in American automotive history.
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