I got new Car & Driver's Jan. 2006 iussed the 2006 Mustang GT is their 10 best cars for 2006. C&D pick the 2006 GT for their Best Muscle car pick it is on pg 59 of C&D.

Oh it is a vista blue GT with no rear spoiler.

 

"Best Muscle car pick..."? Try ONLY muscle car pick.

 

True... true! As they say in California, it's better to win by default than to live by da fault.

 

What about the GTO? Isn't the goat considered a muscle car?

 

Yes, it is. If you go by the original definition of a "muscle car" (mid-size 2 door with big V8), it's the only muscle car. The Mustang is a Pony car. All these definitions have become blurred over the years and I'm doubtful they have any relevance in today's market.

 

Don't forget the Charger. I guess you could call it a Muscle car also.

 

I agree. I've always considered the Mustang as a "Pony Car," quite distinct from a muscle car. Indeed, the Mustang was conceived in part as a sort of anti muscle car. And aside from a few years of big block forays in the late sixties and early seventies, it really has, more or less, retained the Pony Car persona that it originated.

The GTO is much closer to the more narrow, original concept of a Muscle Car as described above, while the Charger hews quite close to the big motor, big car character of a muscle car, despite its extra doors and very good, all wheel independent suspension ride and handling.

The Mustang was more or less absorbed into the ever-expanding definition of what a muscle car is. This occurred with the essential death of the original muscle cars in the seventies and eighties, with a few possible exceptions, and the rise of FWD as the predominate vehicle platform. In response, or desperation, musclecars came to be seen as ANY reasonably powerful V8 RWD coupe, including the Stang and GM F-cars.

Unfortunately, IMHO, this has had some negative aspects in that the Mustang has lost, in its more recent "Muscle Car" guise as seen by many now, the distinctive original traits of a Pony Car and is now being viewed in the more narrow Muscle Car persona of being basically a big-motored, cheap, somewhat crude straight-line charger. What is lost in this translation are the elements of balance and finesse, sort of a V8 American take of a Euro coupe, that emphasized chassis dynamics as much or more so than simple brute power.

In any case, I digress a bit. Whatever phylum you catagorize this rose, good job and congratulations Ford and Mustang. Even in this companies grim times, it's nice to see that they can still pull off an excellent car that is recognized as such.

And so much for those who berate C&D as just a bunch of anti-American, wine drinking, Euro-snob effetes whenever they raise the least little criticism about the Stang.

 

I bought the Mustang exactly because it is the closest thing to the musclecar glory days which I love. If GM had come out with an awesome Chevelle remodel or something I just may have bought that instead but I'm glad they didn't because I love my Mustang.

 

The Charger got beat by SRT 300

 

The mustang was a different type of car in 1964. Ford had the tbird to counter the corvette. the most popular muscle cars began in ernest in 1967 with the intro of the Camero, transam/firebird, upgraded GTO, and so on. The mustang II fell back into the 1964 mold. The 80's saw the resurgance of the GT. The camaro/firbird continued on and the mustang did its own thing. I never really considered the mustang as a pure muscle car. It kind of morphed into it in the 67 year model. The SN 95 made great gains in keeping up with the camaro's and other GM stuff. Dodge dissappeared some where in the 80's. When the Camaro and firebird disappeard after 2002, Ford had the mantel to hold up.

Either way Ford and our beloved Mustang deserves all this recoginition it is finally getting.

 

I disagree. A muscle car should have a solid rear axle, not IRS. So to me, even though the new GTO has 2 doors and a big motor, I'd consider it more of a sports car than a muscle car due to the suspension.

/I thank god that Ford kept the solid rear axle in the Mustang. If it had IRS I would not have bought it.
//Now if there was just more low-end torque.

 

Yeah, I wish it had that torque too. Guess that will have to wait for my supercharger. And most people I know refer to the Stang as a muscle car.

What is the definition of ponycar?

 

in 1991 a car magazine came out; i forget which one it was, but they compared "muscle cars" and stuck with a simple set of requirements to be called a muscle car.

Front Engine, Rear wheel drive, two door, four seater and of course V8. I think they also had a price limitation but i dont remember.

For that year, it was the 1990 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 sedan that won because of its power and compact size; the hatchback ( my car at the time ) was a little heavier and in 0-60 / 1/4 mile times; the sedan was just slightly faster.

although i remember that they also tested an Eagle Talon at the time but it did not qualify because it was AWD; but it went neck in neck with the z28 of that era.

Gald to see the 2005/6 Mustang to be one of the top ten; too bad its Ford's only selling car ( or america's for that matter ) other American car companies would be in better shape.

eeeeeee

 

Next year Mustang GT will go with GT500 for 10 best in muscle car for the test.

C&D said.

 

...and drum brakes, a 4bbl carb, 4spd MTX / 3spd ATX, leaf springs, bias ply tires, bench seats, and ... just like back in the day.

Regardless of specific technological advances -- IRS, FI, Anti Lock disc brakes, etc. -- I think the GTO and Charger probably most accurately capture the relative feel of the muscle car in terms of a torquey, big-motored, big RWD 4 seat sedan (whatever the door count).

Of course, their handling and ride, by dint of their far more advanced IRS suspensions -- are worlds better than the drunken-sailor stumblings of the original muscle cars, but hey, can't not have everything these days I suppose. These definitely aren't the old-school narrow focus drag queens of yore whose performance prowess would fold up like a cheap lawn chair when faced with anything more challenging than a butter-smooth straightaway. You wouldn't want to take those fire-breathing parade floats anywhere near a twisty run of country road without your health insurance policy fully paid up.

It will be interesting to see how the Stang will meet the challenges of the upcoming Challenger and Camaro/Chevelle. Both of these have steaming 350-400+hp big-inch motors on their corporate shelves to gain a competitive advantage dead ahead. That might get Ford serious about dropping some competitive 400+hp version of the 5.4 in a sub-Shelby model and maybe another cog in the tranny too.

I also see the Mustang's lack of even an optional IRS as another ***** in the armor for the other 359 degrees of the performanc envelope, at least for those of us who enjoy our performance for more than a 1/4 mile at a time.

The (presumable) adaption of widely used chassis/suspension platforms may also give these rivals a price/value advantage over the bespoke chassis of the Stang, whose general development and tooling costs are amortized over a far smaller production base.

Whatever the case, all this competition should be a boon for us car buffs and should make for far more challenge top 10 rankings in the future.

 

This is great news. Had a feeling they had to have this on there, especially concidering the value, and "bang for the buck" status. Now I can't wait to get my issue. Hope it came today. Plus, see my sig, they used the same car I have coming. . Thanks for the info.

 

I agree. The muscle car definition never went into that kind of detail. The definition has always been a big engine in a mid-size body, usually with 2 doors. The GTO definitely fits and I also include the Charger and 300C. There's much debate about the DCX pair but in my book, they fit the bill.

 

Yo get copy of 10 best at your local wal mart right now

 

Certainly as much or more than than a Stang, which is, again, more a Pony Car (small/mid-size, 2+2, small-block V8 RWD sport coupe emphasizing all-around performance) rather than a Muscle Car (mid/large-sized, 4 seat, mid-big block V8 RWD 2 door sedan emphasizing straight line acceleration).

But, these definitions are, of course, fuzzy and mutable. And cars like the Mustang, in reality, can exist in both the realm of the pony car or the muscle car -- perhaps that's part of its success, what, being a rolling Rorschach test.

 

We about next year when the RT comes out