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The man behind the Mustang was Lee lacocca. He reasoned that there was a market for a sporty-looking four-seater that was cheap to build and could sell for under $2,500 (just over £600). The very first Mustang, seen at car shows in the early 1960s, was nothing like that: it was a small, two-seater sports car made of fibreglass – not what lacocca had in mind at

Сall.

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The real Mustang was created by Ford’s styling studio and was the work of Joe Oros, David Ash and Gale Halderman. It was reported that

they transgressed 78 official Ford design rules in arriving at the shape, which broke new ground with its long-nose, short-boot approach. Three body styles were conceived: a convertible, a crisp notchback hard-topped coupe and a pretty fastback 2+2 coupe. If the styling was advanced, the mechanical package played it safe. Because the Mustang was meant to be a

и cheap car, theбАpower range started with a basic six-cylinder 170 cu in

(2788cc) engine, taken directly from the Fairlane compact saloon. It developed just 101 bhp, enough for a meagre top speed of only 90 mph. Optional was the 260 cu in (4260cc) V8, whose 164 bhp powered the car to over 100 mph. Gradually, Ford introduced a policy of ‘Total Performance’, spiralling power outputs of its big block V8 engines up beyond 300 bhp (a high point of 390 bhp was reached in the 1968 line-up).

Ford sold the Mustang as a car ‘designed to be designed by you’. In other words, the basic car really was basic, and the customer would then

select options from a huge list ofДpossibilities, like automatic or manual gearboxes, column or stick shifts, handling packages, disc brakes, power steering, bucket or bench seats, air conditioning, interior trim packages, GT packs with firmer suspension, and so on.

The Mustang arrived in April 1964, too late for the ’64 model year and too early for ’65. So Ford’s marketing departmentИpulled off a coup by calling the Mustang a ‘1964 4/2 car’. The public went wild. Truck drivers crashed while looking through showroom windows and dealers auctioned cars off in the face of a 15-to-1 demand-to-supply ratio.

One East Coast dealer sold a car this way and the owner slept in his car overnight to ensure it wasn’t sold from under him until his cheque cleared!

It wasn’t long before other companies realised what a jackpot Ford had scored and came up with their own ‘ponycar’ imitators. As a result, sales began to slip and Ford had to fight back.

After a minor facelift for 1967 (which included the dramatic Sports Roof fastback), the Mustang was extensively restyled for the 1969 model

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year. An extra four inches were added to its length, it gained an extra pair of headlamps, the sides were ‘de-sculpted’, the rear arches were smoothed out and a new luxury version called Grande was added.

The most exciting news for 1969 was the launch of the Mach 1 fastback, which boasted a 250 bhp V8 engine, stiffer suspension, a special

Сfront grille and a black bonnet with an air scoop.

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If buyers really wanted more power, though, the best place to turn was Carroll Shelby’s Los Angeles factory. He took near-complete fastback

Mustangs and fitted them with 306 bhp 289 engines with high-lift camshafts, four-barrel carbs and free-flow exhausts. They also got stronger axles, fibreglass bonnets and were almost always painted white with blue stripes. The most fearsome models were the GT500 of 1967 with its 428 engine (for an advertised 355 bhp but probably more like 400 bhp), and the

и mighty GT500KRбА(King of the Road) with up to 425 bhp to tap into.

Ford responded to the success of the more powerful Shelby Mustang with its own version in mid-1969, and called it The Boss. Based on the Mustang which was successfully dominating the SCCA’s Trans-American race series, these had 290 bhp small-block V8 engines, chin spoilers and aerofoils. More powerful was still the Boss 429, sporting Ford’s hemispherical combustion chamber and alloy-head Cobra Jet engine, whose power output went as high as a formidable 375 bhp.

A lack of interior space was addressed in the second major restyle of the

(white paint with red-edged blue stripes)Д.

Mustang, which was launched ready for 1971. This added yet more length and width, and significantly more weight, to the detriment of performance and fuel economy. Apart from the March 1 429 and the Boss 351, there

was little of any interest in the new Mustang range. It was beginning to re-

ly on fancy trim packages and colour options, like the Sprint package И

For the final year of production of this trial-blazing first edition of the Mustang (1973), federal law insisted on the fitment of 5 mph impact bumpers, rubber-covered switch gear and emissions-restricting equipment, which also strangled power outputs. The most potent ’73 Mustang had just

156 bhp to its credit and the standard was a miserable 95 bhp straight-six power plant. Performance had plunged below the level of mediocrity.

In the last year of production, the original Mustang sold a paltry 135,000 units. It was looking increasingly out-of-place in the fuel crisis ridden early 1970s, as it become bloated and lost much of its authentic appeal.

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As Ford’s design vice-president, Eugene Bordi-nat, admitted:

“We started out with a secretary’s car and all of a sudden we had a behemoth”.

The Mustang’s 1973 successor, the Mustang II, was a very different car, no less than 20 inches shorter and 4 inches narrower than its predeces-

Сsor, and some 500 lb lighter. Also there was no V8 option to begin with,

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simply an 88 bhp four-cylinder or 2.8-litre V6. The third-generation Mustang arrived in 1978 and lasted for the next 15 years, and the current Mustang is still notching up a very successful sales record.

matchиit.

Nothing, however, could ever match that first 1964 Mustang. For the bravery of its lines, the ‘must have’ factor it inspired, and the dizzy heights of performance it reached, there really has never been an American car to

That isбАvery much reflected today in the high values placed on sound, original examples. If car enthusiasts want to own one of the Shelby Mustangs, they can expect to pay more than the price of a brand new Jaguar. However, it must be remembered that not all Mustangs have big-block Cobra Jet V8s under their bonnets; far more likely is a rather timid six or small-block V8 lurking in the engine bay.

