In just an hour or so I need to head out on the road to drive out to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Mustang 60th anniversary event, so before I go, let’s take a moment to appreciate one of my favorite and most ridiculous of Mustangs, the original Mach I and all the other “Big Horse” Mustangs in that ’71-’73 era. I like these big fellas because they’re so over-the-top and huge and kind of unhinged, really. The newest Mustangs are pretty huge now too, but they’re a bit more coy about it. The modern Mustangs still manage to drape their bulk with a bit of grace, and the Mach I just smacks you in the face with it, like a slice of ham wrapped around a bag of ball bearings. Again, I think that’s why I love them.
There’s something about the vast plains of hood and fastback (or, trunk lid on the notchback ones) that always both repel and draw me in; something about the massive bulk of that fastback, too. Also, the wheels aren’t huge, which, to eyes used to more recent car design, feels almost a bit comical.
Let’s take a quick look at the Big Horse family here, why not?
Look at the proportions on these things! Look at that yellow Mach I, a glorious banana torpedo! It’s almost a shooting brake, sorta, if it had a rear side window. Maybe it almost feels like a van? I’m not certain, but there’s something about the sheer mass of these brutes that gets me. Which is weird, because I’m usually all about tiny things. But I guess mixing it up is healthy?
One nice thing about a massive car is that if you have a good color, there’s plenty of real estate to show it off. Like this fantastic green! Those body-colored bumpers were pretty novel, too. Look at all that hood! You could stick a queen-sized mattress on there. Maybe those two will!
I really appreciate the deep weirdness of this Mach I brochure spread. Is this supposed to feel kinda like an alien planet? Because it does! But the seats sitting out there in the foreground, all proud and massive-looking, it’s all so weird. I kind of look at them like some kind of aliens, and the crew of the USS Mach I is back there, waiting to make First Contact.
The small plane shot in the middle of nowhere. There’s one of these in every brochure, I think. You’d think small-craft aviation was America’s biggest hobby if you only read car brochures.
Okay, I gotta get on the road! But before I go, look at this fantastic pop-art engine choice picture! This should be a poster.
I gotta get on the road! Oh jeez.