Jalopnik
A while back, the three-headed Jalopnik asked readers which Mustang variants from the past they'd most like to see come back. I voted Mercury Cougar, but then almost immediately realized how wrong I was when I ran into a bright-green 1971 Mustang Mach 1 at the liquor store. Well, never mind the past; here's one from the present: The 2007 Mustang GT/CS.
Building on the retrotastic good looks of the mostly beloved new 'Stang, the CS (for California Special) package adds the following: blingy 18" polished aluminum wheels (as opposed to matte 17s on the GT), faux side scoops, CS-specific striping, a much slicker and sportier looking front fascia and an honest to goodness rear diffuser, complete with flashier pipes. Short of the upcoming Shelby GT, this is the best looking new Mustang burning up the space between stoplights.
Your $3,000 over the base GT's MSRP also nets a "Parchment" interior and black leather seats with "GT Leather" inserts. And... that's it.
While mechanically identical to the common Mustang GTs prowling the boulevards of America, the CS offers one very noticeable performance difference: dramatically improved handling via the 18" wheels. It's to the point where I wonder why Ford even bothers with stock 17s. While it's cute (for about five minutes) that the base-level GT can hang its rear around any corner, the CS is a much more serious performance proposition. If you really give it some in a bend, the CS will happily wag its tail - and that's with the traction control on.
Obviously, what pistonheads love most about the Mustang is its engine. Sure it's a 9,000-year-old design, made from pig-iron and memories of cheap gas, but this bad mutha idles at 8 rpm. Not eight hundred, eight. At 80 mph you've barely broken 2,000 rpm. There's so much torque on tap (320 lbs-ft. at 4,500 rpm) it hardly matters what gear you're in. Just kick a little harder and it's a guarantee you'll be going much faster than the guy next to you.
Case in point. Finding myself traveling at a considerable clip in third gear with the engine purring along at 4,000 rpm — just 500 revolutions from the three-valve 4.6-liter's sweet spot — I goosed the throttle to pass slower traffic, and the mill started hurling thunder and lightning. Unlike most cars, which would be contemplating the end of the world in similar circumstances, the Mustang just shrugs then gets back to its nap.
Nonetheless, all of the usual Mustang (and by that I mean Ford) drawbacks are present: pathetic brakes, sloppy clutch, crappy shifter, underdone interior, pint-sized sway bars and frightening drive-line clunk. But these negatives should surprise no one and, most important, are forgivable due to the California Special's righteous on-road personality. Mustangs make men smile. If bona fide American grunt in relative comfort is your thing, you'd be hard pressed to find a better mistress than this latest Mustang derivative.
Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Ford Mustang GT California Special, Part 1, Part 2 [internal]
Comments
All of those drawbacks that Jonny mentioned are easily remedied, thanks to the good folks in the automotive aftermarket (who, when they're not reading Jalopnik come up with some amazing parts & related stuff!)
faux side scoops
If it isn't functional, don't put it on the f#%cking car! Same goes for spoilers, wings and hood scoops. I'm so sick of fake crap to add "performance looks" being clamped on an otherwise decent car.
Like 4WD equiptment on 99% of SUVs?
My friends's brother's friend bought a Mustang GT last summer. He then went out and bought all this aftermarktet suspension and brake stuff. He also got a whole new exhaust set up and put a cold air intake on his Stang...
Anyways, after all those mods, the thing handled like a dream. It was also crazy fast. I personally think Ford did a good job on the Mustang. The interior is kind of a let down but it isnt the worst one out there.
And if you complain about the 17 in rims, drive a V-6 model with the base 16 inch rimes.
But the thing that really grinds my gears about the whole Mustang line up is the GT500. There are tuner companies who easily get up to 500 hp with a supercharged 4.6. And because its the stock engine, its a lot lighter. So the front end isnt so heavy. Why couldnt Ford have just done that? Was it so hard for them?
Just wait until the Shelby GT hits...
Why? Why? Why? Why does anyone like this thing. Yes -it has a great engine. But from there on back things get worse by the inch. Tranny & clutch slop around under a not very tight chassis. It should come from the factory with a buit-in anchor because that's the only way you can stop it. Interior is decidedly too plastic. Seats aren't very comfy. And the rear end is a solid piece of antique collectible. Unless you're only going to drive it in a straight line, you're cooked.
And here we go again
It's never gonna end
We're all so sick of California songs
- Local H
For some reason it just fit.
maybe it's just the lighting, but that doesn't look like the white one that was up there earlier...
I have never driven a Mustang, but I highly doubt it idles at 8 rpm. Supertanker diesel, maybe. Mustang V8? No way.
Retiree:
The white was was the convertible with the top up -- a horrid press photo if there ever was one.
The blue car is the car I drove around town shot from my telephone.
I... I lost my good camera.
m42r: Sometimes when a writer is trying to get a point across, they stretch the truth.
