Cyber Stallions
By JEFF BAUER

Brad's Mustang Site (http://www.themustangsource.com/mustangs) first gained fame for its early coverage of what's going to be the '05 Mustang, but attributing the site's success to this alone would be doing it a great injustice. Brad Barnett has put together a worthy site for fans of Mustangs of any vintage, filled with tons of photos and information packaged in a design that's intelligent and attractive. Barnett started his site as just a place to stash some Mustang pictures, but from there it's evolved into one of the premier enthusiast sites.

"I started the site as a class assignment in 1999, but didn't add the Mustang section until 2001," Barnett said. Barnett had grown up around Mustangs--his father had shown a light blue '73 351 coupe throughout the '80s--but his interest had begun to wane when the family stopped showing the car in 1989. Then in 2000, Barnett saw the remake of Gone in 60 Seconds, and his love of Mustangs was renewed. He decided he needed a Mustang once he graduated from college, and began searching the Net for photos of classic Mustangs to post on his site.

By August 2001, Barnett had his Mustang: A True Blue '01 Mustang GT Premium convertible with a parchment top, leather interior, five-speed, Mach 460 sound system and a 260-horse 4.6 V-8. In the meantime, as his online Mustang photo gallery grew larger, he started to divide the images into sections and design a site around them.

The site took off not long after Barnett added info and images of the '05. "I started the '05 Mustang section in the fall of 2002, when magazines published their sketches of what they thought the new Mustang, which we thought would be a '04 or a '04 1/2 model, would look like," Barnett said.

The site began to attract traffic through people looking for the '04 Mustang. When Barnett first learned the release of the new Stang had been pushed back, he changed the title of the page to 2005 Mustang. That worked out well, as Brad's Mustang Site began to come up as the first list on Google and Yahoo when people did a search for "2005 Mustang." Traffic really skyrocketed after the concept '05 Mustang was unveiled in January 2003 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "I got more traffic in January 2003 than in all of 2002 combined," Barnett said.

Coverage of the '05s on Brad's Mustang Site includes photos, an FAQ, and a forum on the site's message board. When much of what's found here can be found elsewhere on the Net, Barnett has pulled it together in one convenient spot, and the FAQ covers exactly what it should: When will the 2005 come out? What engines and colors will be available? How can I get one? The forum includes a thread with spy photos, and allows for endless speculation.

The '05 Mustang section is by far the most popular section on Barnett's site, but believe it or not, it's not the best That honor goes to a section he calls Timeline, which provides a comprehensive Mustang history, including available engines and colors, prices, production data, ads, and photos (nearly 700 total) for every model from 1964 to the present day. Similar to the '05 section, the information offered here certainly isn't exclusive to Brad's Mustang Site, but it's well written and is presented in a pleasing design that's easy to navigate. Hours and hours of hard work went into this section, and it shows.

The Mustangs in Movies page contains a comprehensive list of films that feature Mustangs. "I thought it would be a short list: Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds, three Bond movies, and maybe a few more," Barnett said. "But people kept saying, "What about this or that movie?" and the list got enormous! I think the list is close to 400 now, and I still get several suggestions a week." This section also contains links to pages in the Timeline section that contain more info, photos and video clips from several of the films.

Barnett added a message board to his site in mid 2003. In addition to the 2005 forum, it also features forums for discussing Mustangs of all eras, reviews and how-tos, regional topics, non-Mustang topics and more. Scott Jackson helps Barnett with admin duties, and a handful of moderators help ensure this board stays the friendly and family-oriented place Barnett intended it to be.

Rather than just let the 2005 section be the sole reason for his site's existence, Barnett chose to apply the same meticulous effort to the rest of the site's content. There are sections devoted to Concept Mustangs, Publicity Ads, Desktop Wallpaper, Mustang Pace Cars, Owners Clubs, Show Pictures, Computer Stuff (Mustang clipart, logos, Window and AIM Buddy icons, etc.), Links, and more. Most sections are jam-packed with images. A My Mustangs section contains info and photos of Barnett's two Mustangs--the '01 convertible and the '73 351 coupe he and his father used to show, that's now awaiting restoration--as well as his collection of Mustang toys and memorabilia.

All of Barnett's effort hasn't gone unnoticed: His site was mentioned in the New York Times not once, but on two separate occasions. By working diligently on all areas of Brad's Mustang Site, and not just the '05 info, Barnett has wisely ensured that his site will remain popular long after the initial excitement surrounding the '05 Mustang dies down. In the meantime, however, he's cleaning enjoying the ride. "I am looking forward to the unveiling of the production versions of the '05 Mustang," he said. "I miss the frenzy."