RE: Ford Mustang: UK Review
Discussion
Pommygranite said:
People drop their load now talking about the Capri but 30 yrs ago it became a bit of a joke here in The UK.
This is almost exactly the same as American cars in the UK. For some reason, all of a sudden American cars seem to be trendy here now yet were laughed at 15 years ago. Typically British.Mustang is likely to follow the same course - because 99% of sales will have the eco-weenie engine once the initial flurry of excitement is over. Ford haven't managed to sell a coupe in UK for decades and took a real stuffing on Probe/Cougar/Puma. When did anyone last see one of those.
Don't get me started on the Thunderbird fiasco. Even a 4 litre V8 and appearance in a 2003 James Bond film couldn't save this pile of dross,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Thunderbird_(el...
Anyway, at least they've got the Mustang well sorted now. It's relevance in Europe remains to be proved.
Don't get me started on the Thunderbird fiasco. Even a 4 litre V8 and appearance in a 2003 James Bond film couldn't save this pile of dross,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Thunderbird_(el...
Anyway, at least they've got the Mustang well sorted now. It's relevance in Europe remains to be proved.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Mustang is likely to follow the same course - because 99% of sales will have the eco-weenie engine once the initial flurry of excitement is over. Ford haven't managed to sell a coupe in UK for decades and took a real stuffing on Probe/Cougar/Puma. When did anyone last see one of those.
I see Puma's loads, they are getting rarer, but that's mostly due to rusting, not lack of sales. Ford must have sold loads and loads of them.I think the Probe sold well globally too, I admit rarer these days, although I actually saw a red 2.0 litre on Friday. But I think they are rare due to age more than anything. I don't really see many Escorts from that era either.
I admit Cougars are rare, but I think that's true of a lot of coupes for it's time period. They just weren't the in car to have then. For instance, the Mazda MX-6 is no more popular.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Don't get me started on the Thunderbird fiasco. Even a 4 litre V8 and appearance in a 2003 James Bond film couldn't save this pile of dross,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Thunderbird_(el...
Not sure how any car enthusiast can call the T-Bird a fiasco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Thunderbird_(el...
Great looking, V8 engine, RWD, good performance and a bespoke engine. It was a 3.9 not a 4.0 litre.
As for sales, I suspect it was priced just a little too high when you compare to the Mustang of the same time. That said, Ford still sold 68,000 of them. So hardly just a handful. And just look at used prices today for them.
Still around 15k Pumas on the road today out of about 50k: https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&...
J4CKO said:
I think weirdly, the Mustang, despite being a Ford is classier, cant see rented ones being battered round town centres anytime soon, ditto the Focus RS, they seem, at least when new to be more enthusiast owned.
They have diluted the Mustang with the 2.3 however they have got away with it because its such a good 2.3! if they ever do a 1.6L Mustang then its over.DSLiverpool said:
J4CKO said:
I think weirdly, the Mustang, despite being a Ford is classier, cant see rented ones being battered round town centres anytime soon, ditto the Focus RS, they seem, at least when new to be more enthusiast owned.
They have diluted the Mustang with the 2.3 however they have got away with it because its such a good 2.3! if they ever do a 1.6L Mustang then its over.300bhp/ton said:
Not sure how any car enthusiast can call the T-Bird a fiasco
Hello, hello, this is earth calling.Wikipedia confirms, "Ford made no effort to give a performance image to the new Thunderbirds, and while the V8 engine was competitively powered (280 hp, 286 lb·ft), its relatively heavy weight of over 3,700 lb (1,678 kg), widely spaced gears on the five-speed automatic, and suspension that favored comfort over handling made it feel more akin to a large luxury car than a true sport coupe."
After the initial flurry of launch excitement sales plummeted by two thirds to fewer than 10,000 cars a year and Ford killed it after just four years.
300bhp/ton said:
Not sure how any car enthusiast can call the T-Bird a fiasco
Great looking, V8 engine, RWD, good performance and a bespoke engine. It was a 3.9 not a 4.0 litre.
