No hatred for Mustangs
By
Jeffrey Fazio
DriveTime Columnist
I
don't hate Ford Mustangs. At least I don't anymore.
When
I was in my 20s and just entering the realm of performance
automobiles, Mustangs were my arch rivals. I hated them. This is not
surprising as many car subcultures hold the Mustang as the car
to beat. It almost seems that the Mustang is the one car that
everyone, except Mustang owners, can agree to despise.
The
Camaro and Firebird crowds hate them. They are despised by groups of
avid Honda, Toyota and Mazda owners. From what I understand, the
drivers of Porches and BMWs have even been known to take a moment out
of their day to look down their noses at the infamous pony-car. I
wouldn't be surprised if the notorious steed that rests in Ford's
stable is even disliked by the devoted owners of Cadillacs, SUVs and
mopeds.
Scorning
the Ford pony is more or less expected. It's certainly encouraged and
quite often celebrated.
Beating
a Mustang is a source of pride. Was it an under-powered base model? No
worries. You still took out a Mustang and that is all that really
matters.
Recently,
while doing research on the different kinds of racing venues available
to me and my car, it occurred to me why the Mustang is so loathed:
It's a great performance car.
There,
I said it. I still don't want one, but there' s simply no denying the
incredibly diverse and successful racing history of the Ford Mustang.
It is nearly impossible to find a form of automobile racing that the
Mustang has not conquered. Not only has the Mustang competed in a huge
variety of motorsports, but more importantly, it has been successful
in these venues. No wonder it is so reviled. It's been beating up the
competition for over 40 years.
Mustangs
have been successfully drag raced, road raced and autocrossed. The
mighty stallion has been rallied, hill climbed and even ice raced. Jet
cars have been made from them. Even land speed races have seen the
occasional Mustang entered. The reach of this influential automobile
is extremely far.
The
irony is that the hatred shown the Mustang is most likely its biggest
compliment. When I was younger, it simply never occurred to me that it
was "important" to beat Mustangs because they are worth
beating.
Now
that I am maturing as a driver and experiencing a variety of different
racing opportunities, I am comfortable with the fact that I no longer
hate Mustangs. I also don't hate Corvettes anymore. Although there are
some Mustang and Corvette i owners that I really don't like,
but that is a whole other story.
There
is just too much negative energy between car cultures. A lot of time
and emotion are wasted hating. It does no good. It advances no one and
it proves nothing.
You
will most likely never change the other person's view on your car or
theirs. Even if your 2.0-liter beats their 5.0-liter or your
front-wheel drive beats their rear-wheel drive, there will always be
someone faster on the other side.
Rivalries
are plentiful: domestics versus imports, Chevy versus Ford, Toyota
versus Honda, rotary versus piston, Mustang versus everybody. Where
does it end?
How
about those wonderful stickers of the cartoon character Calvin peeing
on the different brand emblems? Poor Calvin comes off looking like he
hates every car since a sticker of his likeness exists with him
emptying his bladder onto the badge of every car manufacturer known to
man. It's really bad when our cartoons share in the hate.
If
everyone would just put down the hate and step away from the vehicle,
they might actually start learning a few tricks from "the other
side." I know I have learned a thing or two from the V-8 crowd
this year.
Anyway,
cars are cars. They have distinct characteristics and people prefer
different things. That is good. Would you really want everyone to have
the same car as you? It would be extremely annoying if we all had
identical vehicles. I am grateful that there are so many different
cars to choose from.
I
am especially thankful for all of those Mustang loyalists out there.
Without them, I would have to find someone else to beat up on.
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