All car enthusiasts have an automotive bucket list of things to drive before, er, kicking the bucket, whether it’s written down or simply just a mental note. I have been very fortunate to have a lot of things on mine ticked off already, but when it comes to cars to drive in my lifetime, there have been two glaring omissions, and both of those have stallions on the bonnet/grille. I’m talking, of course, about a Ferrari… and a Ford Mustang.
Thanks to Jack Daniel’s I recently had the opportunity to tick the Mustang off the list… and now for the really good news. Jack Daniel’s will give one lucky fan of Jack this car, worth R1 million, for free! All you have to do is to visit a bottle store, buy a bottle of Jack, and see the competition form for details.
But now, here’s more on the car. This is a 2010 Mustang GT Premium 4,6-litre V8 with a Roush performance conversion that adds a supercharger, lifting maximum power to 320 kW. All those horses go to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. The Roush kit also brings a not-so-subtle bodykit (grille, spoiler, rear bumper and massive, shiny 20-inch alloy wheels).
I had a brief drive in it for the photoshoot near Table Mountain, and I can vouch for the fact that it draws an insane amount of attention. This also has something to do, undoubtedly, with the fact that the Mustang is so rare in South Africa due to the laws prohibiting the importation of left-hand drive vehicles. This particular machine has been converted to right-hand drive, however, by a local company called DiamondBack – it is licensed and registred as a vehicle manufacturer for this purpose.
As I said before, my drive was brief, but it was long enough to highlight the core characteristics of the car. Firstly, it is big. You’re always aware of it, but that said, the view over the bulging bonnet is quite magnificent. The interior is very comfy (up front anyway), and the seats are, in typical American fashion, softly padded. I wouldn’t say the facia is a beacon of stylish design, even though its dual-cowl style harks back to muscle cars of the past. And there’s quite a large amount of plastic still in there.
Start it up, however, and there’s nothing plastic about it. It’s pure muscle, with a nice low-beat rumble that changes into a savage roar overlayed by a supercharger whine when you boot the throttle. But be careful when you do flatten the throttle. Make sure the car is pointing straight ahead. Because this Mustang doesn’t mind letting it hang out. Personally, I do suspect the 20-inch wheels have spoilt the dynamic balance of the car somewhat as it really prefers a very smooth surface.
Never having driven a previous-generation Mustang, I can’t comment on whether this is an improvement on older ‘Stangs, but I’d rate the overall driving experience as being similar to that of a high-output Chevrolet Lumina. It makes sense, too, because the Mustang’s biggest rival, the Camaro, is loosely based on the underpinnings of the Lumina. As it stands, I don’t think a Mustang will trouble the German performance saloons and coupes in terms of dynamic balance, but then again a Mustang is just so far more individualistic.
Thank you Jack Daniel’s for making the drive possible, and good luck to all of you dashing out to a bottle store now to enter. Drive safe. And good luck.
The following video comes courtesy of Danie Nel…