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L’il Mustang Mama finds her Lost Angel Wings
Car of Choice: 2005 Ford Mustang
GT Convertible
Point A: Los Angeles, CA January 2001
Point B: Los Angeles, CA January 2005
Scenario:
Winter, 2001. Girl in love. Girl takes trip with her newlywed husband
to dreamy Southern California.
We drive along I-405 as an escape from miserable life in January
Michigan weather, beginning in Los Angeles and heading southbound
for a week of bliss. Naturally, the rental car of choice for love
lapping was a pewter-coated Mustang GT convertible.
We cruise along, lapping up the euphoria of coastal sea air and
the deep blue streak of the Pacific dividing the sky evenly with
the dropped top, but the chill sets in as we head back to L.A. from
Carlsbad surf country. When we put the top up, daunted by the unseasonable
cold and bitter drizzle, the fun ceases as our Mustang launches off
of a pothole, sending my Diet Coke flying. The car squeaks like a
tired four-year old. We don’t make such a sweet pair, shrouded
by a suffocating lid, wiggling worm-like suspension and erratic stability.
No matter what we do, Mustang’s top doesn’t fit with
its bottom -- like a size 12 top paired with a size 8 bottom -- things
are simply out of whack.
Girl feels deceived. I leave Mustang 2001, clinging to the memory
of a few priceless stolen moments on the Pacific Palisades, wind
whipping auburn locks, but yearning for something more – a
better ending to the story.
When I return to LA to drive the 2005 Mustang Convertible in both
V6 and V8 versions, I am wary. Am I destined for another big let
down or will I find the ultimate open-air fantasy?
As reports from the '05 coupe filter in, I am gingerly optimistic.
I begin to look forward to dropping 210-horsepower beneath my legs
in the 4.0-liter V6 and even more fun with the GT putting out 300-horsepower
in a 4.6-liter V8 package.
 
 
I pause to muse on the legacy of the Mustang that
has the allure of The Graduate for its male clientele. When a Mustang
gets older, like vintage leather, it looks hotter with age. Its got
a reputation for sizable chutzpah thanks to the gallop of 1964's
original pony car. Incidentally, I learn even Graduate star Dustin
Hoffman is vying to get one of the first 2005 production models.
Back to Southern California, with its cotton candy colored skies
and endless stretches of speckled pavement -- I eagerly await my
Mustang moment -- hitting the lip of the Pacific with the top dropped.
As I touch down on Cali soil, I am dismayed to find that like my
previous trip, the weather is unforgiving. A cold rain falls and
the thermometer teeters well below the usual balmy 60 degrees. I
see my fellow automotive brethren bracing for the cold air while
I wait on standby.
As I finally get my moment behind the wheel, my heart sinks as the
frigid blast hits my cheeks, chill bumps popping under my windbreaker
sleeves. Regretfully, my driving comrade and I put the top up, opting
to stay warm and dry.
What I discover is real change. The triple layer convertible top
keeps the cabin quiet, because like sensible layers on a cold day,
the inner section is cloth, while the outer is made of vinyl. The
car is agile compared to older models, thanks to new underpinnings.
While the Mustang has put on a few pounds, it’s mostly toned
with solid muscle. I feel strong and solid in my buff '05 Mustang
that has hearty legs and a chiseled upper body.
As I make my final lap preparing to hop into the passenger
seat, I am almost sorry to say farewell to my moment as a Mustang
Mama. Yet I know this time I’ve discovered the perfect formula
for grace and decency restored and I can rest easy, sipping Diet
Coke even over life’s most outlandish potholes. |
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