Acceptance or Derision?

I'm going to jump ahead in my story and address the elephant in the room: I bought a V6.

Stop and examine your personal reaction to that. If this were any type of car other than a 'pony' car the engine choice wouldn't be significant. If I had purchased say, a Mazda 6, that I had chosen the four cylinder over the V6 would only garner a slightly raised eyebrow. In contrast, the minute most of us learn that a American pony car is optioned with the base engine vs a rumbling V8 we immediately dismiss it as an also-ran...a girl's car...a sad shadow of the real thing. As I sought to fill my Mustang void the question of The Engine came up frequently. 'Settling' for the V6 as a rabid car enthusiast would just be wrong. Did I not lust for the throaty burble of the 300 horsepower V8? Was that not part of the Mustang's appeal and mystique? Why would I want to face the automotive community's disdain for the pedestrian version and be dismissed as driving a poseur to the real thing?

The bigger question was, why did I care?

There are a slew of truly practical reasons why I ultimately went with the V6, but only after careful introspection on why the less practical V8 seemed to matter so much. When I really drilled down to what it was that I liked about the Mustang, what it meant to me and why I desired it so much I realized it wasn't about the engine. I liked the S197 because it looked right and it raised a middle finger to every other car then being produced that was a slave to the wind tunnel, EPA ratings and practicality. I was in love with a car, not an engine.

In my consumption of knowledge of all things Mustang I learned that Ford tried very hard to not have the base model V6 be an embarrassing also-ran. The engineers worked hard at making the V6 perform better than 'merely acceptable' and even spent a lot of time trying to make the exhaust sound right. The 4.0 is a sturdy, decent engine that produces 210 horsepower--10 more than the base V8 in 1967. Granted the S197 weighs 746 lbs more than the original 1967 car but I wondered how bad the V6 would really be? I located one with a manual transmission and after a brief drive came away impressed. No, it was no race car but the power delivery seemed nearly perfect for everyday driving. The missing 90 horsepower didn't bother me nearly as much as I expected. I had a decision to make between what made sense and what my car guy testosterone wanted...in a car that itself didn't really make sense on a practical level.

Practical: lower cost, better fuel mileage, cheaper insurance. Also for myself there were other considerations, including the V8 would certainly cause hooliganism behind the wheel and I already had an actual legitimate race car. The old BMW I took to the track was fully outfitted with a roll cage and all sorts of protective gear and I feared a faster but less safe street driven Mustang would diminish its purpose. Lastly, the pages of Mustang performance catalogs were a irresistible temptation to spend giant wads of cash on things to make my future car 'better'. I knew from experience that my resistance to such enticements was non-existent.

Impractical: the sound of a V8 engine, the masculine aura such a car carried and the worry of ridicule from others for 'cheapening out' with a V6.

 

I became introspective over this last issue. Why did I care what anyone else thought? I knew why: in the past I had ridiculed and dismissed six cylinder pony cars as inferior...purposeless...a 'waste'. I was now faced with the uncomfortable fact that the car I really should have was the one I viewed as inferior. It made more sense to 'settle' for the V6 than pay nearly twice the price for what frankly amounted to vanity. This is not to suggest that the V8 powered GT is frivolous; if my circumstances were different I'd have no reservations about getting the GT or even a Shelby.

Delving ever deeper I came to see that a Mustang was a choice between two considerations: Did I want it for what it could do or did I want it for what it was? For example, I have a 2008 Triumph Bonneville motorcycle. I did not purchase it for what it could do (low fuel mileage, inexpensive to operate), I bought it for what it was (a beautiful machine but impractical to ride nearly half the year where I live). In contrast, my pickup truck I own not for what it is (a masculine vehicle) but for what it can do (haul things). While the Mustang could do (provide reliable year-round transportation) so could dozens of other cars that all cost less and were more sensible. No, the Mustang was about what it was (an icon and delightful to look at and sit in). I was buying the Mustang for me--to satisfy a part of myself that is infatuated with everything about it. Why then did I care what anyone else thought of it or my choice in powertrain?

Almost since the invention of the automobile many people have used it as an extension of who they are. Wealthy people drove opulent Duesenbergs and Pierce-Arrows while practical people selected Fords and Dodges. As time progressed and choices became abundant people chose vehicles not just for transportation but as a means of enhancing their image to others. We all have stereotyped various cars with their owners--lifted trucks are about male compensation, Prius owners wear Birkenstocks and are vegans and BMW owners are arrogant idiots who don't use turn signals. Right or wrong these perceptions do exist. Mothers regularly choose ridiculous SUVs over practical minivans simply because the more judicious choice carries with it a stigma of middle class suburbia. The rough-and-ready appearance of SUVs (not to mention their increased height and bulk) lure many buyers into believing that it projects a more adventuresome image.

To some degree the same could be said for the bulk of Mustang GT buyers. People who love power and performance consider it a failure to accept the V6 even when, for 90% of general use, it is perfectly adequate. The stigma associated with 'failing' to obtain the GT probably drives sales as much as the increase in performance over the standard model.

Part of my coming to grips with getting older is blissfully caring significantly less about what other people think of me. However, the failure perception of not getting the GT troubled even me. Having driven the V6 and finding it actually better than I expected and completely suitable for the tasks I had for it I still struggled with not getting the 4.6 liter V8. So strong was automotive societal pressure that it was ingrained in my thinking that no self-respecting car guy would buy the 'lesser' car. Interesting how I could justify a foolish vehicle (Mustang) but ultimately not the foolish engine (V8).

I am pleased with my purchase and in my heart of hearts know that I need not justify it to anyone other than myself. Despite this I still worried that this contemplative blog would appear as me attempting to rationalize my choice to others. I can only emphasize that I made a choice and am happy with it. Anyone else's opinion doesn't matter to me...and it shouldn't to you, either.