Jay Leno's Garage is always essential viewing for gearheads, but fans of the Ford Mustang will find the latest episode particularly special.
In a celebration of the Mustang's fiftieth year, Leno has brought together some very important cars and an even more important individual, in the form of Lee Iacocca. Joining Leno and Iacocca is Bob Fria, author of the respected Mustang history book, Mustang Genesis. Conversation among the three reveals some fascinating details about the history of the car, from its design to the very first model built--the white convertible sitting behind them in the garage.
Next up is an even earlier concept, the Mustang 1. While little of the mid-engined, V-4-powered concept car made it across to the production Mustang, it's one of the Ford Motor Company's [NYSE:F] most important historical vehicles. It's had a hard life too, spending several years shuffled between designers and engineers in an effort to keep it from certain destruction--concept cars rarely survived beyond the auto show turntables in the early days. Leno himself finally gets an opportunity to slide behind the wheel, commenting that Ford's auto show guys never let him do so as a kid...
Last up there's a car familiar to anyone who hasn't been hiding under a rock for the past year--the 2015 Ford Mustang. While Leno doesn't get to drive it--the car on display is a pre-production GT, assembled by hand--we do get a look at its striking new styling and a word with Dave Pericak, the Mustang's chief engineer. And in the absence of driving the car, Jay does at least get to start it up--so we all get to hear a part of what makes a Mustang, a Mustang.
Have a watch of the video above--it's a healthy 25 minutes this time around--and let us know your thoughts on the original 'Stang, the Mustang 1 concept and the new 2015 model below.
_______________________________________
