Automobiles have influenced the lives of every American. They have been seen as a menace and as having caused nothing but congestion while having caused others to fall to their knees to pay respect to the magnificent "beast" before them. Some have looked at cars as a means solely for transporting others and goods and there are those who use autos to define their attitude. Throughout it all, Ford Mustangs have been at the front lines to it all. The pony car and all of its brethren influence the way we work, the way we drive, the way we live.
The Mustang was conceived in the Summer of 1962 (Gunnell, 29). From its inception into society, it began to draw attention to itself as a car to be on the look out for. During the sixties, there was a booming economy with very little social concerns. The baby boomers of the World War II generation were coming into their prime. They were enthusiastic, envigored, and they needed a car that would encompass all their needs. Ford brought out the new Mustang. Ford has generally been known to be in the foreground to all new developments in the automotive industry. Henry Ford was famous for the assembly line (Moeller, class lecture). "This (Mustang) generation wants economy and sportiness, handling and performance, all wrapped in one set of wheels" (Gunnell,62) was the sales pitch for this car. This automobile had been witnessed and it would never leave the eyes of America.
From its unveiling, the Mustang captured the hearts of Americans so fast that they would become hooked on power, performance, and prestige for the rest of their driving days. It was a symbol of youth. The carefree attitude flowed through this generation like the air that flowed through their air. Mustangs created a free spirit that made the driver feel "large and in charge." The pony cars generated pictures of blond Surfers bringing their bikini clad girlfriends to the beach to hang out and watch them surf (J. Amey).
The Mustang's rebellious attitude carried on through the seventies in a time when rebellion against just about everything was at it's peak. The big block engines of the sixties swallowed gas faster than it could get pumped in. This very factor of the Mustang's could have influenced our economy by causing the gas shortage of the seventies. With this newly redesigned Mustang came a new attitude. It started with a fruit cake design, influencing the creation of other weenie cars of the seventies: minimal power, small engine, fuel efficient cars. The lack of this power gave less of a masculine feeling to the Mustang. The need to speed declined and a man no longer had a symbol to define his virility. With a lack of male appropriations came the rise of the feminine movement (T. Amey). The women of this country attacked at the most opportune time: The Mustang's dark years. Along with this disappointment to the Ford family came a rash of disappointing movements in society. Disco. Because this power defining instrument was degraded to the standards of the seventies, communities let their guard down and somehow disco slithered it's way to the top of the charts and into the lives of the innocent.
The Mustang was then reborn in the eighties. America got back the V-8 engines that had originally produced the Mustang's raw power. We came into the era of excess. America had a theory: The more, the better. Mustang defined this philosophy. We went back to bigger engines and more rebellion. Ford recaptured the spirit of the original baby boomers with the babies from the next generation (Graves). With the rebirth of the Mustang came one of the biggest financial upturns this country has seen in recent Americana. We witnessed a leap in the economy and the rise of our nation's foremost leaders; the Republican party. With the Mustang back to the basics, it's orientation came back too. The symbol of youth, speed, and power was back. So was rock n' roll. The hard rock popular in the sixties was back in the eighties and so was the pony car. This new innovation, put right what once went wrong. It turned the tide of the dark years and shed light on the errors of the past. It became the superman of automobiles.
Ford revitalized all the feelings that the original muscle car emanated from it's enthusiasts. The attitudes and free spirits were back.. This time, in Motor Trend's Car of the year for 1994 (Emanuelson, 46). During this round of cars, Ford also added the highly sought after safety features of today. It brought back the essence from the original 'Stang and added other state-of-the-art equipment that Ford introduced and designed. "It is what it was... and more" (Ford Motor Company).
The Mustang influenced the automotive world in many ways. The innovation of the big block V-8 engines was so powerful, there were no other automobiles like the muscle car on the road. Other car companies had no competition for the ever-growing Mustang generation. Competition had to arise. Japanese companies were used to making small economic cars that had fuel efficient engines and small bodies. No other company had any car that could compete in the class of car the Mustang would soon create: the grand touring (GT) class (T. Amey). With this class came better handling, better agility, and overall, more power. Other car companies began to design their vehicles around what the Mustang came to represent. The youth and free spirit would try to be captured by combative cars like the Chevrolet Camaro (Goldsmith). This hotly contested battle would not die to this day. This war for the fastest and most powerful car rages on today.
