SOLD for £27,750
Be honest: is a Ford Mustang S550 on your wish-list of must-have Fords? No? Not tempted by a thunderous V8 and sub-five-second 0-to-60mph sprint? Not enthralled by a rapidly-growing tuning market producing 1000 horsepower conversions, making the ‘Stang a serious Blue Oval alternative to a Nissan GT-R? It’s surely up there as one of the best used cars you can get your hands on.” Matt Bell. FastCar.co.uk
Americans are an odd bunch in many ways, cruising down the sidewalk on the way to their apartment whilst bragging to their homies about their new car because apparently, it’s a Pony.
At the time of the original Mustang’s launch on April 17th 1964, we suspect that most British enthusiasts would have turned down the offer of a Pony car in favour of a proper horse, but of course that definition came later though the Mustang was so groundbreaking that it created a whole new class of car all on its own. The key ingredients - compact (by American standards) to mid-size 2-door layout, rear wheel drive with an emphasis on style, affordability and performance (often offered through both ‘entry’ and ‘holy cow!’ levels) - all sound rather British to us, to the extent that we have to wonder why it took Ford over 50 years to get round to actually selling the Mustang over here. We can thank the Blue Oval’s “One Ford” initiative for not only making the 2014 S550 Mustang available in some 120 countries globally, but also producing it in right hand drive form for the 25 of those countries enlightened enough to drive on the right (that is to say left) side of the road, with the first Factory produced right hand drive Mustangs finally rolling off the production line in August 2015.
The sixth generation of a car that’s been in continuous production since ‘64, makes it one of the longest-running nameplates in automotive history and today’s modern Mustang stands as both a tribute to its heritage and as a statement of innovation - the very definition of a stone cold ‘modern classic’ and the sort of machine that we can all surely get behind (whilst keeping a wary eye on those high kicking rear legs of course).
The Mustang GT Convertible takes styling that’s been honed and refined over literally decades, marries it to a naturally aspirated 5.0 litre V8 that punches out a very impressive 412bhp, and then offers you the opportunity to enjoy both with your top off. Speaking of that V8, though the ‘Coyote’ engine was carried over from the previous Mustang, it is a technically advanced bit of kit featuring forged steel conrods, a suitably reinforced alloy block topped with four-valve cylinder heads and twin independent variable cam timing (Ti-VCT). It’s also pretty much bombproof, making it ideal for a bit of tweaking, more of which later. Even in standard form the zero to sixty benchmark is demolished in under five seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.
Performance, however, is more than just raw power (ask any Lotus owner) and the GT Convertible features finely-tuned independent rear suspension with a new cross-axis joint and stabiliser bars.
Outside the USA, having established that power was never going to be an issue, European tastes were catered for by making the optional “GT Pack” standard. Said pack consisted of uprated springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, brakes and rear tyres to cope with those most ‘Rest of the World’ (as the Americans refer to us) of features, namely corners.
Moving on from the oily bits, the convertible top is fully electric and folds down quickly and smoothly in just seconds. Happily the process can be reversed equally quickly, should the Great British ‘Summer’ not quite last the full seven and a half minutes that we were all promised. Despite keyboard warriors (and we include journalists not just social media-ists in this group) attempting to draw a correlation between exceptional list price value for money and the quality of cabin materials, we feel the S550 Mustang stands up well in comparison to other let’s say more “European” offerings; for example, the boot trim appears to be made from the same material as a contemporary BMW’s. The leather utilised in the well put together cockpit is of very good quality while the standard equipment list leaves little if anything to be desired.
Hard to know where to start with the detail regarding this particular Mustang as both its condition and specification are vying for top billing. Suffice it to say it is stunning in each case so after a penalty shootout we’re going to go with its spec. which, despite being impressive for UK cars straight out of the box (or should we say off the boat), the current owner has lavished around £12,000 (he can’t actually bring himself to add it all up) on upgrading it in every key area.
