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David is an occasional blogger, software engineer, Nintendo fanboy, liberal, news magazine addict, voracious TiVo user, and bibliophile. He was born in St. Louis, grew up in southern Indiana, and returned to St. Louis to attend Washington University. He hasn't managed to escape yet. He's a fan of free wine tastings, too many tv shows to name, and eating out. David makes his living developing web applications used internally by his employer. He doesn't blog about work because he's heard too many stories about that causing workplace troubles. There's more on the about page. |
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16 February 2004 - 10:55 am
The big Detroit auto show took place a few weeks ago. I don't normally gush over cars, but this year it looks like there might be some really nice production cars coming out and some intriguing concept cars were put on display. Let's start with Ford, a company that has clung hard to the SUV/pick-up market in recent years. The big news for Ford this year is sports cars. I've never been a big fan of the current Mustang. The styling is overly aggressive, especially for a car that doesn't have enough power to really really be called a muscle car. (I'm looking at you, V-6 Mustang owners.) But in recent years Ford seems to have decided that their best years lie behind them and they've bought into the retro design concept in a big way. It all started with the Thunderbird, an attractive convertible with retro-50s styling. Unfortunately, the Thunderbird has been marred by slow sales and the dubious decision to include two porthole-esque windows on the vehicle. In fact, the Thunderbird's sales are so poor that Ford has already announced that it will be discontinued. Fortunately, this doesn't seem to have turned them off retro-styling.
In Ford's newest evocation of the past, the new Mustang, which will be released this fall, is a throwback to the Mustangs of the 1960s. A little larger and certainly more powerful (because of advances in engine and tire technology, the muscle cars of the '60s would have trouble competing with your average import sedan today), but in this case the styling works. The inset front grill and sweeping lines make a bold statement and the silver paint with white rally stripes of the auto show model are perfect. The new Mustang makes me wish that I'd be in the market for a new car this fall.
Of course, the Mustang isn't the only new sports car in Ford's stable. Also due out this year is the Ford GT. This car bears the name of the great Le Mans winners of the past, and it lives up to its predecessors. But unless you have some spare cash in the six figures taking up space in the bank, I don't recommend that you ask about the price.
Ford also showcased a concept hybrid Escape SUV at the Detroit Auto Show. It's a variation on the new 2005 Escape. I'm not particularly fond of the two-tone paint scheme, rims, or the garish "Hybrid" logo printed on the side of the hybrid Escape, but these presumably won't be present on a production model. Ford also claims no reduction in cargo space, a necessary requirement in my mind for a hybrid SUV. I'm particularly interested in this model because I have first-hand experience as to how badly the Escape guzzles gas, but I wonder if they had to sacrifice some of the current Escape's power in order to gain efficiency.
Ford's final introduction is the artfully named Ford 500. This is, essentially, the new Taurus, although in the black paint scheme it reminds me of a police cruiser. Fans of large trunks will be pleased with the 21 cubic feet of storage space in the 500, but I just can't get excited about it myself. I'd much rather have a Mustang.
Posted by on 16 February 2004 at 10:55 AM
Comments
The muscle cars of the '60s can easily keep up with today's vehicles. In fact, with a little TLC, '60s mustangs tend to beat more modern ones at the track. I'm not talking about modern improvements under the hood, just upgrading from stock parts. A lot of the electronic parts are aimed more at improving fuel efficiency than performance. And don't underestimate the few extra horsepower you get from venting your exhaust straight out of the engine without having a pesky catalytic converter in the way to slow it down.
I love the look of the new mustang. It is an incredible improvement over those ugly models they've produced in the past few years. Too many straight lines; what were they thinking? I might even consider one of those 40th anniversary models in the future, but I think I'd be disappointed by what I'd find under the hood.
One last thing: what are they thinking by naming a car "GT"? That's not a model name, that's a qualifier. An adjective. As in "Mustang GT" or "Camaro GT".
Posted by nik on 17 February 2004 - 10:01 PM
The GT name is an homage to the Ford GT 40 from the late '60s. Here's the best link I could find: http://www.webcom.com/andyr/gt40.html
Posted by david on 18 February 2004 - 8:41 AM