What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[Bulutt]

I'm probably spamming the internet with my car at the moment, but I've been waiting to show it off for two years, so sue me!

When Ford unveiled the S650, I have to say the rear end did not grab me. Strangely, I now absolutely love the rear styling.

At the front, those brooding blacked out headlights look so sinister!

And today's cluster theme, Fox Body '87 - '93. Both this and the recently added SVT Cobra design are the clearest to view, there's something to be said about simplicity and how it relates to legibility.

Fox Body, take note of my economy reading, it drank more than a 1/4 tank doing just over 100km Not that I'm thrashing the car, its just tight. (That's 11.47 MPG and 62 miles)

SVT Cobra -

As you can probably tell by the car that I drive, I prefer a clean car, meaning no stripes or spoilers or any unnecessary add ons. Just the right wheels and the pure form of the car, like yours.

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[DFB5.0]

As you can probably tell by the car that I drive, I prefer a clean car, meaning no stripes or spoilers or any unnecessary add ons. Just the right wheels and the pure form of the car, like yours.

Yeah, me too. I like the blank canvas look.

 

[Brisvegas]

Actually, you can also remote start and stop the car with the Ford Pass App. This allows you to start or stop the vehicle remotely, handy if you want to warm the car up before taking off or making sure the battery is charged while you are away on holiday. The App also allows you to lock and unlock the vehicle, provides a distance to empty estimate, tyre pressure monitoring, oil life, vehicle tracking and current location, the ability to book scheduled services or contact roadside assistance.

Congrats on the new car

All great features , will even send you an alert if alarm is triggered . One thing not happy about with mine is the app update last year that changed the graphic from an S550 to S650 . First world problems .

By the way rear end of your car looks so nice and sharp with no spoiler . The S550 is a little more soft edged . Saw my first S650 in the flesh at a cars and coffee last week and i liked it .

 

[DFB5.0]

Congrats on the new car

All great features , will even send you an alert if alarm is triggered . One thing not happy about with mine is the app update last year that changed the graphic from an S550 to S650 . First world problems .

By the way rear end of your car looks so nice and sharp with no spoiler . The S550 is a little more soft edged . Saw my first S650 in the flesh at a cars and coffee last week and i liked it .

I originally didn't love the S650, especially the pinched rear 3/4 view end and the droopy front. But then I think the S550 set such a high bar, for me it was a design that I instantly liked. Matching that was always going to be hard. But....................S650 has grown on me massively, especially seeing them in person, I don't think images do it justice.

 

[50ALM]

Saw my first S650 in the flesh at a cars and coffee last week and i liked it .

Pete, us 7G Brisbanites are in the process of organising our first informal Cars 'n Coffee in late November.
Whilst some of us already have our cars, it's timed so that vehicles off the latest RORO arrival (last week) and the next RORO (first week of Nov) can join in as well.

https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/threads/s-e-qld-cars-n-coffee-late-nov-2024.163546/

S550 guys welcome of course too.
Come along and check out the S650.

 

[Brisvegas]

Pete, us 7G Brisbanites are in the process of organising our first informal Cars 'n Coffee in late November.
Whilst some of us already have our cars, it's timed so that vehicles off the latest RORO arrival (last week) and the next RORO (first week of Nov) can join in as well.

https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/threads/s-e-qld-cars-n-coffee-late-nov-2024.163546/

S550 guys welcome of course too.
Come along and check out the S650.

Thanks i will try and make it , look forwards to it . Cheers for the headsup

 

[radar]

As you can probably tell by the car that I drive, I prefer a clean car, meaning no stripes or spoilers or any unnecessary add ons. Just the right wheels and the pure form of the car, like yours.

There is not enough of this. Both mine reflect this ethos. My vert has been “modded” with a boot mat.
Each to their own, but too many people tend to overlook “less is more”.
Spoilers, by name, do exactly that to the classic lines of Mustangs.

 

[radar]

Although I added stripes to
My Race Red in keeping with Ford racing heritage.
The guy fitting stripes quoted $100 to remove and restore car if I couldn’t live with them

 

[DFB5.0]

There is not enough of this. Both mine reflect this ethos. My vert has been “modded” with a boot mat.
Each to their own, but too many people tend to overlook “less is more”.
Spoilers, by name, do exactly that to the classic lines of Mustangs.

That's one of the reasons I feel in love with the S550, the core shape of the car is so utterly perfect that it just doesn't need anything else. It's also one of the reasons I hang onto mine for so long, and one the reasons why it hurt to send it away. Of the many thousand images I took of the car, these highlight those lines to the max.......................

That's not to dismiss the higher spec models with their body additions because those were very functional in making the car faster. Also, I may be a S650 owner now, but I will always champion the S550 for what it represented for me personally, but also what it did for the Mustang community.

