The 2003 Stang Convertible - American-muscle in an Affordable Package

The 2003 Mustang with V6 or optionally available improved V8 was the last of the “pony car” kind when it rolled off the production floor. The concept of a pony car was conceived with the release of the Ford Mustang Coupe and Convertible (the only available models at the time) in 1964 and is intended to indicate a reasonable, lightweight and intensely customized automobile with a sporty physique.  Although the exploration of the roots of the phrase and the ‘Stang  itself could go on for some time, it is enough to say that the features that introduced the phrase to common parlance (i.e., price, high-style and updated performance) may all be found in the 2003 Ford Mustang Convertible.

In short, the 03 Mustang is what has appropriately been described as a workhorse of a sports car. It is strong and functions well but is deficient in design and complexity. However, one out of every two sports vehicles marketed in the US are Mustangs so Ford Motor Company must be doing something right. The situation looks even brighter when you consider the point that around 135,000 of them were sold and delivered in 2002 which rendered it the best-selling convertible in the United States.  However, since its brief run as only horse car in the first decade of the 21^st century,  current Stang must once again face down its reborn competitors of old  such as the Challenger and the Camaro. No one knows what the time may bring but if its history can provide any clues to its future I’m sure that Mustang will be a favored pony car in the American muscle car tradition for years to come.