So FoMoCo just released the latest iteration of one of the baddest little-known monikers in their lineup; the Mach 1 Mustang. This take is on the current S-550 generation of the car which was last revised in 2015, and is probably the most varied of the generations. Not only did Ford introduce the car with a turbo 4cyl, the likes of which we've not seen in over 30 years in this car, but also the rebirth of the famed 5.0, and a new V8 variant with some European inspired architecture in the GT350, the GT350R, and a blown version in the GT500. We've even seen the Bullitt nameplate make a reappearance in recent years. So it only makes sense that Ford eventually brings back the Mach 1.
My first experience with the Mach 1 was before high school in a small East Texas town with a friend of the family's newly purchased Competition Orange 2004 Mach 1. He came over to the house one afternoon and took my mom, sister, and I on a "quick" ride around the neighborhood. The sound alone was intoxicating, but the combination of the whole experience has forever shaped my love of cars, in particular the Mach 1 Mustangs. At the second stop sign he eased into first before rolling on the throttle up to the redline and touched second. I glanced at the speedo which was quickly passing 50mph and realized there was something very special about this car.
One thing in particular that spoke to my soul was the black trim, the black spoiler, and especially the hole in the hood where that beautiful shaker intake poked through. I was sold. I wanted one. That hood, that car, has been one of the most influential vehicles in any of my automotive experiences, so when I began seeing the supposed spy photos of the new Mach 1 something stuck out to me almost immediately. "Where's the scoop?!"
That shaker hood scoop was a huge part of the designation of that car in the 70's, and especially when the car came back in 2003-04. So why did Ford leave it off? Why couldn't they add that one thing, that signature piece, that icon that is the Mach 1? I can only guess that it has to do with the bottom line. Some bean counter in a closet in Michigan decided it "wasn't in the budget" to cut a hole in the all aluminum hood and stick a scoop in it. Or maybe it's California's fault. Maybe the regulation-happy bureaucrats couldn't leave well enough alone and decided it "doesn't meet environmental standards." More than likely it was a combination of the two.
Ford is moving out of the car market almost completely. They're focusing their efforts on the vehicles that make them money, and I get that! The constant increased regulations coupled with the ever changing opinions and desires of the consumers means designing and manufacturing a car costs big bucks. But why did they have to cut this part? Why did they leave off the part of the Mach 1 that made it different from any other Mustang? It made it unique and special. It made it different, in a really good way. It left a life altering impact in my life some 15-20 years ago and maybe that's what I'm most upset about. Maybe it's a hood scoop, or an exhaust note, or a glimpse of something special that sparks in the soul of the next generation of gear heads, and maybe the "special" was missed on the Mach 1 this time.
You can read more from Ford themselves, here.