Anyone who remembers the glory days of the pony car, when race-grade consumer customization was just becoming popular, remembers the excitement surrounding the almost weekly developments from Ford. The announcement of Iacocca’s GT Equipment Team, Shelby signing on, Hertz’s 350 H and Boss 302—all tickled the nostalgic nerves of consumers while generating a fervor that the American auto industry is rarely able to produce.
As the classic vision shifted—for better or worse— to a modded Pinto all the way to a New Edge model (whose name implied its departure from the traditional), enthusiasts began to gather with their own platform groups. The community, still strong, lost its centralized infatuation that it expressed in the years following the Mustang’s introduction. Then 2005 rolled around.
With the S197’s retro-styling, Ford noticed immediate results. The automotive press went wild with comparisons of the 1965 Ford MoCo and the company in 2005. As the styling changed, so did the response from consumers. A certain buzz now surrounded shows. What kind of retro tributes would Ford and its enthusiasts come up with next?
But while Ford has been consistent in issuing 40-year throwbacks to every facet of its company, that retro buzz is losing momentum. The GT 350 H was invigorating and reissues under Shelby’s colossal repute doused the community in ecstasy. But people are beginning to ask: “What’s new?”
In the past few months, the corporate faction has responded. For the past few years, Ford has relied on major aftermarket companies for extensive upgrade packages under the hood. But in August, the first Big 3 Performance Mustang was released, boasting an impressive 650 horsepower.
Later in August, Carroll Shelby opened the first factory-authorized Shelby mod shop in the world. While the shop’s prestige will likely come from its name and not the actual hands of the 84-year old legend, its certainly significant as an advancement from Shelby's team.
But are we getting desperate? The company’s promotional choices have left the automotive ring and entered the happy-go-lucky impulse buyer market. I’m not sure where it started, but when I glanced at a headline that read, “Download a Mustang GT,” referring to the option to drive the sporty pony in The Sims 2 videogame, I knew I smelled something fishy.
Alas, it wasn’t fish I smelled—it was lavender, ginger and lemon. The folks at Ford have recently ventured with a company whose emblem you probably won’t find on the back of a pony car or even a bumper sticker: Estee Lauder. That’s right, after 42 years of waiting, Mustang enthusiasts can now drench themselves in scents of amber, tobacco and cedarwood before hitting the road. If that’s not “strong, confident, and driven” as the company proclaims it to be, I’m not sure what is. Coming soon: Stang-scara: because every enthusiast’s lashes should curve as much as the road ahead.
All jesting aside, we are proud of the blue oval for making advances in other demographic markets. Perhaps a potential Stanger who’s never heard of a Cobra R will head to a Ford dealership after driving one in a videogame. Until that time, when a videogame’s intensity requires earplugs and a cologne’s scent requires a helmet, we’ll be waiting in our driveways for the next development.