by Lloyd Frazier
In 1964, Ford inspired a new American class of car coined the pony car, with its release of the all-new Mustang, which wasn’t really all that new under its skin. The first generation Mustang had Falcon underpinnings, bucket seats, floor shifter, and sporty exterior, and it just so happened to be a pony…er, Mustang. It was intended as competition to the Chevrolet Corvair. Since then, Mustang has been a huge success for Ford. GM and Chrysler quickly followed suit with all new ‘Pony’ cars of their own with models like Camaro, Cuda, Challenger, Firebird, and others. The famous Pony Car war ensued. Every model year seemed to stir one-upsmanship with each of the big three adding more horsepower, handling, and special performance packages like Shelby, Boss, Z28, and Trans Am. In 2005, Ford entered the retro trend with a newly designed Mustang that conjured memories of the original. GM and Chrysler wasn’t about to be outdone. The new generation Camaro with its hint of 1969 on steroids and Chrysler with a modernized Challenger ala 1970’s. All have been brilliantly engineered, awe inspiring works of automotive Americana.
Now, Ford has really pulled out all the stops with the newly revealed 2015 Mustang. It is not all that retro in appearance but unmistakably Mustang! The solid rear axle has finally been ditched for an IRS setup. Plus, something not seen since first being available in the Mustang II, a four-banger. But, this is not your father’s four-banger. It is a pumped up, turbo infested work of engineering genius. The new 2.3 liter EcoBoost four cylinder engine is expected to supply 305 horsies and 300 foot-lbs of torque.
Take a look at the video courtesy of Winding Road:
