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Right-hand drive Kiwi Mustangs officially on their way

27 August, 2015

So far, 425 individuals from the land of the long white cloud have raised their hands and committed to purchasing the new Ford Mustang when they finally arrive on domestic soil. And those concerned will be excited to learn that the first Ford Mustangs slated for the New Zealand market have started to make their way down Ford’s factory Flatrock Assembly Plant production line in Michigan.

The pre-sales success should come as no surprise, as this is the first time the Mustang has ever been available to order as a right-hand drive vehicle. New Zealanders aren’t alone in their excitement for the arrival of the Pony, with the United Kingdom also buying them in their droves. Almost 2000 orders for the Mustang have been taken in the UK since January, 80 per cent of UK buyers ordering the 416PS 5.0-litre V8 engine over the more fuel-efficient EcoBoost variation.

Kiwi prices for the Mustang start at $56,990 for the six-speed automatic transmission Fastback — which features a high-performance 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine — to $76,990 for the range-topping six-speed automatic GT 5.0-litre V8 convertible. While we don’t know which version of the Mustang has been the most popular for Kiwi buyers, we do know that Race Red is so far the most popular colour — an interesting characteristic for a blue-oval product!

While the first UK deliveries of the Mustang are expected in November 2015, New Zealand’s estimated times are unknown. However, when they do eventually hit the homeland, we’ll be sure to take one for a spin!

Almost mythical pony

25 July, 2024

The Shelby came to our shores in 2003. It went from the original New Zealand owner to an owner in Auckland. Malcolm just happened to be in the right place with the right amount of money in 2018 and a deal was done. Since then, plenty of people have tried to buy it off him. The odometer reads 92,300 miles. From the condition of the car that seems to be correct and only the first time around.
Malcolm’s car is an automatic. It has the 1966 dashboard, the back seat, the rear quarter windows and the scoops funnelling air to the rear brakes.
He even has the original bill of sale from October 1965 in California.

Becoming fond of Fords part two – happy times with Escorts

17 July, 2024

In part one of this Ford-flavoured trip down memory lane I recalled a sad and instructive episode when I learned my shortcomings as a car tuner, something that tainted my appreciation of Mk2 Ford Escort vans in particular. Prior to that I had a couple of other Ford entanglements of slightly more redeeming merit. There were two Mk1 Escorts I had got my hands on: a 1972 1300 XL belonging to my father and a later, end-of-line, English-assembled 1974 1100, which my partner and I bought from Panmure Motors Ford in Auckland in 1980. Both those cars were the high water mark of my relationship with the Ford Motor Co. I liked the Mk1 Escorts. They were nice, nippy, small cars, particularly the 1300, which handled really well, and had a very precise gearbox for the time.
Images of Jim Richards in the Carney Racing Williment-built Twin Cam Escort and Paul Fahey in the Alan Mann–built Escort FVA often loomed in my imagination when I was driving these Mk1 Escorts — not that I was under any illusion of comparable driving skills, but they had to be having just as much fun as I was steering the basic versions of these projectiles.