Just as US actor Kevin Costner is still riding across the prairie on horseback and rock star Bruce Springsteen can still fill stadiums, the Ford Mustang shows no sign of flagging.
Quite the reverse. Just in time for its 60th birthday, Ford is now bringing the seventh generation of this mother of all muscle cars to Europe for a very reasonable €59,900 as a coupé or €65,000 as a convertible.
The new car sees Ford paying tribute to its automotive tradition. With its long bonnet and short rear, the new Mustang is big and feels big, much like the old model, although narrow, high-tech headlights and some new design creases in the bodywork are nods to progress.
The Mustang also drives in the familiar way too, since Ford no longer bothers with detuned versions designed to cater to the more faint-hearted European. This Mustang comes with the mighty V8, with output cranked up to 480 horsepower.
Few other V8 engines are still available at this price in western Europe and most are to be found in cars costing a lot more to buy than this one.
This is the reason why, according to the manufacturer, the Mustang has sold over 10 million units to date and has been the best-selling sports car in the world for years.
There is naturally no replacement for displacement, which a throwback to the days when big engines were common in fast cars, This V8 is not a highly strung Ferrari-style unit either, but a trusty battleaxe.
The engine has a capacity of five litres, has neither turbo nor supercharger bolted on and draws its power solely from piston power alone.
The red zone begins well above 7000 rpm by which time this warhorse is turning out a thundering 328 kW/446 hp. Torque is a stump-pulling 540 Newton metres, which means the car tugs wildly and impetuously at the rear axle when you press the accelerator, rather like a raging bodybuilder on steroids.
For calmer driving, Ford has now installed all the modern assistance systems in the Mustang to keep the beast in check. Making the tyres squeal is child's play although this type of posing is ecologically absurd and in some countries, downright illegal.
The manual gearbox is the first choice for enthusiastic drivers - not only because this version is €3,000 cheaper than to the 10-speed automatic, but because the changes are so crisp. The short stick makes changing gear fun too.
The sprint time for the manual is a tad slower at 5.3 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and top speed is limited to 250 km/h (only legally achievable on limitless sections of Germany's autobahn highways).
It is worth nothing that a 2-litre Volkswagen Golf R hot hatch with around 300 horses on tap is still quicker on the straights and in the curves, but it relies on four-wheel drive and turbocharging.
Engineers at the Blue Oval have refined the Mustang's suspension and programmed half a dozen driving profiles but this crazy horse feels most at home on a lonely country road.
Despite its bulk, the Mustang is relaxed when ironing out rough bumps, can be piloted out of bends with relish using targeted bursts of a big throttle. The steering could however be a tad lighter.
The burble of the V8 engine will gladden the hearts of Mustang fans, although the engine is far from frugal with fuel. Consumption averages out at 12 litres per 100 km with CO2 emissions of 274 g/km.
Despite resisting electrification, the Mustang cannot buck all the latest trends. The configurable display in the rejigged cockpit can be customized and there are selectable colours, gauges, and even a “calm” screen that reveals only essential running info.
Genuine petrolheads will be busy peering down the long bonnet instead and enjoying the powerful V8 rumble from below. If you sit in the back, you will see neither, because the Mustang is a pretty compact car and the rear seat is just a makeshift perch.
Of course, there are more sophisticated sports cars, ones with more power and more finesse. But with its marvellously anachronistic V8 and its rolled-up shirt sleeve character, the Mustang is an authentic car in an era characterised by soulless automobiles. At this price too, it is a package that is hard to beat.