As for sales, I suspect it was priced just a little too high when you compare to the Mustang of the same time. That said, Ford still sold 68,000 of them. So hardly just a handful. And just look at used prices today for them.
actually you are both right... the engine size was 3950cc. It was, basically, the Jag 4.0Great looking, V8 engine, RWD, good performance and a bespoke engine. It was a 3.9 not a 4.0 litre.
As for sales, I suspect it was priced just a little too high when you compare to the Mustang of the same time. That said, Ford still sold 68,000 of them. So hardly just a handful. And just look at used prices today for them.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/ford-thunderbi...
as stated in the review it may not have been a fiasco but nor was it a resounding success
irocfan said:
actually you are both right... the engine size was 3950cc. It was, basically, the Jag 4.0
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/ford-thunderbi...
as stated in the review it may not have been a fiasco but nor was it a resounding success
Different stroke to the Jag 4.0, but yes it's an AJV8.http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/ford-thunderbi...
as stated in the review it may not have been a fiasco but nor was it a resounding success
Ozzie Osmond said:
Hello, hello, this is earth calling.
Wikipedia confirms, "Ford made no effort to give a performance image to the new Thunderbirds, and while the V8 engine was competitively powered (280 hp, 286 lb·ft), its relatively heavy weight of over 3,700 lb (1,678 kg), widely spaced gears on the five-speed automatic, and suspension that favored comfort over handling made it feel more akin to a large luxury car than a true sport coupe."
After the initial flurry of launch excitement sales plummeted by two thirds to fewer than 10,000 cars a year and Ford killed it after just four years.
The T-Bird had 252hp and was likely never intended to be 'sporty', the original really wasn't back in 1955.Wikipedia confirms, "Ford made no effort to give a performance image to the new Thunderbirds, and while the V8 engine was competitively powered (280 hp, 286 lb·ft), its relatively heavy weight of over 3,700 lb (1,678 kg), widely spaced gears on the five-speed automatic, and suspension that favored comfort over handling made it feel more akin to a large luxury car than a true sport coupe."
After the initial flurry of launch excitement sales plummeted by two thirds to fewer than 10,000 cars a year and Ford killed it after just four years.
Handling and ride are similar to a Jag S-Type, as it's the same platform and suspension setup. And performance would be somewhere between the 4.0 S-Type and the 3.0 V6 S-Type.
The only year to dip under 10,000 sales was the last one. Which would be more likely due to lack of promoting it, limited supply if it was discontinued.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Mustang is likely to follow the same course - because 99% of sales will have the eco-weenie engine once the initial flurry of excitement is over. Ford haven't managed to sell a coupe in UK for decades and took a real stuffing on Probe/Cougar/Puma. When did anyone last see one of those.
Passed a Cougar on the M20 yesterday and commented to the wife that you don't see many around nowadays.Ozzie Osmond said:
Hello, hello, this is earth calling.
Wikipedia confirms, "Ford made no effort to give a performance image to the new Thunderbirds, and while the V8 engine was competitively powered (280 hp, 286 lb·ft), its relatively heavy weight of over 3,700 lb (1,678 kg), widely spaced gears on the five-speed automatic, and suspension that favored comfort over handling made it feel more akin to a large luxury car than a true sport coupe."
After the initial flurry of launch excitement sales plummeted by two thirds to fewer than 10,000 cars a year and Ford killed it after just four years.
...relatively heavy weight of over 3,700 lb (1,678 kg)Wikipedia confirms, "Ford made no effort to give a performance image to the new Thunderbirds, and while the V8 engine was competitively powered (280 hp, 286 lb·ft), its relatively heavy weight of over 3,700 lb (1,678 kg), widely spaced gears on the five-speed automatic, and suspension that favored comfort over handling made it feel more akin to a large luxury car than a true sport coupe."
