Automotive enthusiasts from all walks of life who want to drive fast, and look cool doing, it choose the Ford Mustang.
In the above video by Shanghai Content Factory on YouTube, several Mustang owners meet up to chat about their cars, lay down donuts, and drive through an autocross course. They describe themselves and their fellow enthusiasts as romantics who are “passionate,” “free,” and “simple yet tough.”
It’s hard to disagree with them. We know Mustang owners who embody those adjectives. You might use the same terms to describe yourself and your friends. The only difference is you probably wouldn’t use the Chinese versions of those words when you do.
That’s right—the United States isn’t big enough to hold all of the love that people have for this car. Not even North America is. On the other side of the world, in the communist country of China, enthusiasts just have to have an American automotive icon. And they drive it just like we do here in the Mustang’s homeland.
Whether they’re in a striped blue S197 or solid red S550, they rip the e-brake, slide the rear end out, and spin up a lot of tire smoke. They charge from one point to the other as quickly as possible. The language of having fun in a Mustang is universal.
The sixth-generation Mustang launched in the Chinese market in 2015. By April of 2017, it was “the best-selling sports car in the world’s biggest auto market,” according to Ford.
We’re confident many of the people in the footage above contributed to the muscle car’s success in China. We’re 100 percent sure they’re proof that as divisive as automotive culture can be at times, it can also be a force of unity and connection.
As long as you love the Mustang, it doesn’t matter where you live or what language you speak. Just find an open road and hit the gas.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
