Today ends 10 years of pining...of
longing...of inexplicable coveting. Today is Mustang day. Allow me to
explain.
In September of 2004, Ford Motor
Company introduced a new version of the iconic Mustang. Referred to
as the S197 platform, it replaced the prior 'Fox' chassis Mustang
that had roots back to 1979. The S197 was a totally new car which was
way overdue, but Ford chose to go in a direction with the styling
that some derided as a step backward. The rest of us were mesmerized.
I was born in 1965 and immediately had
an obsession with all things automotive. Growing up in the 'malaise'
period of the 1970s I saw the erratic and desperate American car
industry fight to remain relevant as imports took over after the Arab
oil embargo. My focus growing up was sports cars like the MGB,
Triumph Spitfire and ultimately the Fiat 124, a car I owned several
of during my early years of driving. Though they suffered from cheap
construction and peculiar quirks these cars provided a wonderful
driving experience at a low cost. Equally important, they were
pleasant to look at; you knew at a glance what they were.
I held a certain level of disdain for
American cars which in retrospect was forgivable. The 1970s were a
terrible time for domestic cars both mechanically and stylistically.
Some of you may remember such horrors as landau tops, opera lights
and Ricardo Montalban shilling "Fine Corinthian Leather".
Ugh.
Things had not always been this way,
however. Shortly after the second World War, American manufacturers
discovered that attractive styling sold cars as much as mechanical
prowess. The 1950s ushered in a period of chrome, pastel colors and
excess but I've always felt that these cars were a defining point in
car design. Though a bit dated now, the cars of the 1950s are still
very attractive and distinctively different.
The 1960s continued the trend somewhat
and it was still easy to tell a Chevy from a Ford even at a distance.
The designs became less flamboyant but still offered uniquely creased
metal stampings that kept the various brands and models distinctive.
Instead of offering one basic car such as a "1960 Ford"
they began offering multiple models in a given year, such as the
Falcon, Fairlane and Galaxy. Buyers had more choices, and nothing is
more American than having choices.
With this in mind, Lee Iacocca created
a niche car that completely altered the trajectory of American cars
(he later did the same thing with the minivan) when he took a lowly
Falcon and attached a racy European style coupe body to its chassis.
Stories abound of dealers being swamped with eager buyers to the
point of having to close the doors of their showrooms. 22,000 were
sold the first day; within two years a million were rolling on
America's highways. There simply had never been anything like it.
This all happened while I was still in
diapers. By the time I really began to notice Mustangs they were old
cars, supplanted by the much maligned but monetarily successful
Mustang II. Perhaps I was swayed by the Mustang's European cousin the
Capri. Another car built as a sporty car on a pedestrian chassis, the
Capri was wildly successful on both sides of the Atlantic. The long
hood/short deck silhouette stuck in my psyche as what a car should
look like. Ultimately, I felt that the 67-68 Mustang fastback was the
pinnacle of the pony car era.
By the time I reached driving age,
however, vintage Mustangs were in a resurgence of popularity--thanks
to the hideous, wheezing cars of the 1980s. Nice examples were far
from my meager ability financially while those needing restoration
were so bad due to rust that I knew I could never finish one. At one
point I did buy a 1981 Mustang that was nothing like those I really
desired and ultimately was horribly disappointing. I continued with
my European sports cars and eventually bought an eerily similar shape
in the form of a 1986 Audi GT. Long hood/short deck...but at the time
I didn't make the connection. Though immensely popular, the Fox
Mustangs tugged at me with only half the urge of the original. The
later SN95 updated versions I found somewhere between disappointing
and hideous. Original 1960s versions were attainable with my adult
income but now were unsuitable for daily use for fear of rust damage
and a driving experience that was more Old Pickup than Sports Car. I
knew they were rattly, creaky, ill-handling cars with poor brakes and
yet I still felt a pull every time I saw one. Then S197 happened.
I can't remember where I first saw one
but I do know my instant reaction: They finally built one for me!
The styling of the old mixed with the mechanics of the modern era; it
was too good to be true! Surely they would be horrible in some
way--but they weren't. Never in my life had I considered buying a new
car but I began calculating what the payments would be and deciding
on a color. The reality, however, was that it would be expensive and
I'd be paying it off for an eternity...not to mention the insurance
premiums.
Damn.
So I
watched from afar, much like a teenager pining for a girl who was
dating someone else. New Mustangs appeared everywhere in 2005 and my
head snapped around to gawk at each one. I'd had this reaction to
other new cars over the years and I knew eventually the novelty would
fade and I'd soon dismiss them as just another car
Nope;
didn't happen. My head still swiveled every single time
I saw one in the next five years at which point Ford chose to
'update' the design. I wasn't a fan of the restyle at first but it
did eventually grow on me, though I find the rear too bulbous. The
purity of the original 05-09 I continued to feel was superior and
remained the object of my Mustang desire. The continued popularity
and durability of the S197 kept prices high; coupled with my use of a
company car through these years a 'toy' of this expense simply didn't
fit the cards. Silently, I vowed that by the time I was 50 I'd treat
myself to the car I simply couldn't shake from my craving. Life
circumstances ultimately pushed me in the proper direction and midway
through my 50th year I found myself in a position where I a) needed a
car and b) could afford to indulge my unsatisfied Mustang passion.
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