I Discovered What Line-Lock Unlocks

In the Ford Mustang GT, you’re not supposed to feel thickly varnished wood trim under your fingertips or satisfaction with how “green” your driving has been. You’re supposed to feel badass.

The Blue Oval’s engineers provide the hardware to give you that sensation. It fills your ears when you hear the throaty roar of the 5.0-liter V8. You feel it in your snapped-back neck when you put your right foot down and release all 435 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque at once. Not even your right hand is left out if it’s lucky enough to muscle the available six-speed stick into its next gear – and shove you into the next wave of power.

I’ve always felt a few degrees cooler than nerd normal when I’ve been behind the wheel of a Mustang GT, especially the S550 version. It doesn’t matter if I’m blasting up the freeway with the top down or cruising the winding roads of the Texas Hill Country in a California Special.

However, those experiences can’t top the time I used a 2015 GT’s Electronic Line-Lock feature in terms of badassery. I didn’t have access to a drag strip. I didn’t have a lot of time. I just had the desire. I had to experience it.

After searching back roads for a spot to use it, I came upon an empty concrete pad a few hundred yards from a warehouse. Tire smoke would soon become part of its inventory.

I selected the Line-Lock feature. Then I had to jam my foot down on the brake pedal so hard it almost turned into a break pedal. Once I had fused it with the carpet with my Chuck Taylor and locked the front brakes, I was instructed to do what normally requires no instruction at all in a Mustang GT: give it lots of gas. As the timer counted down, smoke began to billow into the cabin, coating every surface in vulcanized vapor. It couldn’t obscure the smile on my face, though. This had to be done for the sake of knowledge, for the respect of what Mustang GTs were created to do. The death cloud ghosted its way up my nose, as if trying to haunt my soul for the double homicide I was committing.

Then it was over. The surface of the rear tires was melted to the Line-Lock system’s liking. They were able to stick to the ground better than before, but I had no intention of letting them. According to the molten streaks under the Mustang, it was 11 – time for me to leave.

I emerged from the acrid haze on a high of testosterone and adrenaline. Seeing a car coming the opposite way added a hit of fear. They would see what happened. They would smell it. But would they do anything about it? Would they turn around and chase me down for my antics?

No. They were cool about it. As cool as I felt. Certain experiences can “grow hair on your chest.” Using Line-Lock in the Mustang GT puts a leather jacket on your body and aviators on your face.

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Derek Shiekhi

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.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.