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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsIt’s A Mustang Thing
The Ford Mustang inspires a fanatical devotion among owners. We explain what’s behind this unique automotive obsession.
The Eponymous Pony Car
1964 Ford Mustang – media.ford.com | Shop Ford Mustang on Carsforsale.com
Few automobiles have a following as stalwart and devoted as that of the Ford Mustang. It has inspired generations of fans across seven decades and has remained the most popular muscle car since its debut in 1964. The basic formula of a long hood, short deck, and a big engine is still relevant to this day, whether your favorite Mustang hails from the 60s, the 90s, or today’s sixth generation. If you find all the Mustang love to be a bit incomprehensible, allow us to explain why the Mustang is one of the most beloved cars of all time.
Sheer Numbers
Part of the reason for the Mustang’s legions of fans is that Ford sold so darn many of them. About any car will have its devotees, so selling millions of units of a fun, exciting sports car naturally creates a lot of diehards for said car.
The Mustang was a hit right out of the gate, selling over 1 million cars within its first two years of production. In fact, 1966 was the Mustang’s best sales year with 607,568 units sold. That first generation was also the car’s best in terms of numbers with 2.9 million sold. Interestingly, it’s the Fox Body Mustang that comes in a close second with 2.6 million sold.
The Mustang remains immensely popular today. Researchers at iSeeCars.com note the Mustang is the most popular sports car in 40 US states, and Ford boasts that the Mustang has been the world’s best-selling sports car for the last seven years in a row.
Variants Aplenty
When the Mustang first debuted, there was a six-cylinder and two V8s, but it didn’t take long for Ford to begin spinning off new Mustang variants, starting with the Shelby GT350 in 1965. Over the years we’ve gotten one amazing, powerful Mustang after another. There’s the Boss 429 with its NASCAR homologation engine, the 429 V8. Then there’s the many Shelby Mustangs including legends like the 1969 Shelby GT500 with fantastic styling to match the awesome 428 Cobra Jet V8 under the hood. The SVT (Special Vehicles Team) Mustangs were indeed special, both in the third-gen Fox Bodies and the fourth gens that included the legendary Mystichrome SVT. The broad swath of Mustang variants means there are many special, exclusive, rare Mustangs for collectors to salivate over and for owners to cherish.
Silver Screen Iconic
Another reason for such loyal Mustang fandom is its status as a movie icon. We all love Dom’s Charger and Brian’s Supra, but they don’t hold a candle to the likes of Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds or Steve McQueen’s green fastback in Bullitt. Then there’s the many Mustang cameos in Bond flicks from Goldfinger to Diamonds Are Forever. And who can forget John Wick’s 1969 Boss 429 Mach 1. When a film calls for a tough-looking, tire-smoking muscle car, is there another option? Mustang fans say no.
Muscle Car Rivalries
An indispensable part of being a muscle car fan of any kind is partial to one car or another. There are Camaro guys and Mustang guys, people who love the Challenger and those who worship at the altar of the GTO. Stoplight drag races serve as a microcosm for broader brand rivalries. Like the zero-sum equation of a race, muscle car fans never tire in advocating for their favorite and against their competition. For the Mustang faithful, there really is no disputing the Stang’s superiority when compared to obviously lesser muscle cars from GM and Chrysler.
To Mod or Not to Mod
Ford Mustang Mach 1 models – media.ford.com | Shop Ford Mustang on Carsforsale.com
Mustang owners are no exception when it comes to the question of modifying their cars. Some purists or those who are lucky enough to own a true classic will want to keep things as stock as possible. Retaining a numbers-matching engine can significantly raise the value of vintage Mustangs. On the flip side, there have been a lot of six-cylinder Mustangs sold through the years and swapping in a V8 can improve the car’s value. Just make sure it’s a Ford engine. There’s no faster way to raise the ire of the Mustang faithful than putting LS in a Ford engine bay.
Most Mustang owners, and muscle car owners more generally, are at their happiest when they are listing off all the cool modifications they’ve done to their car, and then telling how much faster they’ve made the car. New headers and exhaust mods, supercharging, suspension and brake upgrades, sticky summer tires, custom badging, spoilers … the list goes on and on.
Mustang Owners Clubs
The unquestioned specialness of the Ford Mustang inspires camaraderie among owners. Associations like the Mustang Club of America have sprung up across the country to connect likeminded Mustang aficionados and host special events. Such organizations are great whether you’re looking for mechanical advice, a good anecdote (or three), or to just hang with some cool people with an impeccable taste in cars.