The Ford Mustang has long been thought of as one the most customizable cars on the market today. The ponies of the past and newer models of today have created enthusiasts who live and work for nothing else but modifying their car to make it the Most unique 'Stang on the streets' (Graves). There have been modifications made that turned ordinary muscle cars into "big block, man-eating, Camaro smashing, symbols of testosterone" (T. Amey) thanks to the help of minds like Carroll Shelby (Gunnell, 49). The Shelby mind will be dissected and examined in another section. Mustang clubs sprouted up all over America. There are over six hundred recognized organizations (Automotive News, 8/93). These clubs produced news letters, jam packed with information on building bigger engines and cranking out more power (Kopec). Magazines also help direct speed thirsty consumers to the stores carrying such bone crushing equipment. The Mustang spawned cliques of people obsessing over building the fastest street legal car (Moore). The pony car persuaded manufacturers to turn up with the parts that would blow away any competition that dared to share the same pavement with the upgraded speed monster. Modifications in one person's muscle machine prompted other individuals to find other parts that would not only out-do, but humiliate the initial driver. The overall theme: get there quicker, faster, and in the best looking car.
Building a car that can outperform any other car in it's class has never been a one person job. Even if one person solely works on the car, he must still consult books on proper procedure for his customization. Rebuilding and upscaling cars has brought people together and made tight bonds that will last as long as the cars do, and often even longer. This togetherness has brought families together too. This muscle car has influenced families to work as a unit in rebuilding a classic or "juicing up" a newer model. Mustang enthusiast clubs have recognized this trend and have incorporated several family functions within their shows. They have become more family oriented, based on fun rather than the pure essence of speed (Jackson). Little toy cars have been produced along with pedal wagons resembling classic Mustangs (Gunnell, 244). The pony car has made an impression on American families that will carry on through the generations. It's aura of youth and free spirit brings out the enthusiasm of us all, bridging the gap between young and old. The Mustang gives people of every generation common ground to begin from.
The persona of the Mustang has also influenced the media that we interact with. Because the Mustang has been well associated with masculinity, the media has decided to exploit this idea. Songs of the past have been written engrossing this Ford. "Mustang Sally" was a popular song that included not only the pony car's influence on the people of that day, but the driver behind the wheel as well (Morgan). Aerosmith has created several videos that included the pony and the ideals that have Surrounded the Mustang. The video "Rag Doll" has Steven Tyler driving around the block in an AC Cobra (MTV), one of the Mustangs most powerful off-shoots, while women an the streets throw themselves at him. Parents came out, attempting to scare off Tyler, but all he had to do was get in the car, and it would take him out of the vicinity in a matter of seconds. Another of their videos also incorporates the free-spirit and rebellion of the Mustang. "Cryin" has the lead characters breaking out of their educational enslavement and onto the open highway (MTV). The only way the writers of the video knew of expressing this rebellion they were presenting, was with a Mustang GT. Their liberated emotions carry on through the reckless video and are shown to be wild women, just like the unpretentious horse the car was named after.
Along with the field of entertainment, there are other people in the media spotlight who have been touched by the spirit of the Ford Mustang. These people sit in the two most influential positions in the nation. The speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, was appalled when a reporter had declared that Gingrich had owned the Cadillac that he was stepping out of this past November. He proclaimed himself the proud owner of a 1967 Ford Mustang (New York Times). This trend of free spirits does not end with Congress. President Bill Clinton keeps his 1967 Ford Mustang in mint condition. He bought the 'Stang when he was a young adult and has maintained his pony car very well ever since (Automotive News 9/94).
