Some people get the blues after they turn 50. Perhaps they feel they’ve done nothing meaningful with their lives or have run out of things for which to live. If the Ford Mustang, which hit the big 5-0 back in April, were a person, it would not have the blues. In fact, it’d probably be smiling right about now, because a decades-long rivalry with the Chevrolet Camaro keeps it focused and gives it plenty of reason to go on.
The Blue Oval sold 8,728 Mustangs last month — the first full month of 2015 Mustang sales — making it the best November for the vehicle since 2006. Chevy moved 4,385 Camaros, suffering a year-over-year decline of 13.5 percent. Which means the Mustang is now the best-seller in the U.S. muscle car sector.
However, the numbers for 2014 as a whole are very different. Right now, the Camaro is in the lead with 79,669 sales versus the Mustang’s (mostly the previous model’s) figure of 73,124. Unnamed Ford insiders said the Mustang probably won’t be able to finish the year ahead of its bow-tie-wearing adversary.
Next year will be the true test of the new Mustang’s selling power. Raj Nair, Ford’s global product development director, suggested a special version of it might make an appearance at January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit (please be a new Bullitt). The new Shelby GT350 will arrive in fall 2015. I’m sure it will give the ‘Stang a healthy boost in numbers. On top of that, Ford will be (officially) exporting the new Mustang to foreign markets — even producing it with right-hand drive for the folks in Great Britain and Japan.
Here’s to another 50 years of stoplight trash-talking, burnouts, and beating the pants of the Camaro.
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.
