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2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1
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| Salty Shaker |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:53:09 |
| Rating |
 1439 ( -158 -10.97% ) | | Author | Dan Lyons |
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Description:
2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1
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2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1. With Mach 1, Ford polishes the platform one last time to get a modern, muscle car feel, and wraps it in a shout-out to Mustang's past.
2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1. Old school feel, with updated road manners: V-8 rocks and rumbles nicely
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2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1. The Mach 1's curb weight is about 3,469 lb., and most of the weight is on the nose.
2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1. The inside story continues the retro connection.
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2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1. Back seats are +2 size - far better suited to parcels than people.
Mustang is still getting it done at age 40. When it first hit the streets, it was a perfect marketing moment - a car that no one knew they wanted - until they saw it. Sporty looks, a nice price and a mild-to-wild option sheet made for a sales busting début. By the time it hit its second anniversary, over 1,000,000 had rolled off the assembly line.
To last 40 years in the marketplace, you've got to be a survivor. Through the industry's bad 'ol days of the seventies and the eighties, through the "What were they thinking?" Mustang II era, the car endured. In recent years, the challenge has changed. The last of the gang it used to run with - Camaro and Firebird - faded away two years ago. An all new Mustang, long on the drawing boards, is now a short, model year away. New questions emerged: In a crowded segment, with a new car waiting in the wings, what do you do to keep some sizzle in current model sales?
Ford has a two-part answer: roots and raw performance. Marketing has concentrated on the hottest and rarest models and those with a retro connection. Sending out the old platform with a bang, the latest SVT Cobras are the quickest production Mustangs ever made. Build count is small, performance is large.
As to the retro-'stangs, Ford has been rolling out unique, commemorative models to remind the faithful that the company hasn't forgotten what made Mustang special in the first place. In 2001, there was the Bullitt GT, an edition of Mustangs built to look like the car that starred in the movie of that name. Last year, the throwback connection was the re-emergence of the Mach 1.
The first Mach 1 appeared in 1969 - a high performance model with a sleek, fastback body style (see photo). They were famous for their "Shaker" hood scoops - a Ram Air turret, clamped to the carburetor and rising through a hole in the hood - which visibly vibrated, when you punched the throttle. The Shaker is back in the new Mach 1 - still on the job, shakin' its scoop and sucking down more air for more power. What it's feeding is Ford's 4.6 liter, DOHC V-8. Thanks to the forced air induction, specially calibrated camshafts and freer flowing intake and exhaust manifolds, the Mach 1 delivers 308 hp (310 with manual trans), 323 lb. ft. of torque (335 stick) - all sizeable gains over other V-8 Mustangs (the GT rates 260 hp, 302 lb. ft. of torque). The 4.6 is more of a spinner than the 5.0 (302) was. There's plenty of giddyup off the line, but the motor really wakes up in mid-range. Only four gears in the automatic - a sign of age these days - but the transmission does match up nicely with the engine's power band. When you lean on it, it goes; and the exhaust rumble provides a throaty soundtrack for all your travels.
The Mach 1's curb weight is about 3,469 lb., and most of the weight is on the nose.
The suspension is specially tuned and slightly lowered. Firmer shocks, struts and coils make the Mach an able handler, and it's really only at the edges (as when you hit mid-corner bumps at speed) that you wish the Cobra's independent rear suspension had trickled down the model line. Even with the stiffened suspension, ride comfort is fine - my road test included a multi-hundred mile blast that left me none the worse for wear.
The inside story continues the retro connection. Upholstery is done in "comfort weave" leather - a waffle stitch styling nod to the first Mach 1's. There's one big difference in seating, though. The new Machs have lateral support in the bucket seats that the old ones never did. There's a little less front seat travel than tall (6' plus) drivers would like, but switchgear is straight forward and easy to operate. Back seats are +2 size - far better suited to parcels than people. However, the inserts in the rear seatbacks can be dropped forward, to increase trunk space from its standard, 10.9 cubic feet.
Three new colors hit the charts this year - Screaming Yellow, Competition Orange and Crimson Red. All 2004 Mustangs will carry a fender badge commemorating their 40th anniversary. Mach 1 styling cues include spoilers on chin and tail, and black striping running north/south down the hood and along the rocker panels. Polished, five spoke, 17" rims complete the look.
Limited runs of special models are a good way to keep interest in the here and now when eyes might otherwise wander off to the new model on the horizon. With Mach 1, Ford polishes the platform one last time to get a modern, muscle car feel, and wraps it in a shout-out to Mustang's past.
2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Reviewer's Notes
MSRP: $28,820
As Tested:
$30,605
Showroom appeal: Modern muscle car, with throwback, Mach 1 connection
Plus: Old school feel, with updated road manners: V-8 rocks and rumbles nicely
Minus: Effectively a two seater, plenty of $30k sport coupe competition
---Story by Dan Lyons
---Photos by Dan Lyons
© 2004, Dan Lyons, All Rights Reserved. |
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