What is it like driving '65 - '73 Mustang and how does it compare to a S550??

[Fly2High]

I had the pleasure of being offered to drive a coworker's late 60's Firebird convertible. He said that I could only drive it in the parking lot because it was SO different from modern cars.

Being 6' 1", I was surprised the seat had no travel. I had my knees up around the steering wheel. The seat just doesn't go back.

Next, the steering was power-assist but , to me, barely. The biggest shock was that it took SEVERAL revolutions just to make a right turn.

Throttle response was so different.

Brakes? well I felt I had to push way too far before they started to grab.

Was this really state of the art back then? How did people drive the car?

The car sounded fantastic but I learn quickly to appreciate the advances we now have even though I feel we have gone too far too.


I would love to hear what it is like to drive an early Mustang and how it compares to a modern S550.

Please post your experiences on these classics.

Thank you.

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[Strokerswild]

They are terrible in stock form really. However, the old cars draw a ton of attention where the new one doesn't.

I have a '67 Cougar, more or less a reskinned '67 Mustang, in my fleet. In terms of chassis, it's bone stock right down to the 4-wheel drum brakes. Even though I installed a Boss 302 front sway bar eons ago, it handles atrociously compared to my S550. Power steering is over-assisted and vague. It's crude, loud, stinky, creaky, and rattly. And I love it. So does everyone else that sees it on the road, judging by the honks, yells, and thumbs up. Every drive is a parade, it's not very good at being incognito.

I drive it and my S550 back to back on weekends fairly often and it's amazing (almost laughable) how far vehicles have come.

 

[kz]

Well - it's different. Brakes are quite terrible by modern standard (and I upgraded the original drums to OEM like discs which are still terrible just not as much). Engine has some decent torque / power with whatever it makes after 65 years. Suspension is terribly soft, lots of travel, steering is slow, no ABS of course. Other than that it is fun to drive RWD car and it has its charm in its original form.

Remember the goal for that car 56 years ago was quite different than for today's Mustang. Also, neither Mustang then, neither now has anything to do with state of the art. It is mass produced car that is meant to generate profit for the corporation.

 

[JiminVirginia]

I had a 1965 fastback, four speed, front discs, rebuilt 302 with a big Holley four barrel. Sold it, partly because I just couldn't get anyone reliable to work on it..

I have a 2018 GT 350 now. Just excellent throughout.

What I was struck by was how light the '65 felt. Whatever performance merits it had were because it only weighed 2750 pounds and had that massive Holley. Otherwise it was really crude. Owning the '65 was briefly fun, but I never want to own a vintage car again.

 

[Sivi70980]

Years ago I drove a 69 Camaro and it was a dream. Was the car I always wanted in hike school. Granted this was a show car I got to drive about 20 miles to the show. Got to the owners (friend of the family) house and he was getting his 1914 something or other ready and stopped to put a stick down the Camaros gas tank to check fuel the fuel level. He said "you should have enough gas to get there and back." so once he was ready, we set off. First thing was I couldn't get it into first gear and kept trying to start off in 3rd. Once I figured that out, I was good to go. Sounded amazing but never really got on it because show car and not mine. Was actually the slowest I had driven in all of my 20's. Standing by it as the honorary owner at the show was awesome. The actual owner left ahead of me this time so I was by myself on the drive back. And it ran out of gas... Called him up and he came to get me with a gas can and he drove the rest of the way back. He asked me if I' gotten on it and I answered honestly telling him I was too afraid to. He told me sports cars need to be driven and preceded to drive the piss out of the thing. All smiles from me of course. I'd love to have a late 60's something to drive around, true drivers cars.

 

[Spartan1]

I really enjoy the car shows on Velocity/Motor Trend, and the comments here make me realize why almost every car they do goes full restomod on those shows.

The vintage look, with all the modern conveniences.

That said, no way I could afford one, I think Kindig (granted he's about the best) gets an average of half a mil for his cars.

 

[shogun32]

Sold it, partly because I just couldn't get anyone reliable to work on it..

not even Jax, eh?

 

[Torched10]

I had a 1965 fastback, four speed, front discs, rebuilt 302 with a big Holley four barrel. Sold it, partly because I just couldn't get anyone reliable to work on it..

I have a 2018 GT 350 now. Just excellent throughout.

What I was struck by was how light the '65 felt. Whatever performance merits it had were because it only weighed 2750 pounds and had that massive Holley. Otherwise it was really crude. Owning the '65 was briefly fun, but I never want to own a vintage car again.

