Comments on: Bullitt for the New Millennium

By: seppolopolis helavaner

seppolopolis helavaner — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:53:31 +0000

Maybe, Chuck, all you need to do to cure yourself of your desires is drive the thing. A friend of mine bought one of the last generation Mustangs, back when they were new (and so much better looking than the ’80’s crapmobiles that people thought they actually harkened back to the ’stang’s glory days). I drove it out to an interview, back before I had a car of my own, and holy crap, the thing was so awful in every way to drive that I’ve never, ever had a desire to ever own a Mustang, since. Ever. Awful interior, terrible ergonomics, poor exterior vision, muddy handling, blah blah blah. List goes on. So, maybe all you need to do is drive one, and it’ll completely cure your lust for the car.

And Rain - point taken, re: Thunderbirds. I originally only remembered that type specifically (from October Sky, though, not American Graffitti). :D

By: Rain

Rain — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:08:46 +0000

I guess the 1955 (?) two-seater that Suzanne Somers drove in “American Graffitti” would qualify as spry (and yes, they probably were the best looking), but after 1957, those cars were anything but little thing…in fact, I’d say the new version is a lot smaller than the majority of the Thunderbirds of yore.

And I STILL think it looks cool. For a Ford.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 11:31:00 +0000

And oh yeah, speaking of morally owning a car: for me to actually buy a Mustang would be impractical on every conceivable level; the only way it’d be worse is if I had a kid.

I’m sure that someday I’ll actually be driving to work again AND my current car will have outlived its usefulness AND I can make car payments AND increased insurance payments again. And by that point I’ll probably get a hybrid Passat or something comparably practical and soul-crushing.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 08:56:27 +0000

Well, be careful with the build-your-own sites is all I’m saying. I wasn’t paying attention when I hit the “check price in your area” button, and didn’t notice that Safari had automatically filled in my e-mail address, so now I’m getting spammed by dealers in SF who really want to sell me a Mustang GT convertible.

By: seppolopolis helavavaner

seppolopolis helavavaner — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 08:44:19 +0000

But I know what you mean about the “build-o-matic” things. I probably virtually built 10 dozen RX-8’s before finally deciding that I just couldn’t morally own a car that got 16 mpg. :\

By: seppolopolis helavavaner

seppolopolis helavavaner — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 08:43:05 +0000

Gadzooks. I *hate* the “new” Thunderbirds. Not like my aesthetic judgement means anything, but holy cats, that thing is a land yacht. Which may be the point, but the best Thunderbirds were, if memory serves, relatively spry little things for their time.

The GTO is absolutely the least inspired revival of a brand I’ve seen in ages. Hey, we’ve got a car from Australia (yeah, like Mr. Hootchminson) we’d like to sell, but calling it the Monaro would be suicide. Let’s call it the GTO, and completely obliterate any positive associations with that brand!

Don’t even get me started on the HHR, the PT Cruiser, or the SSR (that weird retro pickup crapmobile).

Best retro “revival” so far? The Miata.

By: Rain

Rain — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 07:09:33 +0000

But it’s still. Just. A Mustang.

I’ll never be able to get past that.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 06:33:31 +0000

The new Thunderbird just looks like they’re trying too hard. It’s just barely a step above the PT Cruiser.

As for “the least cool of all muscle cars,” eh, whatever. The Charger and the GTO both have lousy new versions. As far as I’m concerned, the new Mustang hits just the right mark where it implies a ‘67-’69 muscle car but isn’t too over the top retro.

By: Rain

Rain — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 00:12:01 +0000

Yeah, it looks cool. But it’s still a Mustang, the least cool of all muscle cars…

I was hoping the new Dodge Charger would be kick ass, thus adhering to the coolness that is Mopar, but so far it just looks like a big-ass sedan with a lower bumper. Yuck.

As for retro-styling, I still like the new Thunderbirds best. (Another Ford!)

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 22:32:35 +0000

Naw, you see, the engine is so damn fast that the body just can’t quite keep up.

I’ve spent over an hour now just looking at all the pictures and video and reading reviews of the thing and using the build-your-own section almost like it was a porn site. I’m smitten.