Though in standard form Mustang engines wouldn’t have too much trouble separating the skin from a rice pudding, they do lend themselves to further tweaking (“it’s what they’re built for” as the guys at FastCar point out) and over five hundred horsepower is in reach without the need to resort to forced induction or major internal modifications. Indeed, the good people at Mustang tuners, ‘Motorsport And Performance’ (MAP) who have carried out much of the work to this example reckon, “It’s not working hard, so it will take up to 1000 horsepower with stock pistons and rods.” Not that this sort of figure is necessarily great for real world road driving and owners with 800+ supercharged bhp at their disposal have been known to look wistfully at this car’s more modest 500 output. To achieve this a JLT Cold Air Intake, 2018 Mustang GT intake manifold, X-Force exhaust headers and Roush “axle-back” exhausts were fitted to improve the Coyote engine’s breathing. Of course, none of this is money well spent without adjusting its fuelling and ignition to suit so a tuning session on MAP’s rolling road was called for and the resulting dyno sheet on file shows this yielded some 439 ponies at an impressive 7,100 rpm (this is no low revving slugger) and 379 lb/ft of torque at the wheels which equates to circa 500 bhp at the flywheel. What the printout doesn’t show is the spectacular improvement in the aural delights now provided; believe it or not, the Mustang in standard form has been described as ‘underwhelming’ in terms of exhaust note but the owner has rectified this in no uncertain terms. Coupled with some enthusiastic intake symphonics, the Roush stainless steel exhausts really lift this ‘stang to another level acoustically.
As with most cars, more power is not a good idea if you don’t similarly improve its ability to go round corners. And also stop. Some fairly blunt commentators have pointed out that the standard Mustang suspension, even in the UK cars’ GT with Performance Pack specification, can’t handle 400 bhp never mind significantly more and the owner has taken this and the need to slow the whole bang shoot (do people even say that anymore?) down very seriously. In all honesty, the cars’ subframes and suspension weren’t all that well aligned in the Factory so significant improvements can be made just by taking it apart and putting it back together more accurately, though in this car’s case uprated components been meticulously fitted to ensure everything is spot on. Highlights of the bits and bobs are 30mm lower chrome silicon steel cold wound ST sports springs all round, top quality 23mm wide aluminium wheel spacers plus a Steeda IRS subframe bushing support system and subframe alignment kit. Camber bolts were also fitted and obviously the wheel alignment, camber and so on was carefully set up. To take full advantage of the perfected suspension, the chassis’ rigidity was improved by the fitment of a Steeda extreme G Trac brace. Braking performance was improved by popping on DBA 5000 Series grooved 2-piece front brake disks, clamped by Z26 Warrior brake pads actuated via Millers DOT4 brake fluid.
All the above work was undertaken by very well respected Mustang specialists MAP and Dream Science.
As mentioned above, the Mustang’s sparkling specification is matched by its condition. The jet black paintwork teamed with matching wheels and hood (roof to our American readers) work really well with its slightly lower and wider stance. With virtually just one other colour on the car, namely the silver lights, ‘Mustang’ logos (interestingly the single Ford badge is a discrete shadow version on the windscreen behind rear view mirror) and Roush logoed tail pipes, the overall effect is classically clean and purposeful. With our planned photographic session rained off once we were forced to reschedule and ended up having to deal with the other extreme of a British summer; our apologies for the resultant reflections but with black being one of the most unforgiving colours, at least we are showing the car ‘warts and all’. The Mustang is one of the few cars where the convertible version looks arguably better than the coupe, especially with the roof down. That unhelpfully shiny paintwork has been expertly refinished at the front of the car to remove the to be expected stone chips and then professionally treated with Gtechniq’s excellent ceramic protection, which not only helps keep that shine but makes washing it an easier and less frequently required task too.
The matching black 19” wheels are in excellent condition with no chips or scrapes, the fronts having recently been refinished. They are shod with top quality Pirelli P Zero tyres which are barely worn and of a profile better suited to British roads than some of the ‘rubber band’ types more at home in a static environment, be that a Stately Home based car show or Tesco’s car park late on a Saturday night.
