I know the web site is called NV8 which stands for No V Eights, but really, life is too short for exclusivity. I know the USA and Canada have made some horrid engines and I know most if not all big displacement motors coming from Windsor and Detroit, while producing a very satisfying sound, have not really advertised with the times. But that is not to say we should rule them out completely. So today I drove a car with 8 cylinders and five litres of shear Hedonism. Naturally I am talking about the 1991 Ford Mustang 5.0 litre.
The car that I drove was in actual ‘show room’ condition. The owner had it since new, lived in the most temperate climate in the world (Victoria British Colombia), burned only premium fuel and change the oil at regular intervals! So I drove the finest version of the breed possibly known to man! Even though this car lived on a bed of peacock feathers the interior was still coming apart and I broke the seat rails trying to fit into the car, but enough with the nitpicking on with the drive.
The fist thing you notice inside the car is its striking resemblance to a world war two tank. Its dark, dingy, and the front windshield is so tiny you have a hard time seeing out. Its weird, the glass stops you from seeing the great world around you and forces you focuses on the shoddy interior workmanship. Come on, if you are going to build a poor interior, at the very least you should try to not draw undo attention to it.
To make matters worse you can never find a proper driving position. Either the steering wheel is too high or too low there is no middle ground. Then when you try to back up, which is harder then it should be thanks to the awkward rear window and horrible gearbox, you think that walking on your knees through three feet of snow might be better then continuing with this car.
It is hard to believe, but underneath the ugly body, horrid dash, poor driving position, and miserable gearbox beats a heart of unrefined brutality and insanity. It is absolutely stunning. Every time the accelerator is pressed there is an intoxicating wave of honest and brutal power. While I fired through those gears I suddenly realized that matching a V8 power with a clunky gearbox creates a uniquely North American driving experience. Half way through my test drive, I realized that this car was never meant to make sweet love to the driver. Rather it is a purpose built drag car that was meant to be lined up against of the muscle cars of the 50, 60’s and 70;s and it makes so much sense the beauty of this car is in its unrefined side. The fact that this is a quick car that was nailed together with two purpose in mind, to fly down the ¼ mile and to make it so every one could afford to do so.
While I was driving it all I could think about was how much more awesome it would be if a huge blower were sticking out of the hood with big Mickey Thompson semi-slicks on the rear. Which is weird because up until this time the growl of a V-8 did not make my heart beat faster. In fact every time I heard one fire up I thought about how poorly the motor was built, how the push-rod system is dumb, and the inability of the motor to rev any higher then 5,000 RPM did nothing to change my mind. Basically, I thought the motors where a poorly built joke. And in all honesty they are… But when you actually get behind the wheel of this crude sledgehammer I can completely see why they are still very popular engines even today. They are a throwback to middle-class America where anyone with enough time and a little bit of know-how could become a racing superstar thanks to these simple, rugged engines, and if it was not for this ugly Ford Mustang I might not have ever realized the true beauty that is present in such a simple car. And on that basis I could not think of a better car to be racing from light to light.