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Ford Mustang, the Best Selling Sports Car Globally for 2016

Glenn G

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Sports Car is basically an extinct term, it is also very nebulous
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary
Definition of sports car


: a low small usually 2-passenger automobile designed for quick response, easy maneuverability, and high-speed driving
So the Mustang is by no means a small car but it is low, It can seat 4 but is really meant for 2 and in its current generation, much better suited to "maneuverability and high speed driving" Since it meets most if not all of the criteria that makes it a sports car.

Definition of muscle car


: any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving




Basically if it's American made, has 2 doors, and is designed with performance as a key attribute, it's a muscle car.
I want to disagree with this so bad, I think a muscle car has to have 2 doors a big giant hunk of an engine in the front driving the wheels in the back and be good for one thing, drag racing, turning being necessary at low speed to line back up on the strip again and just enough to let you drive home. But alas no matter how much I disagree, according to the English language my Ecboost is a Muscle Car, and I have never wanted one.


Seeing as the Mustang created the Pony car segment and Ford created the Mustang, A pony car is any-damned-thing Ford wants to call a Mustang. (I.E. Mustang II or the Probe almost)

Merriam has this to say about it

Definition of pony car


: one of a group of 2-door hardtops of different makes that are similar in sporty styling, high performance characteristics, and price range


No mention of driven wheels, or number of cylinders or anything either.


So:
ALL (except convertibles) Mustangs ARE Pony Cars. as is any 2 door hard top designed to be cheap, fast, and stylish.



ALL Mustangs ARE Muscle Cars.


and since 2 seater only is not a hard and fast requirement of a sports car, they are also Sports Cars, but according to this idiot at R&T http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28225/sports-car-definition/ who insists on calling a mustang a Sedan although it is clearly a Coupe. A car needs to have a drop top to be a sports car meaning the Mustang Convertible, Arguably the least sporting (heavier, less chassis rigidity) body style is the only true Sports Car in the Mustang range.


I'm sure some hate filled posts are to follow but unless you are Mark Fields, you don't get to determine what a Mustang is.


In fact English is not a regulated language in any country in the world. English speakers rely on dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster’s and Oxford English, high-quality publications, and the speech of the Queen of England as sources of “proper” language.


So if you are not the the Queen of England, or sit on the board of Merriam-Webster or Oxford dictionaries, You or I don't get to decide what a sports car is.


In my honest opinion
All Mustangs are Pony cars.

Only the GT is a Muscle car. (More Focus on power than Handling though it handles well).
The EB and V6 are Sports cars in the broader sense in that they are basically the same chassis as a GT but are lighter and given the same tires would handle slightly better than a GT)



The GT 350 is the definition of a sports car (priority on handling not power though it has that in spades)



These again are my opinions (and you know what they say about opinions...) Since i am neither the CEO of Ford nor the Queen of England and will never sit on the board of one of the recognized English language dictionaries my opinions mean jack shit to any one but me.
 

bee bop

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The Classic Muscle cars were all Midsize coupes with Large block engines stuffed inside not Compact or sub compact cars.
 

MRGTX

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I don't think everyone understands the gravity of the Mustang's global success. With the success of the S550 platform, just imagine how much larger the budget could be for R&D in future platforms. Not to mention, the introduction of new aftermarket companies, which will lead to more competition and better prices for us. Is it just me or does the S550 just feel special? The chassis is like The Beatles igniting Mustang love everywhere! :headbang:
I don't disagree but I think that we (enthusiasts) forget the scale of things. Ford probably sells as many Escapes each month as they sell Mustangs in a year.

That's great they enjoy the sales success but I have absolutely no clue why they called it a "sports" car.
I'd really like to see anyone here say with a straight face to the Lotus Elise owner, that they rented a "sports car" from Thrifty with their base model, V6/auto cloth interior/rental car. :doh:

It's great news when a "sporty" rwd 2-door car is selling well Let's get real, guys. This success is very relative.
 

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MRGTX

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CONGRATULATIONS, DODGE! THE BEST SELLING MUSCLE CAR IN THE WORLD
SXT.jpg
 

oldskoolfunk

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yes i believe the new s550 is a new mustang body with great new technology n amazing individual rear suspension..
I don't think everyone understands the gravity of the Mustang's global success. With the success of the S550 platform, just imagine how much larger the budget could be for R&D in future platforms. Not to mention, the introduction of new aftermarket companies, which will lead to more competition and better prices for us. Is it just me or does the S550 just feel special? The chassis is like The Beatles igniting Mustang love everywhere! :headbang:
 

Lorne34

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I actually see the new Mustang as "2 cars in one" It has that same classic muscle car feel and retro touches... starting with that iconic Pony Badge on the grill, the steering wheel, instrument cowel.....but it is combined with a newer more agressive sports car look and syling... with the addition of the IRS .... man this car just doesn't make you want to go backwards to the past but brings some of it with you... Changing the stock exhaust to get more of that muscle car growl helps as well........ I would say it is a Muscle Car and a Sports Car... I am also realistic that this is not on the level of a ferrari or any 100K true european sports car...but I like to think of it like the Mustang in the movie "Hidalgo" going up against the pure bred stallions from the middle east... Just a hearty littly pony built for endurance.. :)
 
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PrimetimeKenny_S550

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It is a sports car with an American heritage, and it will always be considered a pony car, but it can be classified as a sports car because of the intent of its design. Overall, they should have dubbed it an entry level performance car.



I don't disagree but I think that we (enthusiasts) forget the scale of things. Ford probably sells as many Escapes each month as they sell Mustangs in a year.

https://corporate.ford.com/content/...ovember-2016-us-sales-results-with-charts.pdf

Crossovers and Trucks definitely out sale the Mustang, but I would argue that global sales simply allow for an increase in overall budgeting because of the increased revenue. Ford struck gold in China and India because the two countries are without a doubt emerging markets.
 

RaceRed5.0

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Yeah those two know it.
Mustang-India.JPG
 

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PrimetimeKenny_S550

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I don't think they have ever seen a donk like that in India...
 

TomcatDriver

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Well after an extensive 5 minutes of internet searching I was unable to find anything that told me what number two was or what was top in 2015. Everything seems to point back to the IHS Markit data and stub articles that just parrot the Ford press release.

Now in my opinion (the only one that is correct) "sports car" is the most broad category, and encompasses many subsets. Roadster, muscle-car, super-car, hyper-car, pony-car, are all sports cars.
 

EcoVert

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That's great they enjoy the sales success but I have absolutely no clue why they called it a "sports" car.
Mustang is a sports car ? Good joke :)
The SCCA declared the Mustang a sports car way back in 1979 and its been called a sports car every since. :thumbsup:
 

thePill

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NEARLY 400,000 S550's have been built and sold globally since 2015.

Officially a better selling car than the 2005-'07.




Ford has sold more Mustang's overseas (98,000) than Chevy has sold Camaro's in the ISA and Canada.


Game over...
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