The apple of her eye

Mustangs have a hold over Maria Jackett. After owning a fourth-generation pony car in the States, she was enchanted by this Cobra version back in New Zealand

The Mustang almost ceased to exist during the late ’80s. Plans were made to replace it with a rebadged front-wheel-drive Mazda MX-6. The Fox Body Mustang, barely recognized as a Mustang by the ill-informed, was stumbling towards the end of the longest production run of any Mustang in history, from 1979 to 1993. The third-generation Fox Body looked more like a family two-door hatchback than a sports car and sales steadily declined. Ford, which, at the time, owned a large percentage of Mazda, not wanting to spend money developing a new car for a dying market, believed that a restyled Mazda MX-6 might be the cheapest way to give the Mustang brand a shot in the arm.

Fortunately, enthusiasts wrote to Ford objecting to this ignominious fate for the all-american pony car. The iconic American Ford survived … just. Ford listened and at the last minute switched the name of the new car from ‘Mustang’ to ‘Probe’, and it was under this name that the Ford-badged Mazda debuted new in 1989. Several Probes were also sold here. Having gained a stay of execution, the Fox Mustang limped on until 1994.

In 1991, Maria Jackett travelled to the US to work as a nurse, hoping to save enough money to return to New Zealand to buy an orchard. She naturally wanted to buy a Mustang to take on the whole US experience, but she was unimpressed with the Fox Mustang’s similarity to the Ford Laser Sport that she had owned in New Zealand. She test-drove a Firebird and a Camaro. She wasn’t allowed to test the Dodge Viper, so, understandably miffed, she bought a pickup. The Mustang urge was still with her, though, and she hummed and hawed about it for the next few years.

MUSTANG, MEET MARIA

Fortunately, Ford was once again backing the Mustang, and it released what the company declared was a completely new fourth-generation Mustang in 1994, albeit still on a modified Fox chassis. This new, fourth-generation Mustang, designed by Bud Magaldi, was based on a styling studio concept nicknamed ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger’.

Unlike the boxy Fox Body Mustang that had gone before it, the fourth generation incorporated several styling cues from its earlier generations. For the first time in many years, the hatchback was dropped in favour of the greater rigidity offered by a coupé. The changes rebooted the Mustang nameplate, with demand exceeding production. Even better, more Mustangs were sold in its first year than the total number of Camaros and Firebirds combined. The Mustang was back on top.

The new Mustang was the bestlooking car that Maria had seen in a long time. She was smitten, and with savings for her orchard well in hand, she decided that she was going to buy her first brandnew car — the generation-four Mustang.

She bought the metallic blue Mustang coupé as a Christmas present to herself in 1997. Despite being tempted, she avoided the V8 models and settled on a 3.8-litre V6 offering 150bhp (108kw). This car was a lot more economical than the V8, but still a lot more powerful than the 60kw Laser Sport she had owned in New Zealand and, at US $15K, a lot cheaper too.

Fortunately, enthusiasts wrote to Ford objecting to this ignominious fate for the allamerican pony car. The iconic American Ford survived … just