Ford Ponies Up Winner With Mustang
By: Dave Chess
DETROIT - RIS - By the look of things Ford has struck gold with their Mustang. In fact there are so many enthusiasts trying to get a look at the retro model that Internet pipelines to new car websites displaying the picture have been overloaded.
When thecarconnection.com, posted images of the new car, a rush of Mustang fans overwhelmed the system, nearly knocking it off line, and forcing long waits for about three hours.
“The response to Mustang photos on our website has been unlike anything we’ve seen before,” said publisher Paul Eisenstein. “We just beefed our servers for the show but we still struggled to handle the traffic.”
“Based on the responses I’ve seen on different websites, I think we got it right. And, they haven’t even driven the car yet” said Phil Martens, Ford vice president of advance product creation.
At the Detroit Free Press website customers pored over photos at three times the rate of new Corvette images. After just one day, more than 21,000 visitors accessed Mustang images.
Motor Trend reported visitors to their website voted twice as much for Mustang (39 to 22 percent) than its closest competitor, the new Chevrolet Corvette, when asked to pick their favorite North American International Auto Show production vehicle.
What makes the new Mustang so popular? First of all its retro-style makes it look like the classic 1967 fastback. Who can forget Steve McQueen punishing a Mustang GT390 on the streets of San Francisco in the 1968 movie Bulitt?
Rear wheel drive coupled with either a 200 horsepower SOHC V-6 or a fire breathing 300 horsepower, 24 valve MOD V-8 that will smoke the tread off of its optional Pirelli tires, and a price under $20,000 for the base V-6 make this car more affordable than its competition.
Mustang Racing History
Mustang has a long racing heritage. The pony car raced to victory in the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans-Am series debut in 1966. Mustangs won four of the seven races, and gave Ford the inaugural manufacturers’ championship.
Jerry Titus chalked up four victories during the 1967 Trans Am circuit in a Carroll Shelby-Mustang wining the drivers’ title for Ford a second straight year.
Tommy Kendall raced his Roush-prepared Mustang to a record 11 consecutive wins in 1997 as he clinched a record third straight Trans Am driver’s championship.
In the last half of the 1960s Mustangs went drag racing. Holman & Moody built 10 experimental Mustangs powered by the 427 V-8.
John Force broke his National Hot Rod Association championship record by winning his 12th national crown in a Ford Mustang Funny Car in 2002.