 

[DFB5.0]

Marilyn Monaro!

This afternoon a very special visitor dropped by for a visit.

This stunning Holden Monaro has been in the family since new! The car was originally my aunt's daily driver but sat unused on a farm for decades, it's only recently been given a restoration by her son. Don't ask me the model, it's not a GTS despite the front quarters, and they decided to keep the original inline 6-cylinder engine and manual transmission. The interior is stunning, that red is so rich! A complete contrast to the black dungeons that pass for car interiors these days.

The car has had a few teething issues on the way through town and onto Wangaratta for the 2024 Monaro Nationals. But that's old cars for you, and one of the reasons I decided not to pursue the restoration of a classic Falcon, something like an XL or XM, I just don't have the temperament for it.

Monaro Club of Victoria - 2024 Monaro Nationals

Despite the obvious Ford bias, I've always loved the Monaro, mainly the first and third generations. To me, I love how effortlessly good looking they are, that graceful sweep of the roof into the rear panels is subtle perfection. Naturally, there was some comparisons being made to my new Mustang, how things have progressed over the years. You know, things like power steering and powered brakes. Also in the same family is a red 1966 Mustang Coupe fitted with a modern fuel injected Windsor, which I've been lucky enough to ride in.

My aunt is a rev head, so having such a racy car at the time makes complete sense. Without fail, she attends the F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne every year, she's even traveled overseas to follow F1. She reminds me so much of my grandmother, who died in the late 90's from cancer and robbed me from getting to know her as I got older. The two of them are so remarkably alike, I find myself suppressing a lot of emotion every time we meet. After I had surgery a few years ago, as I came out of the anesthetic, she was the one holding my hand...............I will never, ever forget that.

 

[DFB5.0]

I took this image back in November 2017................................

Back then, there was quite a lot of push-back from loyal Ford fans in regard to the Mustang. Or should I say, Falcon fans. At the time, the factory closures were still fresh in people's minds, the Mustang was seen as the enemy and that it was in no way a Falcon replacement. I don't think anyone from Ford ever said the Mustang was a Falcon replacement, rather an avenue for those who still wanted a rear-wheel-drive performance car. The counter argument would then transfer to "but it doesn't have four doors", which conveniently ignored all of the two-door XR and FPV Utes that Ford sold. History will show that Ford clearly got it right because they sold every single Mustang they brought into the country. It also brough people into Ford showrooms that would have never considered a Ford in the past.

At the time, I found it hard to comprehend how there could be so much rivalry within a single brand. I found that I would please one side or annoy another depending on which car I was writing about. The Mustang guys would get their hackles up when I pointed out a flaw, then called me a "Falcon man, not a Ford man" because I was salty about of the demise of the nameplate. Then the Falcon guys would get defensive when I had good things to say about the Mustang. All the while ignoring the fact I actually owned both side by side, which in my mind permitted me to speak with authority about both.

Since then, I think Mustang sort of proved itself in Australia. The lack of rear doors didn't seem to hamper it. And let's be honest, towards the end, how many people were buying (brand new) XR and FPV sedans to drive the kids to school? They were toys in the end, 'cause you obviously need an oversized SUV or pickup truck to do that these days. And I say "brand new" because it seemed, to me anyway, the most vocal of Mustang doubters didn't actually buy Falcon's brand new, which didn't really help Ford and ultimately contributed to the closures.

And so, seven years later, my Falcon's remain, with a new Mustang splitting the two..........................................

When I told people that I would be trading my Mustang when the new car arrived, most were puzzled................ why would I get rid of the Mustang instead of one of the Falcon's? On face value, I guess I can see the point, the Falcon is just a boring sedan, a tarted-up taxi. Thing is, you can still buy a Mustang, but the Falcon's are now irreplaceable. And where would I find another XR6 or XR8 in the same condition? I wouldn't, so I didn't. Simple.

 

[radar]

Marilyn Monaro!

This afternoon a very special visitor dropped by for a visit.

This stunning Holden Monaro has been in the family since new! The car was originally my aunt's daily driver but sat unused on a farm for decades, it's only recently been given a restoration by her son. Don't ask me the model, it's not a GTS despite the front quarters, and they decided to keep the original inline 6-cylinder engine and manual transmission. The interior is stunning, that red is so rich! A complete contrast to the black dungeons that pass for car interiors these days.

The car has had a few teething issues on the way through town and onto Wangaratta for the 2024 Monaro Nationals. But that's old cars for you, and one of the reasons I decided not to pursue the restoration of a classic Falcon, something like an XL or XM, I just don't have the temperament for it.

