Welcome to the Darkside!

Well, Saturday my friend Corey calls me up and starts firing off questions…”Where are you?  What are you doing right now?  When is the next time you will be on this side of town?”  I tell him “Whoa, slow it down there partner.  Whats going on? ”  Then he tells me that he bought It!  He made the purchase that changes the fabric of our automotive lives.

Now I know that there are those out there are saying, “Whats the big deal?  Your friend bought a car.”  Well I say…back away from the computer and get back to your competitive couponing!  You’re probably wondering what so special about this car purchase?  You see,  I have know Corey for a good 20+ years and we have been import owners and car enthusiasts from birth.  Between the two of us we have owned and modded/customized over 20 cars (with the exception of the $500 CRX that I bought with a post dated check that ended up getting impounded for not having current tags).  We have gone from Honda Civic’s, that impounded CRX, Accord, S-2000, 2 Acura Integra’s, a TL, a Datsun 510, 2 Mitsubishi Evo’s, a Miata, VW Rabbit and the list goes on.  All special to us in their own right.  But, for my friends and I – this purchase… this right here…this is a game changer!

So on this day Corey calls telling me that he just picked up a 2015 black on black 5.0 Mustang GT with the Track Package.  A 435-hp All-American V8 with a lowered tuned suspension sitting on 19’s with 2 Recaro seats that keep you nestled quite nicely for some high speed Hooniganism. For comparison, the Evo that he gave up for this Muscle Car actually put 350-hp to the wheels, which is roughly about 395-ish horsepower from a engine half the size of the Mustang, but turbocharged.  Now those of you that are unfamiliar with what all these numbers mean, the average car driving down the road puts around with 200-hp and everyone driving them thinks that they are Mario Jeff Andretti Gordon.  Take a look at all those guys in their Honda Civic Si’s or Scion FR-S or even that BMW 328 flying down the freeway thinking that he is doing the most.  Each one of the aforementioned cars is putting out almost twice the power of those cars and wouldn’t break a sweat while tearing that Civic or BMW a new one.

Taking advantage of the Labor Day weekend, my wife and I headed to my buddy’s side of town to sample what this FORD had to offer.  And to find out why he switched over to…The Darkside!

We met up in the Best Buy parking lot over in the LBC to take a few snaps before seeing what makes this new Mustang, so special.

My initial impression was, WOW!  This thing is…WOW!!!  The lines, the wheels, the lowered stance, to the sloping rear window.  The proportions and styling with the Track Package all contribute to the aggressive look which is further backed up when the angry V8 is brought to life with a push of the Start/Stop button.

We saw what I like to call Darth Vader sitting in the parking lot so I had him pull up next to it.  It’s another American Beauty…The Chevy Camaro ZL1!  Here are a few from when the GT met the ZL1.  Easy fellas…

As you may be able to tell from the photos, the ZL1 is more beast mode than the GT, but at a $70k sticker and 100-hp more, it should be.

After the quick cell phone paparazzi session, we folded my 6’3″ son in the rear seat and strapped myself in the passenger seat of the Mustang.  A few toggles of the performance settings, a blip of the throttle and we were off.

Man, the sound of that V8 is intoxicating.  When he let off the clutch and mashed down on the go-fast pedal, I was thrust back into the Recaro with a Joker-esque smile was plastered across my face.  Being a passenger when my friend drives is a thrill ride in itself, and the all new Mustang is like the new Twisted Colossus at Six Flags.  It has that nostalgic American heritage, but it is draped in enough modern gadgetry to wow you.  The ride was surprisingly smooth and compliant for a sports car with 19 inch wheels and summer tires.  With 435-hp, there was plenty of power on tap in any gear.  Cruising in 4th gear, you simply drop the hammer and everything in the rear-view gets really tiny, really fast.  There is no need to downshift to try and muster up torque like you would need to do in lesser powered cars.

The good things about being friends for so long is being trusted…trusted enough to drive his brand new car and not be afraid that I would tear it up.  I mean we used to take turns co-piloting for each other while we raced all over the So-Cal freeways like we were a pro-rally team, so I guess that evokes some confidence in each other.  Besides he rode my GSX-R from the dealership the day I bought it (8 years ago), so taking hold of his almost $40k Stang should be an even trade 🙂

I had my wife go for a ride in the black beauty.  Obviously a ploy on my part to get her new car endorphins kicking in, hehehe!  They were gone for a good while racing through the local industrial area under the night sky’s cloak of darkness.  When I finally caught up with them and she exited the car, I could see her smiling from a mile away.  She was impressed but then I got really sad because I heard her muttering to Corey how she has already banned me from buying cars…for the next 5 years!  WHUUUUT!?

It was finally my turn to tame this steed, so I buckled into the drivers side Recaro and started to measured myself to the steering wheel and pedals.  My hand gripped the shift knob, depressed the clutch and we were off.  I took it easy at first because I didn’t to pull a rookie move and stall it.  Once we started rolling, I gave the accelerator a good squeeze and threw Corey back in his own passenger seat.  “Second! Second!”  I hear him as I shift and another rush of power came over us as the speedo and tach needles raced higher and higher.  The shifts were smooth and the throws were short.  Out of the corner of my eye, I see him smiling as we come upon a red light.  I really wanted to do a burnout, but I’ll leave the tire shredding to the owner of this wild pony car.  He told me to take it on the freeway to get a feel for it.  The freeway on-ramp never knew what hit it.  This car is like a rocket!  We blasted onto the freeway and I dipped into traffic and did my thing.  Lane change, smash the gas and exit after exit flew by.  We were moving!  This was very reminiscent of our old freeway romps when we were younger.  This car is a blast to drive!  It is very sure-footed for a muscle car with such a robust engine.  Braking with the Brembo calipers is enough to pop an eye out of the socket.  What amazed me the most is that the car handles so well, unlike the 2011 Camaro SS I drove at a Chevy event.  Can you say nose heavy?

Well this is a lot of words and I definitely could go on and on so I will wind it down.  I do want to commend Ford for creating the best-looking, and best handling Mustang ever!!!  The fit and finish on the interior was very nice.  From the soft touch dash, the center stack layout, all of the chrome accents, its a place you wouldn’t get tired of sitting in.  Quality, style and performance, this Stang is worth every penny.  All that’s left to say is…the Darkside never looked so tempting!

The 2015 Ford Mustang GT is the new American Revolution.  God Bless America!

Pictures of the just shy of 400-hp Evo and the owner (Corey) taking a nap.