A 1967 Mustang fastback on display on the infield of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.Mark Hacking/The Globe and Mail
The Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., is the kind of place Angela Doubikin and her family appreciate. In a crowd of hundreds of Ford Mustangs, including countless special models and vintages, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic pony car, her 2017 Mustang GT stands out.
Custom magenta accents offset the stock Grabber Blue paint scheme. The licence plate bracket is also magenta in colour; this was a gift from her youngest son, a former serviceman in the U.S. Army.
“We raised three sons and I would tell them that I need some pink in my life to remind myself that I’m still a girl,” Doubikin says. “Our youngest bought me that licence plate holder and that started me off with the design for the car.”
There’s also an American flag graphic that adorns the sides of the car; it’s reflective so that whoever passes by is mirrored in the Stars and Stripes. This part is important to her because America is important to her.
She rolls up her sleeve and points to a tattoo on her forearm: It’s the American flag, again, but here it’s intertwined with the flag of Sweden and the numerals 1928. “My dad came here from Sweden in 1928 to build a better life for himself,” she says, wistfully.
If this isn’t America, what is?
Doubikin made the 500-kilometre trek from Virginia Beach, Va., on a recent weekend to be around thousands of Mustang owners and fans in one of America’s shrines to speed, all of whom are there to cheer, look at cars and trade stories of past car shows.
Angela Doubikin and her 2017 Mustang GT at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on April 17.Mark Hacking/The Globe and Mail
It is the 60th anniversary of the Mustang being revealed at the World’s Fair in New York in 1964. To celebrate the 50th anniversary in 2014, Ford took apart a 2015 Mustang and put it back together piece by piece on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. That event, filled with glitz and glamour, was for media and promotion types and a few lucky guests. This event in the heart of NASCAR country is for the fans.
While the Mustang is sold in 85 countries, at its essence, the Ford Mustang is America.
A modified Ford Mustang has been racing in the NASCAR series since 2011. (This season, the new Dark Horse, one of the more powerful versions of the seventh-generation Mustang, is the weapon of choice for the Ford teams running in the Cup Series.)
Earlier in the day, Ford announced that a new Mustang Experience Centre will be coming to Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2025. It will incorporate track driving activities with Ford Performance Racing School instructors and also give fans the chance to purchase Mustang paraphernalia and hang out with fellow pony car enthusiasts.
A Mustang decked out in the American flag under its hood.Mark Hacking/The Globe and Mail
Doubikin and her family, who have seven Mustangs, are no stranger to Mustang gatherings, car shows and competitions. The results have been hit-and-miss for Doubikin. “I used to go to the shows with my EcoBoost,” she says, referring to the Mustang powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that was introduced in 2015. “The judges told me they would never give an EcoBoost a trophy. I said, ‘Well, all right, let’s get me something bigger.’ So we got the GT.”
This, too, is America.
On the main stage, a stone’s throw away from Doubikin’s lawn chair and her GT, an announcer exhorts the crowd to take in the entire lineup with a bold claim: “There’s never been a better time to be a Mustang fan.” But it’s not hyperbole. There are currently 15 different new models to choose from, depending on how you count trim levels, body styles and special editions.
The lineup ranges from the sometimes-maligned EcoBoost to the GT and the Dark Horse to the all-electric Mach E. There are also a pair of race cars available for purchase, the Mustang GT3 and GT4, as well as the forthcoming Mustang GTD. Developed in partnership with Canadian engineering firm Multimatic, the GTD comes out swinging with genuine supercar specifications, including a supercharged 5.2-litre V8 expected to develop 800 horsepower. Online orders are now open; the car will set you back some US$325,000.
Mustangs are lined up in a row in front of the stands.Mark Hacking/The Globe and Mail
The Mustang GTD is America, but with a Canadian connection.
The latest addition to the Mustang fleet is the 60th Anniversary Package, also announced earlier in the day. Limited to just 1,965 examples, it’s based on the GT Coupe or Convertible and features exclusive badging, retro-inspired 20-inch wheels, and one of three classic exterior paint schemes.
An enthusiast like Doubikin would probably have just two questions: How would that 60th Anniversary Package look with magenta accents and a pair of reflective American flags? And what would the judges think? If she thinks this Mustang is special, it would represent the continuation of a love affair that goes way back.
“We have two ‘67s, two ‘78s and a California Special from 2011. I’ve got my GT and my husband has a GT 500. I’ve always liked the shape and the sound of the Mustang. … The car is iconic.”
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.