MORE ON AUTOMOTOTIVE DESIGN:MY FAUX Pony Car

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 When we car enthusiasts speak of the "pony car" the first thing comes to my mind is the beloved 1965 Ford Mustang we all know and love.The 286c.c. engine unit that virtually took the auto industry by surprise or storm whichever you prefer.Ford Motor Company's massive campaign and promotion could read like a success story equivalent to Jeff Bezos' Amazon by todays's standards.The climatic run of the first generation Mustang from 1964 to 1971 has been nothing the likes of in Ford's history since its entry to the car building markets.So what was to follow in the footsteps of the original Pony?You guessed it, the second generation Mustang what Ford call the Fox Platform.If you are a baby boomer you knew what was to come along and have a drastic impact on this second-gen Pony.The 1973 oil crisis .

Along with this crisis came other rigors of emissions controls and safety constraints one could say robbed the Mustang of the power plant found in the original car.We and the auto industry needed a better product.Something safer and environmentally friendly.Here is a fun fact.Did you know that Ford sold more Fox Platform Ponies than its first generation car? The Mustang 2 was to outpace the Chevy Camaros and Dodge Challengers of its day.One variant I must address here is a little known car simply called the Capri.The Ford Mercury Capri . A joint venture between Ford of Europe and Germany.The designers seem to have scrambled to produce a fuel efficient and practical car between the both of them.The Capri had clean lines, double headlights and surprisingly a hatchback!I remember this car so well because it was the first car I ever purchased .That is right,I bought a 1974 Ford Mercury Capri upon arriving to my first duty station in Merced,California in 1980.

Merced is located in the San Joaquin Valley, an area that lies south of Sacramento and bound to the west by the California Coast Range and the Sierra Nevadas to the east.This was a placed surrounded by wine country and farmlands.The great environmentalist and photographer, Ansel Adams spent his lifetime capturing the landscapes of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park which is located about 100 miles or so northeast of the town of Merced.

Now let us get back to the Capri. The Capri variant of the pony I owned was not a fast car by no means.With just 109 horsepower output ,the 2.8 V6 seem to run smooth.The 4-speed all synchromesh tranny and a curb weight of about 2053b(931kg.) ,the Capri was a nimble little car.This car had independent suspension, fuel injection and was produced for two to three years.California had imported more Capris than most states in the U.S. and this is probably why I came into possession of mind.The most glaring fact is that that little Capri was the car I took my drivers license test in and amazingly drove to the DMV without a license and stay there all afternoon before completing the driving course!I later sold the little Capri after driving it up to Yosemite during my stay in Merced.I still have fond memories of that trip up through the City of Sonoma which is located conveniently next to Yosemite.

 

The Mercury Capri was basically a rebadged Ford Mustang that was not in production for very long and probably more years than Ford had expected the Capri to run.The second model of the Capri had a 2.3liter inline four cylinder which produced 88 horsepower.This 2.3L engine would later resurge in the Mustang 2 model and the Ford Pinto.Now consider this fact. Today Ford has been busy and with the introduction of the 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost using the very same 2.3L turbo charged engine that could certainly make some big V8 cars cringe.We can see how the more things change the more they stay the same. I find it so cool we live in a time that efficiency and horsepower in automobiles live side by side without compromises."The Universe Provides"as The DUDE says!

 

Thanks for letting me share and explore the mystery of our universe with you all. 

 

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