Had 65gto.no seat belts,side view mirror optional.brakes were awful,8mpg,fast was 14sec 1/4mile,tires weren't good.great thing you could actually work on it and it was unique.not like new cars which all look the same.sold that car 3 years ago.after2 engine builds,new rear and tranny,and frame off resto.it had tri carbs,which were fun to tune.loved that car but my knee didn't do well with clutch.sold my 14 Shelby for same reason

not even Jax, eh?

 

[Stranger706]

 

[Zrussian13]

They are terrible in stock form really. However, the old cars draw a ton of attention where the new one doesn't.

I have a '67 Cougar, more or less a reskinned '67 Mustang, in my fleet. In terms of chassis, it's bone stock right down to the 4-wheel drum brakes. Even though I installed a Boss 302 front sway bar eons ago, it handles atrociously compared to my S550. Power steering is over-assisted and vague. It's crude, loud, stinky, creaky, and rattly. And I love it. So does everyone else that sees it on the road, judging by the honks, yells, and thumbs up. Every drive is a parade, it's not very good at being incognito.

I drive it and my S550 back to back on weekends fairly often and it's amazing (almost laughable) how far vehicles have come.

Nice ride! My first car was a 68 cougar. Loved it. Had it in the late 90s and it drove great. Had nothing modern to compare it too at that point in time. Had to cover the steering wheel and shifter when I parked it in the summer. Even then it was hard to get in and touch the wheel on 110°+ days. Wipers couldn't keep up with mild az rain and heaven forbid you had to use the brakes after hitting a puddle of water! Awe the good ole days!

 

[CurtisH]

My oldest brother has a 66 Mustang - 289, automatic. The car is in great shape, with minor upgrades (dual exhaust, Edelbrock intake, Holley 4 barrel). I’ve driven it a handful of times. I like driving it once in a while. However, I would much rather drive my 18 Ecoboost Premium with the Performance Pack.

I could daily a restomod. I would not daily an old car, even if it had been restored to original condition. The difference in every performance/safety metric is just too great.

 

[CurtisH]

They are terrible in stock form really. However, the old cars draw a ton of attention where the new one doesn't.

I have a '67 Cougar, more or less a reskinned '67 Mustang, in my fleet. In terms of chassis, it's bone stock right down to the 4-wheel drum brakes. Even though I installed a Boss 302 front sway bar eons ago, it handles atrociously compared to my S550. Power steering is over-assisted and vague. It's crude, loud, stinky, creaky, and rattly. And I love it. So does everyone else that sees it on the road, judging by the honks, yells, and thumbs up. Every drive is a parade, it's not very good at being incognito.

I drive it and my S550 back to back on weekends fairly often and it's amazing (almost laughable) how far vehicles have come.

Gorgeous car!

 

[Roadsign]

You really just have to appreciate it for what it is, a cool car. I still have my first car, 1971 GS Stage1. It's just a really neat car. The brakes aren't good, steering is not precise, suspension is ok in a straight line, lots of wind/road/engine noise. It's just got character that is unique to the era. It's almost comical driving it and then the S550. I sometimes wonder how I (or anyone else) survived driving those things lol.

 

[tom_sprecher]

Old cars drive like tractors compared to today's vehicles. I had a '66 notch back with a 289, stick, glass packs, drum brakes and manual steering. It sounded great and would go like hell, but when it can to turning or stopping, not so much.

 

[Balr14]

I have owned a number of performance cars from the 60s (65 Mustang 289 fastback, 67 Camaro 350 SS, 64 Dodge MaxWedge, 66 327 Nova SS, 69 427 Nova, 70 Challenger 440 6 pack and several Vettes). I could tell stories about them for hours. But, with the exception of the Vettes, the rest were pretty horrible by today's standards. Steering was usually manual and was very slow and heavy. On models that had power steering it was still slow, but had no feel at all and wandered at speeds because there was so much play in it. Suspension components were often extremely heavy and responded poorly. Body roll was common and worse than some boats. Except on the MaxWedge Dodge... the suspension was so hard, the only give was the air in the tires (I have some great stories about that car). Brakes were scary, not just because they were slow to stop you, but they faded quickly, to the point of being completely useless.

As for the Mustang, it was smaller and lighter than the others, so it was a bit more responsive in the handling department. But, very weak performance compared to most other muscle cars.

I have no desire to own anything from that era. For poor handling and stopping, I prefer cars from the 30s and 40s.

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