Within the government, police forces have long been an enemy to the average street racer. Whether we are running errands around town or driving to Las Vegas, we all want to make the trip in the fastest time. The officers of our time have had problems losing a pursuant in a chase. The causes of such mishaps could be due to a lack of speed and poor handling in the car they were driving. They have overcome this problem by entailing the use of the only vehicle capable of solving all their problems and maybe even adding a little flair to their line-up of vehicles. The reborn power Mustangs of the past were back in the eighties and needless to say, they chose this muscle car. In 1985, fifteen states had given officers full employment of the Ford Mustang to pursue highway bandits on their struggle to uphold the law (Gunnell, 57). Today, even more government agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, depend on the speed and virility in their "police pursuit" Mustangs. The ambiance of the pony car has not left the officers of the CHP untainted by it's rebellious attitude. It was called to the attention of high ranking officials of the highway patrol that there were an abnormal number of certain patrol cars that were involved in crashes. Through a scruitinous evaluation of the causes to the problem, it was revealed that the majority of the car crashes were Ford Mustangs and they happened, most often, while being driven by young officers. This discovery prompted supervisors to restrict the driving of ponies to those officers over the age of twenty-five (Dalman).
With new restraints placed on the young, over-zealous officers, they looked to other means to express their enthusiasm. Some patrolmen decided to use their statute as public servants to take "joy rides" in fancy cars. Before the new 1994 Mustangs were revealed, a dealer was strolling around the highway at a harmless 100+ mph. A patrol car swiftly blared his lights and pulled the hot-rodder off the road. Being very impressed and feeling pretty high strung, the officer bartered a free "get out of jail card" for a spin in the pony car. The dealer was more than happy to oblige the officer. The car, and a very blown away patrolman, returned fifteen minutes later with the engine sizzling and the officer's head held high. The officer was so impressed by the power, performance, and prestige of the Mustang, he not only thanked the dealer for the ride and did not give him a ticket, but he promised to be in the showroom soon to buy himself a new '94 Mustang (Automotive News, 1/94).
Just as this officer was influenced by the Mustang so much, that he wanted a test drive, Carroll Shelby has influenced the Ford Mustang and all of the racing world. Shelby got his start in the racing world with the Ford Motor Company. He was one of the original "go faster, get there quicker" thinkers and he wanted to create a car as fast as a Ferrari and maneuverable like a Masserati. He came up with the Shelby-Mustangs and Shelby-Cobras. His cars were thought of as the epitome of power and speed. They were called by some "the fastest production cars ever made in America" (Gunnell, 257). They are the most popular car of any postwar American make that is no longer produced. These muscle cars have influenced it's admirers into states of complete incapacitation. The persona surrounding a Cobra is one of complete ecstasy. The only way one could describe the feelings caused by such an awe-inspiring car is simple: they are the physical representations of an orgasm (T. Amey). Car buffs can only utter phrases like "Oh my GOD!" while twitching with irreverence. Groaning and moaning can be heard from the drooped jaws while seeing the beginnings of drool form at the corners of one's mouth. The feeling of kneeling down is compelling while there are urges to chant "I'm not worthy." Cobras emit such a strength, hearts don't skip beats, instead, they stop. They halt for a second to pay homage to these magnificent pieces of machinery. Yet, the heart continues to beat as it knows it must keep alive the Mustang spirit in all enthusiasts. However, it can be said that dying to the roaring sounds of a Shelby-Cobra would be dying for a worthy cause...
The racing world would not be the same without Carroll Shelby and America
would not be the same without the Ford Mustang. This influence of the pony
can be seen economically through such events as the gas shortage of the
seventies and socially through the rebirth of rock 'n roll. There has never
been one car so instrumental in shaping the way we drive today like the
Ford Mustang. Granted, all of it's donations to the world have not been
the best example, such as it's gas consumption and the smog created by
such large, powerful engines. However, the Mustang has been in the front
lines of all of the low points as well as leading the pact of all the triumphs.
Through it all, Mustang has blazed the trails. Just as the wild, roaming
mustang cannot be contained by iron bars, there is a mustang in us all,
yearning to break free of our restraints and longing to be young again.
Age is not a physicality. It is a state of mind. And the Mustang is the
governor.
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