For most people, it’s the classic ail-American shape of the Mustang which inspires such enthusiasm. Paint it white and add some blue striped down the middle and anyone could imagine they are a NASCAR or Trans Am racer!

The Ford Mustang was not just a car; it symbolised the entire youth culture of America during the 1960s. Ford of Europe tried the same trick with the Ford Capri; it could go fast and looked a million dollars and

ROLLS ROYCE. SILVER SHADOW

Although it sells a tiny number of cars in comparison to the world motor marketplace, Rolls-Royce has come to represent something quintessentially British. It trades off its reputation as the best car in the world, although in most respects it is nowadays outclassed by many cheaper cars. But there is one thing which no-one does better than Rolls-Royce: the sheer craftsmanship of a Roller remains unparalleled.

It is difficult to identify the best Rolls-Royce of them all. The Silver Ghost was certainly the best car of its day; the post-war Silver Cloud was a resounding statement of elegance and the confidence of the old British

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Empire days; and the coachbuilt Phantom was the most opulent and expensive car in production for decades.

If car experts judged a model’s success by the numbers it sold, then the Silver Shadow was Rolls-Royce's greatest car, selling over 30,000 in its 15-year lifespan. In many ways, it was revolutionary for Rolls-Royce: it

Сwas their first car to do away with a chassis, it did not have the snoopy, an-

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tique curves of all the previous models, and its specification looked very modern by comparison.

Rolls-Royce claimed the new car was “as revolutionary as the Silver

и three times бАas much as a Jaguar and just about the most expensive car on

Ghost was 59 years ago”. Autocar magazine concurred:

“It possesses more individuality and advanced engineering than this

company has ever displayed before in a new model”.

The Silver Shadow cost £ 6,556 when it was launched in 1965 –

sale. There was also a companion Bentley model called the Т Series, identical except for the grille and badges, which cost slightly less at £ 6,496.

For their money, Shadow drivers were rewarded by a Rolls-Royce which broke new ground. There was more interior space, even though the overall dimensions were reduced. The body construction was monocoque, so the weight was reduced and the 6230cc V8 engine was able to deliver better performance. The company never discloses such figures but independent testers measured the new Roller at a 118 mph maximum with 0-60

The legendary Rolls-Royce rideДreached new heights of excellence, thanks to a new all-independent suspension system mounted on subframes. The biggest development in this department was an ‘olio-pneumatic’ selflevelling system, produced under license from Citroen, whose DS was the best-riding car around at that time.

mph coming up in just 10.9 seconds.

Just about everything on the Shadow was power-assisted, including the triple-circuit brakes, steering, seats and windows. There were disc brakes all round, too (the first time ever in a R-R) and standard four-speed

automatic transmission with finger-light electronic control. И

Naturally, passengers were cosseted with matched leather upholstery and woodwork, split-level ventilation (or optional air conditioning), cigar lighters (front and rear), folding picnic tables adjustable arm rests and even little foot rests in the rear.

The Silver Shadow may not have been the best-handling car around but it was certainly very respectable among large luxury cars of the time. It suited the owner-driver as much as the chauffeured tycoon. Perhaps its best

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quality was the effortless way it would travel long distances without tiring the driver. The silence inside the cabin was uncanny and the ride quality gave the impression of floating on air – which was virtually what occupants were doing thanks to the pneumatic suspension system!

The only problem concerned feeding it: 12-16 mpg was typical, so

Сowners needed a fat wallet – though this was not a great concern for most

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Silver Shadow owners.

Rolls-Royce wanted to continue its tradition of offering coachbuilt

bodies and asked Mulliner Park Ward (which it had taken over by that time)иand James Young to design their own two-door bodywork. James Young's route was to follow the lines of the Silver Shadow very closely, while MPW created a new style with a ‘kick’ in the rear wings. Alongside MPW s two-door saloon, there was also a two-door convertible from 1967; this pair wouldбАlater make it on to official Rolls-Royce price lists as the Corniche model.

The limousine trade was not ignored, either. A long-wheelbase model was launched in 1969, which was distinguished by a full vinyl roof and optional glass division between front and rear passenger compartments.

More improvements followed: the engine grew to 6750cc in 1970 and there was a new Silver Shadow II (and Bentley T2) in 1977. The Shadow II included body changes such as rubber-faced bumpers and a chin spoiler, plus interior improvements (new seats, re-styled facia, and stand-

easily Rolls-Royce’s best-selling model.ДA total of 31,189 Silver Shadows and 2,436 Bentleys Т Series had been made. It also formed the basis of two other Rolls-Royce models, the Corniche and Camargue, which shared the Shadow's floorpan and mechanicals.

ard split-level air conditioning), while on the mechanical side there were twin exhausts and rack-and-pinion steering. The limousine model was renamed Silver Wraith at the same time.

By the time the Silver Shadow left production in 1980, when it was

replaced by the all-new Silver Spirit and Bentley Mulsanne, it had become И

In classic car terms, the large numbers sold have been good news for

enthusiasts. With so many examples to choose from, prices have dropped dramatically – so much so that it became possible to buy one for less than an ‘ordinary’ new car. Private motorists began to cotton on to the fact that owning a Rolls-Royce was within their grasp.They were attracted by the best build quality and the finest materials in the world, unbeatable levels of comfort and refinement, enjoyable road manners, long-lasting mechanicals

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