GRAND TOURER

It says GT on the back, so Jason’s been ‘grand-touring’ all over Europe in his beloved Mustang…

QUICK SPEC 5.0-litre Mustang GT ■ Magnetic Grey ■ Ceramic leather ■ Steeda axle-back exhaust ■ Steeda induction kit

After a few months of Mustang ownership, I’ve been amazed by the sheer number of events that are taking place on a weekly basis across the country – I guess with a heritage of 55 years now, there are plenty of the classics residing in the UK alongside the RHD 2015-on S550 model. The car has recently embarked on a couple of road trips, the first being a nice gentle trip up to the Lake District with Mrs D. for our anniversary. It was comfortable, economical at 29mpg on a 450-mile round-trip and not that noisy. Fair enough, it does resonate around 1500rpm with the Steeda axle-back exhaust fitted, but that’s just all part of the fun.

The second trip was down to Epernay near Reims in France, alongside a friend and his BMW M4. It’s a great car but at another £20k on top of the Mustang, I’m not so sure. It sounds a little flat compared to its predecessor which had a throaty V8, and the Mustang gets way more attention. This time it wasn’t such a leisurely drive – going flat out down the start/finish straight of Tempe Reims circuit (now a public road) is a must if you haven’t visited this piece of motor sport heritage! After a fine-dining lunch we hot-footed it back to the Channel Tunnel, a three-hour delay on the high carriages meant squeezing the ‘wider-thana-wide-thing’ Mustang down the narrow lanes on the shuttle. I’m pleased to say no alloys were hurt on this occasion, although

it’s probably the slowest I’ve ever driven a car, sweating at the thought of scratching the gloss black wheels.

I’ve also just had a Steeda cold air intake fitted, which fills the engine bay up nicely and I can definitely feel a smoother punch of power mid-range. The car also featured during my photography course at Brooklands Museum – it looked pretty cool under Concorde, even if I say so myself!.

Things are continuing at a fast pace with the Mustang, and I’ve already booked in for a visit to GT40 and Mustang specialists, GT101 in Essex, next month for a bit of cosmetic surgery on the rear of the car. There’s loads to come, so keep your eyes peeled for further updates, developments, and, of course, road trips where I can really enjoy the car…

Jason used his Mustang as a subject for part of his photography courses - it does look cool parked under the wing of Concorde!

A recent trip to Reims gave Jason some fantastic photo opportunities

Steeda induction kit is the V8's latest upgrade

A quick scrub-up confirmed the gloss black alloys escaped the Tunnel unscathed