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Countries and their cars: USA

The first Mustang made its debut at the World's Fair in 1964.

What is the USA known for? Sophistication? Wealth creation? Good food? Or maybe it is known for Detroit iron. In this case we’re going to go with the latter option.

But what should we pick? There are so many different choices. The mighty Chevrolet Corvette with its plastic body and leaf spring suspension maybe? Or even the super-selling Ford F-150 pickup truck…now that would be a good choice. But no, I’m going to go for the Ford MustangFord MustangUnited States of America, 1964 > present6 series
146 versions
449 photos
4 videos
.

It is worth pointing out that I cannot choose the Mustang in every single one of its forms though, as some of them were as pitiful to look at as they were to drive. In fact, it is worth arguing that the only two Mustangs worth mentioning are the current oneFord Mustang Gen.5United States of America, 2005 > 201454 versions
160 photos
2 videos
and the first oneFord Mustang Gen.1United States of America, 1964 > 197337 versions
133 photos
2 videos
, released onto the unsuspecting public in 1964.

Usually I become slightly snobbish about chassis integrity and handling at this point. But I’m not sure that is what the Mustang, and indeed America is all about.

While the roads here in Europe are often tight and twisty with a proliferation of bumps and intrusions quite the opposite is true of America in most cases. The land that gave us ‘The Beach Boys’ and ‘Surfing USA’ needs to have the option of a convertible….right? Right.

As I said, I am not nominating every single Mustang for this. The first Mustang looks great and got good reviews when it was released. Add that to the fact that it has four seats and therefore even ticks the ‘practicality box’ and you have a car that made an awful lot of sense. Especially after the slow sales experienced by the two seater 1955 Ford ThunderbirdFord ThunderbirdUnited States of America, 1954 > 200511 series
35 versions
105 photos
1 video
, however attractive that was too.

The Ford Mustang since 1964

With the Mustang, Ford invented a new automobile class, the “pony car”, and rival brands rushed into production to come up with cars of the same category. The first 18 months of the Mustang’s production stayed in history as the most successful car debut ever. After more than 40 years, the coupé is still being produced and Ford is selling around 150.000 Mustangs each year.

1964 Ford Mustang

In 1964, Ford unveiled their first ever Mustang. It inherited many parts, from other Ford models like the Falcon and Fairlane. Just 5 months after its introduction, the Mustang underwent a facelift and continued to grow heavier and bigger every year. The first generation Mustangs had mid and front engines, with displacements from 2.8 to 7.0 liters. The most basic model made 120hp while the top-of-the-line car delivered 385hp.

1974 Ford Mustang

The second generation Mustang was launched in 1974. After the continuous enlargement of the first generation until 1973, Ford decided to dramatically decrease its size to as close as possible to the original model. Shape and styling, as well as the mechanical features, were all reformulated in order to give the car an appearance that was closer to the 1964 model but with a higher performance.

1979 Ford Mustang

A fresh new Mustang, generation III, came out in 1979. Over the years, improvements were made to the Mustang regarding interior and exterior styling, giving it more comfort and a modernized look. Power was amplified as well throughout the years of production of the Mustang III. Ford also re-added the high-performance Mustang GT variant to the lineup in 1982.

1994 Ford Mustang

15 years past the Mustang’s last major amendment, in 1994, Ford launched its fourth generation. Motor Trend magazine named the Mustang Car of the Year for the third time when its fourth generation debuted. The Mustang IV engines ranged from a basic 3.8-liter to the top-of-the-line 5.4-liter Cobra R. Power output was increased along the years, starting at 145 hp to reach 190 hp for the standard version.

2004 Ford Mustang

Ford introduced the greatly redesigned fifth generation of the Mustang in 2004 at the North American International Auto Show. The refreshed car was an immediate hit in terms of sales. In 2012, the current Mustang received a minor facelift. Improvements include a changed exterior, and the 5.0 liter V8, introduced in 2010, got a power-uprgrade.

There were even some special edition models that caught the public’s imagination like never before, the Shelby GT350Ford Shelby Mustang GT350United States of America, 1965 > present3 photos
and GT500Ford Shelby Mustang GT500United States of America, 1967 > present1 photo
to name but two. This is reflected in the other American pastime – the movies, and also the massive prices attached to some of these editions.

James Bond takes some points for being the first film to show off the Mustang’s lines, with a chase taking place in the hills above Monaco – James Bond in his Aston Martin DB5Aston Martin DB5 James BondUnited Kingdom, 1964 > 19643 photos
1 video
battling with a lady assassin driving a drop top Mustang.

Having said that, it is the Steve McQueen film Bullitt and perhaps ‘Eleanor’ in Gone in 60 Seconds that shows off the Mustang in its best light. I’d go for Bullitt if I had to choose between the two. A 9 minute 42 second car chase through San Francisco with McQueen eventually seeing off the Dodge ChargerDodge ChargerUnited States of America, 1966 > 19875 series
31 versions
14 photos
on his tail. Iconic doesn’t even begin to explain how cool the Mustang looked for those 582 seconds.

However, it all went wrong with the second generation ‘Stang, whatever you say, like a lot of things the 1970’s didn’t treat the sporty FordFordUnited States of America, 1903 > present92 models
2522 photos
11 videos
well. Emissions and crash protection technology mixed with some iffy styling choices ruined the aggressive stance and chiseled good looks of the Mustang, on top of that it became a floaty wheezing wreck to drive, or at least the drive didn’t live up to the Mustang name.

I’m not sure if it was the second generationFord Mustang Gen.2United States of America, 1974 > 19787 versions
10 photos
or perhaps even the third generationFord Mustang Gen.3United States of America, 1979 > 199311 versions
10 photos
that represented the nadir for the Mustang, but either way in 2005 the fifth attempt was unleashed and it looked like a Mustang again. Halleluiah.

It is probably this ‘latest’ car that you will rent if you want to live the American dream. You can rent them, they are good value and you can even find companies that will rent you a V8 if you really want, and even though the American public think their fuel is expensive here in Europe we know that it is pretty cheap in reality! The best news is that ShelbyShelbyUnited States of America, 1965 > present7 models
135 photos
and other assorted tuning companies have got their hands on the latest Mustang and over 500bhp is easy to achieve. It looks good and goes well: That’s all you need in a Mustang really isn’t it?

I’ll leave you with a final thought: Can you imagine anything better than cruising down the highway in your Mustang with the V8 rumbling in the background and a good tune. The Mustang is an all-American hero car and I know you want one.