Freakin' awesome camera phone! You bloggers must be rolling in it!
Yes, well, let's just say I'm better at photoshop than I am photography.
-brandshatch,
why do people like this thing, well for the most part most people don't usually drive at 8/10ths, so they can't really tell in how they drive day to day, so for daily driving its fine.
and then theres more to cars then numbers, and how they handle and stuff, there is how they make you feel--which for the average driver is kind of important, and it changes your whole judgement of a car, and the mustang makes you feel frickin awesome, (well atleast most people becides the frickin ricer kids who went to my high school, who are like 'hey i can have my daddy buy me an accord coupe, and then i can put massive wheels and a body kit on it, and pretend i can go fast---thats sweeter than a mustang, hell thats sweeter than like every car ever made"-there were seriously kids like that at my hs.) and that, the fact that it makes you feel frickin awesome makes up for every single shortcoming the 'stang has
Really, 8 rpm?? That's like, well, 1 revolution every 8 seconds. Half a revolution in 4 seconds. A quarter revolution in 2 seconds. The time it takes to read this--2 revolutions??
Wow.
It might have been 6rpm.
I'll check.
I once had a VW Beetle that idled at 6 rpm. What fun I had scraping the ice off the inside of the windsheild on that car wile driving.... ah, those were the days.
BTW Lieberman... ever driven the Dragon in the pale moonlight?
Probably.
Eltonio, you're probably not old enough to remember the California Specials of the late '60's. they were all about fake scoops and excessive paint stripes and those groovy T-bird (Cougar) taillights. If it don't have all that stuff, it ain't a California special.
I don't like 'em either. The new one doesn't have those taillights.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bretl.co...
Not to mention some of the CS cars had (choke, cough, gag) *vinyl* roofs! Can you imagine one of these new ones with that?
oops- sorry. That was on the bottom of the GT/CS order form...
Pig Iron = What the Hamster refers to as Al-U-Min-E-Um
9,000 year old design, hyperbole I get but x1000??? Is that necessary? I am not aware of
a SOHC 3v set up that predates Mercedes work in the late 90's, some one probably
experimented with this before. My point is that even though Mercedes has moved away from
3v setups with the exception of their flagship SLR it in no way makes the technology
archaic.
All 3v SOHC Engines:
-M112 V6 1998-2003
-M113 V8 2001-2006 (Including AMG 55 Models)
-M155 V8 2004-2008? (SLR)
-M285 V12 2003-2004 (Maybach)
Johnny Freepost, Mustangs have a bad image to alot of people because they are the car of choice for rednecks, white trash, and old sleezy italian dudes with staten island accents. It is mainly 1980's Mustangs that have to deal with this, but the image has spread across the entire nameplate to many, like me and, assumedly, brandshatch.
- I had a '66 'Stang drove like crap, lost it on turns, and didn't really ever stop ;) But, it did high 12's in the 1/4 and it was a helluva (Ford direct) ride!
- I had a '72 Vette... well, it was a 'Vette with t-tops that's all that matters to the chicks.
- I had a couple '69 Camaro's... Sheesh, talk about lousy braking, cornering, etc. But modified, their fast and can turn heads.
- I had an '89 IROC... what a piece of crap. I loved that car. Dealer gave me too much on the trade-in at 144,000 miles. But the top sales guys loved taking it home for the night.
My point - I want to experience the car, I want to sit and stare at it, I want to be consumed with it. I've looked at a lot of cars over the years but, the car that got my juices flowin' outta control is the '07 GT/CS so, I ordered it last week. I test drove several different GTs and one CS. I didn't like the GTs with the auto trans But, the CS with the stick and 3.55's in the back... I fell in love.
It's like falling in love with a woman; not everyone has the same taste and sees beauty in different ways. The only difference... the Mustang does what she's told and doesn't talk back.
I bought the 2007 CS in redfire--stick, 3.55, all the extras. Now I'm tricking it out, with sequential tail lights, flaming mustang grill emblem, quarter panel louvers, window tinting, and personalized plates "It Kiks"--more to come on the engine. I can see why it's the best-selling car in America--it's a freakin' feel-good experience to get behind the wheel. And no, I'm not a "redneck," or "white trash," or a "sleazy Italian dude" (not sure what that fellow's biases are all about, but who cares). I'm an upper-middle class woman with a master's degree and a great job whose best times are cruisin' in her 2007 Mustang GT/CS!
2007 Vista Blue GT/CS. I love it! Mustangs have always had their hangups and it is sad that we (as consumers) have learned to live with these things, but that is part of what makes it a Mustang... As far as this being a tribute to the CS....well, it's not, but I like the fact that it stands out from the rest of the herd and does so with style. Fun to drive, fun to corner, fun to look at everyone looking my direction. Worth every penny, just don't get an automatic!
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