ROBERT COUCHER
The Driver
The Land of the Free used to manufacture the most advanced and beautiful automobiles. Stutz, Duesenberg, Packard and Cadillac were all pretty much ahead of Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz in terms of technical prowess in the early 1930s, with their independent front suspensions, hydraulic brakes and lusty great engines.
Personal mobility of a type had been provided prior to the arrival of the Ford T in 1908 by the horse, bicycle and motorcycle. Apparently the humble bicycle was responsible for a significant increase in the birth rate, as young fellows could cycle to nearby villages and meet more attractive women than they might have back home! No doubt the Model T had a more widespread effect; it even came in delivery van configuration. I wonder if in those days there was a bumper sticker stating: ‘Don’t laugh at my van, your daughter’s in the back.’
Henry Ford perfected mass production with the T and this in many ways led to the end of ‘highend automobiles’, as the Americans might say. The days of expensive handmade motors were numbered when the Model T started rolling off those assembly lines. Within a decade its cost had dropped from $950 to $260 and, with the availability of affordable cars like this, the Great Depression of 1930 killed off extravagant V16 Cadillac and supercharged Duesenberg SJ leviathans.
By the 1950s the American automotive industry was dominated by the Big Three: Ford, GM and Chrysler. Autos became larger and more comfortable to suit the needs of suburban customers who were driving further afield. GM fitted Powerglide automatic transmissions to affordable cars, along with the ubiquitous pushrod V8, yet brakes remained humble drums. The American Driver’s automobile was finished.
But then Lee Iacocca of Ford ponied up with, yep, the first Pony Car: a new sporting two-door hardtop styled by John Najjar, inspired by the P-51 Mustang fighter plane. The Mustang made its debut at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1962 driven by American Formula 1 ace Dan Gurney. He lapped the track as a demonstration in a race-prepped ’Stang and was only just off the pace of the F1 cars! Yes, the American Driver’s automobile was certainly back and, within 18 months of its launch in 1964, a million Mustangs had flown from the showrooms. Ford had planned to shift 100,000.
The car was a winner styling-wise, even if its mechanicals were derived from the dumpy Ford Falcon. But somehow the Mustang gelled incredibly well and it won five out of the six Sports Car Club of America divisions in 1965, with great drivers including Jerry Titus, Bob Johnson and Mark Donohue. And these days Mustangs have often been at the sharp end of Historic racing grids – well, until everyone suddenly swapped to Mini-Coopers. ‘Go figure’, as they say in the States.
In 1994 I co-drive a Mustang 350GT on the tough Tour Auto road race around France. Finished in Wimbledon White with blue strips, the ’Stang looked tough and aggressive. It was stripped out, most body panels in glassfibre, so it was light as well as powerful. Belying its size and looks, it was easy to drive with loads of torque, a balanced chassis and powerful brakes. Like a big kart with a delicious V8 soundtrack.
I’m personally not convinced by many American cars in Jolly Olde England. They look too big and flashy squeezing down narrow country lanes. But the early Mustangs are different: as with many classic cars, actually not that big when compared to most moderns. And Mustangs look The Right Stuff in a no-nonsense crew cut and white T-shirt sort of way.
Celebrating the Ford Mustang’s 50th Anniversary in 1994, I joined friend-of-Octane Gary Bartlett in his 1967 Mustang GT500 for a road trip to Le Mans. Mustangs look fabulous in the wide open spaces of France and the locals love them thanks to Steve McQueen on the screen, not to mention Johnny Hallyday having had a go behind the wheel of one on the Monte Carlo Rally, as well as Claude Lelouch’s film
Un Homme et Une Femme – et un Mustang. Bartlett’s incredibly original GT500, painted in its original tasteful dark blue with original black interior, simply threw itself at the horizon, as you might expect given its 7½-litre V8 tuned to 480bhp. The steering was a bit loose at the straight-ahead, but the surprise was how refined the car was. With a grown-up exhaust it burbled along with panache and was the perfect automobile to arrive in at the splendid Château de SaintPaterne near the Le Mans circuit, where we were met at the front with enthusiasm by the Citroën 2CV driver, Madam Segolene de Valbray with her flaming red hair. I’ve never seen Bartlett hop out of a car quite so fast…
‘I WONDER IF THERE WAS A MODEL T VAN BUMPER STICKER: “DON’T LAUGH, YOUR DAUGHTER’S IN THE BACK”’