San Francisco: A
long, long time ago, back in 1964, Ford Motor Company decided that
America needed a small, sporty car to have some fun in. They developed a
car called the Mustang and found out that they were right. The car was a
huge success and consumers bought over one million of them in less than
36 months. Now fast forward 40 years and Ford is going to do it again.
Take a look at the all new for 2005 Ford Mustang, the best thing on
wheels you can buy today.
The 2005 Ford Mustang
is new from the ground up. The old Ford Fox platform has finally been
retired after about 20 years, and an all-new Mustang platform was
developed. This is a modern bodied car with the looks and appeal of the
original 1967 Mustang fastback coupe.
The car has that retro
look of the 1960’s with the handling, power and technology of the 21 St.
Century. The front end looks great and the side quarter glass reminds us
of the Shelby performance cars of that era. This was not by accident.
The new Mustang has all the styling cues from the beginning that made it
the cult car it is today. This is what retro nostalgia is all about,
great past memories with today’s modern mechanicals.
Does this formula work?
Big time. Ford is overwhelmed with orders for the new 2005 Mustang. The
production run has been bumped up three times since the introduction and
now close to 200,000 cars will be build this model year alone. Ford has
a run away hit with the Mustang and is working hard with suppliers and
the engine plants to build and sell even more Mustangs next year.
Why so popular? Simple.
The new 2005 Mustang is the first real incarnation of a true, real,
muscle car from the past. The Mustang is the Number One collector car in
the world with several million cars sold over the past 40+ years. It’s
the best used “muscle car” you can buy, the easiest car to hop up, the
car with the most after-market parts available and its just plain fun to
drive, work on and modify.
Ford wisely took all
this into account when they were ready to update the Mustang and decided
that several million people, collectors and restoration shops alike
could not be wrong. America still has a love affair with cars and the
Mustang is their number one pick. And while this was the basic premise
of the new Mustang, to look like a new, cool, retro 1967 fastback, the
powertrain engineers had a say in the matter too. Enter the GT model.
The 2005 Mustang comes
in two basic models, a base Mustang with a nice V/6 motor that puts out
210 horsepower and then there is the Mustang GT that is powered by a V/8
mill then sends 300 horsepower back to the rear wheels. Smokin’ the
tires in a GT 5-speed stick GT is no problem and that’s the way it was
in the 60’s too. Maybe it’s not politically correct for today’s news,
but sometimes Guys & Dolls just want to have some fun. Gee, maybe that’s
why the new Mustang is a run away hit, you think?
While the base car
costs just $19,770 at list price, the loaded GT cars go for around $28
grand. With base, deluxe, and premium models plus a nice option list in
between, you can find a Mustang priced to fit everybody’s budget. In
California the Ford dealers are offering the base cars at a discount as
low as $16,888 plus tax and plates, and that can get you out the door
and down the road in a new 2005 Mustang for under $19K total. Now bad
for a car that can revive your sense of well being, make you look good
and put a smile on your face everyday.
The pipeline will soon
be filled with other great Mustangs too. Look for a Mustang Mach 1 with
a shaker hood, the Steve McQueen Bullit car, a Carroll Shelby GT 500
model and maybe a Boss 302 Fastback or a 429 Cammer. I’m sure the SVT
team has an entire skunk works building just filled with Mustangs built
on past performance models from the 60’s.
My test car was a
bright Torch Red GT coupe with a 5-speed stick, 17” torque thrust wheels
and posi-traction that was just a blast to drive. The interior had the
optional Crimson red leather seats, the twin color door trim package,
chromed rimmed GT gages and the adjustable color dashlights. This car is
just plain cool, inside and out.
Equipped with side
airbags, wheel locks and an anti-theft system the MSRP came to $27,630
including the mandatory $625 destination and delivery charges from the
factory. Not a bad price for a car that looks good, sounds great and
lets you feel young again. That is what makes people keep coming back
and buying the Mustang for over 4 decades now, and still counting.
OK, the new 2005
Mustang is a reality and doing quite well, so what do they do next?
Build a convertible of course. That model is available now and we’ll
cover the new Mustang convertible in detail just as soon as Bill Ford
sends me one to test drive. Make it a red GT model, please, and I’ll
keep you posted. By
Tony Leopardo © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
To see the new Ford
Mustang click on
www.ford.com or call them at 1-800-392-FORD (1.800.392.3673) for
more information.
“Tony the Car Guy”
is a freelance automotive writer, editor and publisher in the San
Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question or comment for Tony send it
to
AutoWire@pacbell.net and he will answer your automotive questions in
the order received.
Ford Home Page
Byline: Syndicated content provided by Tony Leopardo ©
AutoWire.Net
Column Name: The
best thing on wheels you can buy today
Topic: The
2005 Ford Mustang Coupe
Word Count:
1035
Photo Caption:
The 2005 Ford Mustang Coupe
Photo Credits:
Ford Internet Media
Series #:
2005 - 25
Download
the Microsoft Word version here:
2005 Ford Mustang
Download the Original Image File here:
2005 Ford Mustang
|
