05-15-09: I am the luckiest man in the world in a number of respects. For one I have a great family around me, a wife that allows me to do what I love. Secondly I get to do what I love which is live in the world of cars. The car I live with most prominently is the Ford Mustang. How this came to be is not an easy or a short story, but suffice it to say that I have a passion and an affinity for them, have owned several of them, and will continue to do so.
Many people ask, what is so special about the Mustang? Are you a true blue believer? Can the Mustang do no wrong? Can Ford do no wrong?
Fact is I happen to be very honest with myself about both the positives of the Mustang and some of the well known negatives. I have also been an enthusiast and owner of many other brands like BMW, VW, Audi and Mercedes in addition to several Chevrolets including a CorvetteZ-06. This has brought about a broad perspective that allows me to be open minded and honest.
Is the Mustang the best car in the world? No. But there is a very special place in my heart for the pony car and as long as I have something to say about it, there will always be one in my realm.
In thinking recently about all the Mustangs from 1964 1/2 to the 2010 I have brushed elbows with, the idea arose to come up with a list of my favorites. It got me to thinking about the many great Mustangs that I have owned like a 1967 GT Coupe 390, a 1989 5.0 LX, a 1994 SVT Cobra, a 2001 Roush Stage 3, and most recently a 2004 Saleen S281 Speedster custom Mustang. Those are all great cars to have had, and it diminishes them not at all that they are not on my list of favorites.
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These are the cars that I would buy and put in my garage if I won the lottery. These are my top five favorite Mustangs, and the reasons why.
1968 Mustang California Special
As far as vintage Mustangs go, the 1967-68 models were the best ones of the era for me. They offered a great number of refinements and improvements over the first generation. They had a 2" wider track for better handling, deeper sculpting and styling, and had many more safety features. The wider car allowed for bigger engines like the big-block 390 and the 428 to which I have a soft spot for. The cars were slightly larger inside and out, but not nearly as large and heavy as the Mustangs got in the subsequent years of 1969 and then 1973.
The 1967-68 Mustangs were still simple in their construction, which changed in 1969. The interiors offered lots of color combinations and options like floor and roof consoles, integrated air conditioning for the first time, and better safety. In 1968 new safety regulations brought a collapsible steering column and more interior padding. The chrome levers and sharp corners that would gore you in a crash with a 1967 Mustang gave way to rounded edges, fold away door handles, and rubber knobs. While the 1967 had a flashier chromier interior that might have looked better, the 1968 had a more comfortable and softer place to hang out. The wood grain and chrome trims of the 1968 Mustangs are harder to restore and replace today, but some of the most luxurious of the vintage Mustang era.
The 1968 California Special took the best styling cues from the Shelby models and put them on the notch back body. The spoilered rear deck, T-Bird sequential taillights and side scoops really became a classic look that is duplicated today over and over. The California Special can be found with any number of engines from the 302 to the 428, autos and 4-speeds. They also came in many variations from plain to fully loaded, but they all have that style that has become iconic. So much so that Ford chose to revive the package in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
1984-1986 Mustang SVO
Make fun of "the whistler" if you want. In the 1980's it is what the SVO represented that puts it on this list. Back then the SVO was Ford's first attempt at creating a high tech, competent, "skunk works" high performance car that could compete with some of the metal from Europe in style and flavor. Yes today we consider the Mustang to be the antithesis to European sports cars, but in the 1980's, the "Euro thing" was all the rage. Totally awesome, or was it rad?
The SVO had a turbocharged, intercooled 2.3 liter four cylinder engine of Pinto lineage that put out almost as much power as the Mustang GT's V8. When it debuted in 1984 it carried 175hp and later was upped to 205hp for the 1985 1/2 model, just snapping at the V8's heels. The SVO was the first Mustang to have 16" wheels, something the GT didn't get until 1991. Inside, the SVO got a very businesslike interior treatment with a European theme. Optional perforated leather covered the Recaro seats and door panels while muted grays and charcoals replaced the chincy chrome found in other Mustangs. It even got a unique leather covered steering wheel.
Outside the SVO was unmistakable with it's more flowing lines, contemporary trim treatments and bi-plane wing inspired by the Ford Scorpio of Europe. With the 1985 1/2 model it was also the first Mustang to have flush mounted Euro style headlamps. When they were new, the SVO was considered to be the best handling Mustang that existed. The chassis was far more refined than the GT and the front/rear balance afforded by the four cylinder engine was noticeable on the road course. Another first was the 4-wheel disc brakes which other Mustangs did without for a long time. It was very popular with the motoring press at the time, but buyers in large felt the Mustang GT was a better deal with more power and about $2000 less.
Today of course this car is often laughed at and most used SVO's are a hoary driving experience by today's standards. They are noisy, rough and buzzy if they run well at all. To say they "weren't that reliable" is being kind. There was turbo lag and again by today's standards, they don't have a lot of power. But in the context of the 1980's, the SVO was the driving enthusiasts Mustang.
