The American Dream

It took half a century for the iconic American muscle car to arrive at our shores. Now with such an emotional pull, deep industrial roots, and all sorts of popular culture tendrils, one thing that we can be most certain about- The Mustang is here to stay

Ford is an American brand. Its F-150 pick-up has been the USA’s best-selling vehicle since Bob Dylan first spilt ‘Blood on the Tracks’. But here's a thing, Ford has an equal emotional pull, with deep industrial roots, and all sorts of popular culture tendrils.

Most of all, though, Ford meant affability and performance, the sort that never required a secret Swiss bank account to buy into. We aren’t talking about the GT or the Raptors, we are talking about something as outrageous and American as Donald Trump, himself. We are talking about the Mustang.

Since the Mustang first went on sale in 1964, Ford has sold more than 9 million vehicles. It has made thousands of appearances in film, television, music and video games and is the world’s most-liked vehicle on Facebook.

Debuting ahead of the Delhi Auto Expo 2016 and set to hit Indian showrooms later this year, the new Mustang will bring the performance and refinement of Ford’s iconic pony car to India’s roads. “Throughout its long history, the Ford Mustang has been a symbol of optimism and confidence for people all over the world,” said Nigel Harris, president, Ford India.

“The new Mustang is a modern interpretation of the American icon, and we are thrilled to be giving our customers in India the opportunity to experience this piece of automotive history for the first time.” The undisputed boss car throughout pop culture, the Mustang’s new features include wider rear fenders and tracks and a lower, wider stance (with a reduced roof height), increased width and a new rear suspension – all while keeping the original design elements intact.

And, for the first time ever, it’s got a right-hand-drive configuration for Indian roads. Set to hit the market in the second quarter of this year, the spanking new variant is the smartest Mustang yet from Ford, featuring the brand’s usual suspects like its award-wining SYNC connectivity system, push-button Start, passive entry and power-folding mirror, plus the MyColors ambient mood-setting lighting system – whether you’re looking to go LA gangster or Bond out à la Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever, there’s a colour lighting choice out there for you.

There is also the SUV-like Selectable Drive Modes (SDM), allowing the driver to toggle easily between normal, snow/wet, sport and track modes to quickly adjust steering effort, engine response, and transmission and electronic stability control settings.

And as you can well imagine, once you own the car, things start to get very real: an upgraded valve train and cylinder heads pumping out more that 420hp and 529 Nm of torque mean you can start getting to grips with The ’Stang’s real power.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014, the Mustang is in rare company. Cars like the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, and Mercedes-Benz SL are among the few that can claim such a long, uninterrupted history. All those years of building and refining the Mustang have paid off for Ford. The new Mustang is better than ever.

“My father, who turned 17 in 1964, once told me he’d have given his left eye for a new Mustang then. Today, he’s probably glad he didn’t. But plenty of 17-year-olds would probably take that same deal without batting a wrinkle-free eyelid,” wrote Nick Palermo from Digital Trends. The Mustang is among the national ethos of the USA for a reason, it is an American Dream.