Monaro Club of Victoria - 2024 Monaro Nationals

Despite the obvious Ford bias, I've always loved the Monaro, mainly the first and third generations. To me, I love how effortlessly good looking they are, that graceful sweep of the roof into the rear panels is subtle perfection. Naturally, there was some comparisons being made to my new Mustang, how things have progressed over the years. You know, things like power steering and powered brakes. Also in the same family is a red 1966 Mustang Coupe fitted with a modern fuel injected Windsor, which I've been lucky enough to ride in.

My aunt is a rev head, so having such a racy car at the time makes complete sense. Without fail, she attends the F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne every year, she's even traveled overseas to follow F1. She reminds me so much of my grandmother, who died in the late 90's from cancer and robbed me from getting to know her as I got older. The two of them are so remarkably alike, I find myself suppressing a lot of emotion every time we meet. After I had surgery a few years ago, as I came out of the anesthetic, she was the one holding my hand...............I will never, ever forget that.

These were a sensation when released in 1968. I was a paperboy on a bicycle delivering “The Herald”
Headlines announced “125 mph Holden.
I’ve seen your family one online before. It appears to be a rare base model “poverty pack”.
Virtually a 2 door Belmont. I don’t mean that disparagingly because the base ones are now prized, courtesy of everyone who got their hands on one attempting to convert it to more desirable GTS models which featured full racing trim and Chev V8s.
One of Australia’s most famous motoring advertisements feature this car and to those who can recall - still rocks today.
I owned a silver mink HK GTS with 186s and 4 sp manual in early seventies.
Has crossed my mind to “replicate” it with Iconic Silver Mustang.
Always sorry the rear quarter windows in our Stangs don’t do down to give us true open air coupe style for summer. They did in the Monaro!

 

[DFB5.0]

Out for a drive, because why not?

I had some concerns I would find the 10R80 boring after having a manual, but I'm really enjoying this transmission. Compared to the earlier calibrations of this box, it seems much better sorted in normal driving conditions. The rev-match throttle blips are delightful, somewhat making up for the lack of a clutch pedal and heal-toe downshifting.

I can't wait to see how the engine and gearbox perform under heavy throttle applications. While I don't thrash a new engine, I don't baby it either. So, I'm exploring its responses at varying throttle percentages in different gears, so far it feels punchy. Despite being the same engine architecture, this Gen-4 Coyote sounds very different to the Gen-2 in my old S550. Obviously, that comes down to a completely different exhaust system, but the S650 has such a guttural bark to it. Addictive!

 

[skinnyb]

Out for a drive, because why not?

I had some concerns I would find the 10R80 boring after having a manual, but I'm really enjoying this transmission. Compared to the earlier calibrations of this box, it seems much better sorted in normal driving conditions. The rev-match throttle blips are delightful, somewhat making up for the lack of a clutch pedal and heal-toe downshifting.

I can't wait to see how the engine and gearbox perform under heavy throttle applications. While I don't thrash a new engine, I don't baby it either. So, I'm exploring its responses at varying throttle percentages in different gears, so far it feels punchy. Despite being the same engine architecture, this Gen-4 Coyote sounds very different to the Gen-2 in my old S550. Obviously, that comes down to a completely different exhaust system, but the S650 has such a guttural bark to it. Addictive!

Very nice. The newer Active exhaust systems Ford got right for sure.... I almost didn't upgrade my GT when I bought it, it sounded so good.... But Borla called my name. That said, my Mach 1 will stay stock in the muffler department. Those mufflers are unique and I have not found a suitable replacement in the aftermarket that I like... I even ordered me some of that Dr Beasely stuff for my tips cause after cleaning they get so dirty, so quickly... So next time when I clean, I can properly treat them

And the look is still growing on me , I have seen tons in person now though, it does indeed look better in person. But my personal opinion, the rear does look naked without a spoiler of some kind... The S550 does as well to me. But, the GT 500/350/Mach 1 spoiler is almost too much

Now, off to work for me, I am actually gonna drive my Mach 1 to work today, a rare occurence for me... Enjoy your leave and getting to know your new baby

 

[Bulutt]

These were a sensation when released in 1968. I was a paperboy on a bicycle delivering “The Herald”
Headlines announced “125 mph Holden.
I’ve seen your family one online before. It appears to be a rare base model “poverty pack”.
Virtually a 2 door Belmont. I don’t mean that disparagingly because the base ones are now prized, courtesy of everyone who got their hands on one attempting to convert it to more desirable GTS models which featured full racing trim and Chev V8s.
One of Australia’s most famous motoring advertisements feature this car and to those who can recall - still rocks today.
I owned a silver mink HK GTS with 186s and 4 sp manual in early seventies.
Has crossed my mind to “replicate” it with Iconic Silver Mustang.
Always sorry the rear quarter windows in our Stangs don’t do down to give us true open air coupe style for summer. They did in the Monaro!

I had one exactly like this in the early 70s also. Wish I still had it.

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