The leather trim (tan in Ford terminology, oxblood if it was in a Ferrari) is unmarked and the separate rear bucket seats look to be barely sat in. The carpets have been protected by over-mats while the grey plastics look to be free from scrapes and scratches. Standard equipment in a Sixth Generation Mustang is comprehensive to say the least (for full details the lovely people at Autotrader.co.uk have listed out no fewer than fifty-four items worthy of recognition so it is worth jumping on their site and having a look) so here are just some of the highlights that caught our attention. The dash houses a built-in screen which covers functions such as satellite navigation and the reversing camera while it also talks to Apple CarPlay and has Android Auto compatibility with Ford SYNC – apologies, for us in car entertainment is a bag of Werther’s Originals so there may well be some mixed terminology in there but you get the picture. Cup holders big enough for something with “Football Association” engraved on the side are entirely in keeping with the Ford’s American roots while the heated and ventilated seats are a boon for those wishing to use the Mustang for more than just special occasions. Being hyper critical and totally upfront, the owner tells us the handbrake needs a good pull if parking on a steep slope. On the flip side, though we didn’t try it ourselves, having a manual gearbox the Mustang is fitted with both line lock for full hooliganism and launch control for more subtle getaways.
In lovely, clean condition, the engine bay is indicative of the care the Mustang has been treated with; the fluid levels all up to their marks and the peripheral components look to be in good order. The performance cold air intake is neatly fitted and doesn’t shout ‘after-market’.
The boot and its contents are in perfect condition with the original tyre inflator in place under the floor trim.
The underside of the Mustang is presentable; clean and tidy with no obvious issues. There is the very lightest of surface corrosion to some areas of the suspension arms and on the odd nut and bolt but nothing one wouldn’t expect from a seven year old machine.
Electrically operated, the fabric hood operates smoothly and quickly. It is in great condition showing no evidence of any wear, much less rips or tears. Lined, padded and fitted with a glass heated rear window it is practical and makes for a snug, watertight and draft free interior.
What does all this mean on the road? Suffice it to say, the Mustang drives superbly with a tidal wave of power which is to be expected but accompanied by engine revs that are something of a surprise. We found the experience absolutely epic! Totally solid with no squeaks or rattles even on cross country B Roads, it corners flat and exits bends like a proverbial scalded cat, without endangering any hedges - unfortunately not something that can be said of the standard machine. With the roof down for the full auditory overload experience, every journey becomes an event even if the destination is back where you started via a stop for half a litre of semi-skimmed.
The original Ford books are present and within these is the comprehensive Service History. Bristol Street Ford in Cheshire serviced the Mustang in 2019 and 2020 at which point it changed hands and was then looked after by Keith Motors in Christchurch, also Ford Main Dealers, who serviced it at 24,000 miles in March 2021. The current owner acquired the car a couple of months later and has had it upgraded and serviced by Dream Science and MAP. The last service was carried out by a respected local garage in April this year at 33,381, just 600 miles ago. The file also contains five paper MOT certificates, with the last one valid until April next year; during its entire life the Mustang has had but one ‘fail’ which was for an ineffective wiper blade. Detailed invoices are also on file along with the rolling road printouts and current V5C though once sold the car will revert to its original registration number as shown in the photographs.
Given the level of performance available, one might expect running costs to be pretty eye watering but Euro 6 compliance and just £195 per year due for Road Tax along with mid-twenties mpg (unless in full beans mode) all keep the drain on your bank account to a reasonable level.
With only 40% of V8 Mustangs being specified with the manual gearbox and less than one fifth of those being drop tops, a ‘stick shift’ convertible is a very rare beast. However, in our opinion it is the specification you require to fully enjoy that magnificent engine, offering an exhilarating driving experience with the added appeal of open-air motoring. Combining muscle car performance, advanced technology and daily usability, it remains one of the most well-rounded convertibles in this price range—and a true icon of American motoring.
COMMENTS