After the initial flurry of launch excitement sales plummeted by two thirds to fewer than 10,000 cars a year and Ford killed it after just four years.
Hum, which cars have 280 bhp and are around 1700kg?
from the top of my head, Misubusghi 300 gt, Subaru imprezza 2.5 STi, saab 9-3 v6, was the soarer about that? BMW 330D
none considered slouches?
300bhp/ton said:
DSLiverpool said:
J4CKO said:
I think weirdly, the Mustang, despite being a Ford is classier, cant see rented ones being battered round town centres anytime soon, ditto the Focus RS, they seem, at least when new to be more enthusiast owned.
They have diluted the Mustang with the 2.3 however they have got away with it because its such a good 2.3! if they ever do a 1.6L Mustang then its over.I did hanker after a BMW M3 E92 or a 997S but the money, even secondhand, was eye watering.
Now I have a bit of US iron in V8 flavour for a bargain price plus it's very fast and it handles. What more could you want.
It's so fast that it's got me into a little bit of trouble in the past months after a pretty blemish free 35 years, including lots of motorcycles.
This car is actually very difficult to drive slowly, especially as a manual.
Now I have a bit of US iron in V8 flavour for a bargain price plus it's very fast and it handles. What more could you want.
It's so fast that it's got me into a little bit of trouble in the past months after a pretty blemish free 35 years, including lots of motorcycles.
This car is actually very difficult to drive slowly, especially as a manual.
swisstoni said:
300bhp/ton said:
DSLiverpool said:
J4CKO said:
I think weirdly, the Mustang, despite being a Ford is classier, cant see rented ones being battered round town centres anytime soon, ditto the Focus RS, they seem, at least when new to be more enthusiast owned.
They have diluted the Mustang with the 2.3 however they have got away with it because its such a good 2.3! if they ever do a 1.6L Mustang then its over.And like them or not, they are and have been a major part of the Mustangs history. In fact non fire breathing, non V8's have really been the mainstay of the Mustang lineup since 1964...
Had to leave my beloved GT V8 here in the UK whilst I spent 3 weeks in Southern California with access to a friends VW CC. The majority of the 6th gen Mustangs I saw out on the freeways were V6s and 2.3s.
GTs surprisingly were quite rare.
Saw a lot of Camaros too and judging by the lack of noise they were the smaller engined versions.
GTs surprisingly were quite rare.
Saw a lot of Camaros too and judging by the lack of noise they were the smaller engined versions.
300bhp/ton said:
swisstoni said:
300bhp/ton said:
DSLiverpool said:
J4CKO said:
I think weirdly, the Mustang, despite being a Ford is classier, cant see rented ones being battered round town centres anytime soon, ditto the Focus RS, they seem, at least when new to be more enthusiast owned.
They have diluted the Mustang with the 2.3 however they have got away with it because its such a good 2.3! if they ever do a 1.6L Mustang then its over.And like them or not, they are and have been a major part of the Mustangs history. In fact non fire breathing, non V8's have really been the mainstay of the Mustang lineup since 1964...
Incidentally if we are talking about arrogance, it was you who set out to give me a 'history lesson' in previous examples of Mustangs available from Ford in the UK and promptly trotted out an example that hardly made it to these shores and then only in lhd form that had to be lashed up into rhd by the dealer.
Hardly comparable.
croyde said:
Had to leave my beloved GT V8 here in the UK whilst I spent 3 weeks in Southern California with access to a friends VW CC. The majority of the 6th gen Mustangs I saw out on the freeways were V6s and 2.3s.
GTs surprisingly were quite rare.
Saw a lot of Camaros too and judging by the lack of noise they were the smaller engined versions.
That's an enviable experience: being able to spend time in both countries, and appreciating their distinct driving cultures. GTs surprisingly were quite rare.
Saw a lot of Camaros too and judging by the lack of noise they were the smaller engined versions.
On the percentage of V8 Mustangs, Ford is reporting that a bit more than half -- approximately 52 percent -- of purchases are a V8.
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