Thinking back, I've had a long history with Ford Mustangs...
Way back, my uncle drove me by my school once in his Mustang. He peeled rubber in front of the school, leaving long black streaks on the pavement which made me smile every day for at least a week after.
I first drove manual in my aunt's red on white GT convertible on a perfect summer day in the hills of Vancouver. I can still remember the clutch being so hard to press my leg started to cramp and shake while waiting for a light to change green.
Back when I was in university I rented a bright yellow convertible GT to drive from Vancouver to Whistler for my Cousin's wedding - driving, top-down through the Canadian rockies was automotive nirvana.
Driving a convertible Mustang with a V8 is an experience everybody should put on their list of things to do. I've driven a lot of cars over the years (I used to work valet with my friend Scotty) but there's something very magical about the Mustang. Like a Margherita pizza, sometimes simple can be extraordinary.
Enter the 2012 Mustang GT convertible. Ford loaned our family this monster for a few short days, and that's all it took to fall in love. On its first night with us Alexandria, my lovely and car savvy wife, took it out to run an errand, and I can still picture her recounting her highway on-ramp blast through the gears with a huge grin on her face. Over 400 horsepower in a car with no roof is a lot of fun.
You probably already know that the Mustang GT continues to be a modern take the American muscle car, but it's really grown up over the years. The interior is retro, but nice. The leather seats in our tester were terrific and everything inside feels much better than I expected. The shifter and clutch (for those of you who row-your-own gears) are downright pleasant to use. The stereo was kickin' - a must in a convertible - and even sported a simplified version of Ford and Microsoft's excellent Sync technology (no touchscreen here, though) for excellent handsfree calling and voice activated controls.
Perhaps most surprising was how family friendly the Mustang was. The kids' seats were a breeze to install, and with the roof down the kids loved being dropped into their seats over the side of the car. Blasts from stoplights on rural highways yielded squeals and smiles. The trunk, which was remarkably generous for a convertible, easily ate up our stroller and shopping with ease.
Sure, some things about the mustang did seem a little cheap, but that's okay, the Mustang is cheap. With recent incentives, Ford has been selling the V6 mustang coupe for as little as $21,249. But, if you have the means, get the full-fat version - the GT. Starting at $35,199, it costs full Ford Fiesta more than the base V6, but there's just nothing quite like the sound and feel of the V8.
The 2013 mustang is almost upon us now, but if the evolution of the Mustang over the last 20 years is any indication, it's only going to get better.
Check out all the pictures in the gallery here.
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