Most of the cars that I capture tend to be the more modern offerings that have graced many racing games in my time. I’m very familiar with the names Silvia, Evolution, Impreza, Supra, GT-R, RX-7 and so on. I’m also familiar with the name Mustang and it’s illustrious history as one of America’s greatest badges. As you can probably tell, the Mustang is not the sort of thing you’d see amongst JDM heroes, so what is this one doing here? No, you are not mistaken, this is a proper ’69 Boss Mustang with a good old-fashioned V8 up front. It’s not the craziest build of all time but it doesn’t need to be when the style is soo on point.
I’m not exactly a classic car guy. My car knowledge before the year 1982 isn’t that great and I don’t have the greatest affinity for chrome. Many hot rods and muscle cars I just go right by because I simply don’t feel a connection to them like I do with Japanese tuners. However this particular car is different because it’s not a typical Mustang build. The modifications may not be drastic but there are enough to set it apart from other ’69 Mustangs. I suppose the most jarring modifcation would be the addition of underglow, which is the sort of thing muscle car purists would never touch with a 10 foot pole. I however will not scoff at such a thing because I don’t find it offensive. It fits the DMS identity.
After the underglow, your eyes are immediately drawn to the wheels. They are TE37 V SLs and are not the sort of thing you’d normally see on a classic Mustang. It’s a very Japanese touch that on the surface seems like sacrelidge but the reality is far more satisfying than it is sinful. I think the colour choice helps too. The rear lights are no longer the halogen type, thus accentuating a key design element which has become synonomous with the Mustang. In the boot you will find a sound system, but I highly doubt it will overpower the real show up front. Speaking of which, the scoop in the bonnet does draw in extra air and eyeballs… but not in that way.
The ’69 Boss Mustang is by far my favourite Mustang because it just looks the business. I have been of this belief for quite a long time, and I remember having a yellow Hot Wheels model of it which I really liked. The rear wheels were oversized and I ended up bending the axle somehow, but I do remember carrying it around with me for a while. I thought it was a cool casting, and when I saw a few of them on track at Sandown, I stood up and took notice. Moreover, it was the inspiration for “Rivited” – one of my favourite cars from the Hot Wheels Acceleracers series of animated films. It’s driver, Taro Kitano, oozed awesomeness and I couldn’t stop watching as he got through the Water Realm twice in the nick of time.
A lot of people my age mock old cars like this, calling them “Boomer cars” because only they can afford them and care for them. Hard disagree. No one should be locked in to any sort of group because your tastes are not hard-coded one way or the other. So what if I like this car? There is something special, something thrilling about a clean-cut muscle car with prescence and classic style. I can’t deny my feelings about it because they are genuine.