1993 Mustang SVT Cobra
This car is simply the best of the Fox Mustangs. SVO had sort of gone away and a new skunk works came together under the SVT banner to create a hotted up Cobra for 1993. The inaugural SVT Mustang took a lot of the goals from the SVO which was refinement, higher performance, and prestige in low numbers. In creating the Cobra, Ford gave the aged Fox Mustang a fresher front fascia, a monotone paint scheme, and a more understated look than the GT offered. Remember, the GT had gills, louvers, grilles and a lot of two-tone jazz.
The 1993 Cobra was the first Mustang to have 17" wheels, which were unique to that year - never to be repeated. The suspension was not actually stiffer but more softly sprung with an emphasis on better bushings and shock valving. The Cobra brought with it the 4-wheel disc brakes from the SVO too. The result was arguably a better handling car, a more refined driving dynamic, and one that felt more expensive. It was more expensive too. Dealers raped and pillaged these cars with huge markups. The one I test drove in 1993 had an $8000 mark up that they weren't parting with.
The style and driving experience to me was the best of any Fox body Mustang. The softer suspension seemed to grip the road better while being far less harsh than the GT. With the Fox body structure being so flexible and flimsy, the more compliant suspension actually made the car feel more solid. What it allowed was a better feel and predictability on the road over undulations, pot holes and expansion joints that normally shook a GT driver's teeth.
Under the hood was a more powerful version of the venerable 5.0 V8. WIth GT-40 heads and a better tubular intake manifold the roller-rocker engine cranked out a healthy 235hp. Again, sounds like not much in a day when 400-540hp is considered the norm but the 1993 Cobra weighed only 3255 lbs very little compared to today's GT-500 at just under 4000lbs. It went a long way to motivate SVT's first offering to be competitive with the 275hp Camaro Z-28 in the bench races. Check their resale values today, you wont believe what these cars continue to get in prime form.
2007 Saleen/Parnelli Jones Edition Mustang (photo above top)
Sometimes a car comes along and just knocks your socks off. The S-197 Mustang and the many its many variants is a milestone car. It has a great chassis that can do amazing things even though I despise the live rear axle. The special editions that Roush, Shelby, Saleen and Ford have spun off this car are all to be held up high as some of the best Mustangs ever offered since 1964.
The Saleen/Parnelli Jones Edition just hits all of what the Mustang is about for me so precisely on target. Steve Saleen captured the essence of the Boss 302 in a way that nobody else could have or dared to. The look is spot on. The wheels were exactly right and the stance is demonic. The colors, the graphics and the trims are a perfect blend of old and new. The custom parts and details that were created for the some 500 cars that were built are a rare thing in today's mass production world.
Under the hood, Saleen even took the time and expense to custom build a punched out 5.0 liter engine for the PJ with 400 naturally aspirated horsepower. I asked Steve about this once, how they justified going through all the gyrations and expense of smogging and federalizing a new motor for only 500 cars. He just smiled. Of course that engine lived on to see other Saleens as it turned out and will likely continue to in some form be it from SMS Supercars or a new Saleen Inc. At the time however, it was a significant detail that made the car really stand out.
Inside the retro details and Saleen touches abounded with custom stitched leather seats and interior trims. The car drove really nice too. The unique suspension, those big tires and the power of that naturally aspirated engine just makes you smile. The car has a tossable feel and spirit that even the 2007 GT-500 lacked with all its extra ponies and pounds. The PJ will always be to me the high water mark for Saleen as a company before Steve chose to exit stage right.
2010 Ford Shelby GT-500
The most recent Shelby, in the line of many is in my opinion the best Mustang Ford has ever built. While this car rolls off Ford's assembly line and not Shelby's, the 2010 Ford Shelby GT-500 represents the best of everything Ford, Ford Racing, SVT and Shelby has learned in the past 45 years. It is still heavy like the 2007 Shelby GT-500 and it is still a bit on the soft side when pushed on a road course. But this car has an all around goodness that is firing on all cylinders - a character and feel that is complete in its element.
Much of the praise goes to the many refinements that were brought with the 2010 Mustang. The interior is ground zero for the groundswell of improvement in perceived value, quality and upscale feel of the new GT-500. The new padded one piece dash, the genuine metal trims, the short throw shifter with striped ball handle, and the groovy color-keyed striped leather seating make the cockpit of the new GT-500 a great place to do business. You no longer feel like you are in a giant Mattel toy. Everything you touch feels as good as it looks and there are no rattles or plastic squeaks.
Crank up the 540hp DOHC supercharged and intercooled V8 and a growl erupts from the negative space behind you. You can hear it loud in the car, sounding like there are speakers in the back seat playing it for you. The impression is not unlike that of our 2003 Corvette Z-06 which always had an exhaust monster in the trunk. This monster is a good one though, always just what you want to hear, but never too much at speed. Then there is the growl and supercharger whine from under the hood that sounds as if it were digitally mastered in a studio. They have figured out how to make sound affect the brain in a way that is intoxicating at every rev. And by the way, it is fast. Really fast.
On the road, the GT-500 has a refinement and road feel right up there with a 5-series BMW. No joke. This is the first $50,000 Mustang I have driven that I can say actually feels like a $50,000 car. If you have driven a lot of Fords you know the compliment that is. The feel is there, the value is there. This car is finally the real deal. I really want one.
