It Drives as Sweet as It Looks
If the Viper is America's supercar and the Corvette its sports car, the Mustang has to be America's GT, despite Ford
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| If the Viper is America's supercar and the Corvette its sports car, the Ford Mustang has to be America's GT. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
dubbing its first blue-oval branded supercar in decades with the name. Even Camaro and Firebird fans can't dispute such a claim now that both models have been discontinued. No, the Mustang holds the GT title based on its 40-plus years of service and absolute dominance in the market. Even in the current slow-selling coupe and convertible market, that has caused most competitors to have either pulled out or dramatically reduced sales projections for two-door models, the soon to be axed Toyota Celica is a good example, Mustang sales are strong.
The new 2005 model will be much stronger, according to recent reports. Orders are running sixty percent higher than expected (see automotive news archives for Sep 29, 2004: New
2005 Ford Mustang Getting Ready for a Dealer Near You), which of course is a problem most automakers wouldn't mind facing. Why such excitement about the new car? Not only does it look completely
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| I had the opportunity to test out the new Mustang first hand at a press event in and around Los Angeles, CA recently. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
revised on the surface, while at the same time very similar to classic '60s pony cars that so many muscle car collectors adore, but it is also completely new under the skin. I took the opportunity to test this out first hand at a press event in and around Los Angeles, CA recently, and came back impressed. And this from a guy who previously stated in a review of a 2003 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra coupe (see new vehicle review archive under "Ford" for June 13, 2003), ".... open the trunk and sloppy welds are immediately apparent. More so, what looked like porous body filler coated the trunk surround of my test car." I was equally overjoyed with the interior, stating in the same review, ".... the 1-inch plus gap where the dash meets the door surround appears kit-car-ish and the heating and ventilation controls seem as though purchased out of an aftermarket catalogue."
