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After yesterday’s news about the Mustang Dark Horse SC pricing, we on the media team got to chatting about ponies, and the ones we’d like to bring home. Our team had a fair amount of overlap in what we’d pick, and there have been so many good ones over the years that each of us could easily have a top-five (or ten) list. Here are six of our favorites—let us know yours below.
Bimini Fox-Body
Mecum
Others might be faster or handle better, and if pressed, I’d probably get a 2012 Boss 302, but my brain just won’t let go of having a Fox for a little while. Despite owning three F-bodies growing up, I always had a healthy respect for Mustangs, especially the Fox-bodies with no badges, drag radials, and lumpy burbles. My ’99 Camaro SS was pretty stout, but I knew to be wary of the “oh, it’s just a 5.0 with a small cam” folks. Back then, had I picked an actual pony car instead of its GM competition, I’d have gone for an LX 5.0 hatch with a five-speed. Pony wheels, Bimini Blue (I think Sajeev’s brother had one in this color), and maybe just a few mods. —Eddy Eckart
Eleanor
Eleanor Gone Again
Living on the other side of the pond, I have never actually driven a Mustang, so my experience comes strictly from the silver screen. Consequently, I’m torn between Steve McQueen’s Bullitt ’Stang and Nicolas Cage’s Eleanor, but I think, like my colleague Henry Catchpole, I’d opt for Eleanor if the occasion ever arose. —Nik Berg
Sportsroof
Mecum
I think the 1969 Sportsroof is the most beautiful Mustang. While I’m tempted to say the Boss 429 is my favorite because that engine is an absolute monster and also one of the best-looking V-8s ever created, Larry Shinoda was right to delete the fake quarter panel vents for the Boss 302. The fact that it is a high-performance model that features some styling tweaks by one of my favorite American car designers makes it even better. They look great in lots of colors, but Acapulco Blue with black side stripes would be my choice. Also, since I’m not limited to five liters like the race cars and don’t care about originality, give me a 351 Cleveland. By the way, Eric’s gonna say a ’65. —Brandan Gillogly
S550 GT350
Mecum
Throwing Brandan a curveball, cause he’s gonna assume I’ll go ’65 fastback. But with all respect to the solid-axle cars and their long legacy, the Mustang became a lot more appealing to me after it added an independent rear suspension. I guess I am more of a sports car guy than a muscle car guy, and, to wit, the S550-generation, Voodoo-engine GT350 bridges that gap masterfully. The GT350R is too rigid and impractical, with its various splitters and such that will be destroyed by regular use on bad Michigan roads. Timeless looks, a glorious chassis, tight gearbox, and that heavenly flat-plane-crank V-8 wail. Chills! Give it to me in Wimbledon White with a classic blue stripe. There are more distinctive color combinations, but why mess with perfection? —Eric Weiner
S550 GT
Ford
Eric beat me to the GT350, so I’ll take this a different route:
I spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a 2016 Mustang GT when I was at Car and Driver. The car was black over black over black, had the Recaro bucket seats, the GT Performance package, and a six-speed manual. It was an absolute joy to drive. No lie, of the 40,000 miles that constituted a long-term test at that time, I reckon I’m personally responsible for one tenth of that. I took that thing everywhere when given the chance. Whole weekends doing nothing but thundering around the Midwest. It was such a lovely blend of performance and cruiseability. I would absolutely own one of those someday. —Nathan Petroelje
Boss 9
Mecum
I’d love to say the 1974 Mustang II notchback coupe with the 2.3-liter four and an automatic is my favorite, simply because I don’t think anyone has ever made such a claim. But it’s just not. I do, however, love the look of the 1969 Sportsroof cars, so I’m gonna piggyback off of Brandan here and go with the Boss 429. He can have his Shinoda tweaks with the 302, and I’ll take mine in Black Jade, please. —Stefan Lombard