Saturday 2nd April
V8s for the win: PH Blog
Mustang lands in the UK and we're nicking it to bring to Santa Pod
My visit to the New York show last week was a nice way to get in the mood for yesterday's first go with the new Ford Mustang.
Wouldn't be a new car launch without some old cars
The day started well with a dawn chorus of spluttering V8s outside my bedroom window at the hotel Ford u for the event. The new one sounds proper, the two carb-fed 289s brought along to complete the display out front even angrier in the cold morning air. If PH did alarm clocks and all that...A full review to follow in due course but it's hugely heartening to see cars like the Mustang hitting the market. From hot hatches to supercars it feels like the industry is waking up to the fact enthusiasts have been left a little cold by the latest generation of tech-heavy performance cars. Sure, Porsche has seemingly responded in its own way but the Mustang does so rather more dramatically. Even if it seems a close run thing as to which is harder to secure at your local dealer.
See you at the strip!
That aside in this day and age it seems a little rebellious to be sitting behind a 5.0-litreand slotting a stubby little manual shifter into gear. But that's exactly the kind of currency the Mustang has always traded on, seemingly brilliantly rebooted for the modern age. After my drive I did some price swotting to see how it compares with the competition too. The car you see here - as specced - costs £37,375. Its £34,995 asking price would, from the German rivals, score you a BMW 420i xDrive with a four-cylinder turbo, a Mercedes C220d Coupe with a four-cylinder diesel or an Audi A5 with the choice of 2.0-litre petrol or diesel power. The most powerful of that lot packs 230hp against the Mustang's 421hp. The V8 equivalents from these ranges - the C63 Coupe and RS5 - would cost you nearly double the price of the Mustang 5.0 GT. Yee, and indeed, haw.I had to leave for home before getting to try thethat gives you 15 seconds of wheel spinnin', rubber burnin' fun in the name of getting your rear tyres sticky for the quarter mile. If only we were holding a Sunday Service at a drag strip this weekend and were to bring this bright yellow Mustang along ... oh, hang on, we are! Yes, the car you see here will bethis weekend so if you fancy your chances against it make sure you're signed up to ourand we'll see you on the strip! We've already got a date with a PHer with a manual BMW M4. Anyone else up for it?
Dan