This doesn't feel quite right. Like watching an episode of Countryfile with incidental music by Motörhead, wrestling this 1970 Boss Mustang along sinuous roads against a bucolic English. backdrop rankles a little. It's no fault of the car, a more perfect example of which would be hard to find. It's more that the Boss 302's headbanging soundtrack conjures memories of epic car movies - Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds (the '74 original, of course) - or even Jim Morrison's part-homage to his beloved GT500, HWY: An American Pastoral. And none of those, as I recall, were set in North Yorkshire.
Then you start to acclimatise to this heavymetal American. Sure, there's no vertiginous urban landscape to get it airborne, or a vast, arid vista to admire from its vinyl Hi-Back bucket seat as you spool through The Doors' songbook in your head. But its unruly appeal fast becomes infectious: just muscle the Hurst shifter into first, watch the Shaker bonnetscoop snap to one side as you stab the throttle and then giggle inanely as the Boss unleashes a torrent of V8 mayhem down the road. It's no sophisticate, but my god is it engrossing.
For the observant among you, this Mustang - a 1969-built, 1970-model-year Boss 302 matches neither McQueen's 1968 390 GT nor 'Toby' Halicki's 1974 Mach 1, which were produced before and after this 1969-'70-series car. But to me they all speak of that magical era, shortly before Detroit's V8s were finally neutered by regulation. Talking of Mach 1s, we also have one joining the Boss today, equipped with a Cleveland 351cu in V8 and automatic transmission: the same series and basic design as the 302 but, as we'll find out, a demonstrably different car to drive.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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RAY HILLIER
Double-chevron oddity proves a break from the norm for this Crewe specialist
SHORT BACK & GLIDES
Eccentric enthusiast Captain RG McLeod's series of Manx-tailed Bentley Specials reached its zenith with this unique S2 Continental.
People's choice
The diminutive but multi-million-selling Fiat 850 packed a remarkable diversity of form and function into its compact footprint
PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM
Glassfibre revolutionised niche car-body production, but just occasionally strayed into the mainstream.
A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR
The cleverly conceived four-seater Elite secured Lotus a place at the big players' table, but has it been unfairly maligned since then?
"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"
From dreams of yachting glory to the Le Mans podium, via a stint at the top of the motorsport tree, Howden Ganley had quite the career
Still going strong
Herbert Engineering staked its reputation on the five-year warranty that came with its cars. A century on, this Two Litre hasn't made a claim
One for the kids
General Motors was aiming squarely at the youth market with the launch of the Pontiac GTO 60 years ago, and its runaway success popularised the muscle-car movement
A NEW BREED OF HERO
Launched at the turn of the millennium, the GT3 badge has already earned a place alongside RS, CS and turbo in Porsche lore.
Brits with SIX appeal
The straight-six engine is synonymous with a decades-long legacy of great British sports cars. Six variations on the sextet theme convene for comparison
