Motoring June 12, 2020
big banger
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ince its inception there’s been a dominant view that the only way to enjoy a Mustang is to get one with a V8 under the hood. But, a quiet counter-culture of enthusiasts opening their eyes to less cylinders is growing. Neither of these ’Stangs is quite your standard, straight-off-the-shelf fare. Ford’s quintessential muscle car got a significant mid-life refresh two years ago, which makes right now the perfect time to breathe life into the line and release some new go-faster models. In the four corner we have the EcoBoost High Performance [pictured in orange]; supplementing an already quietly capable
turbocharged 2.3-litre powertrain with an extra 12kW boost, and adding some new 19-inch shoes wrapped in bespoke Pirelli P-Zero Corsa4s, a retro-tastic egg-crate grille, a 3.55:1 limited-slip diff, among other tweaks. The GT’s eight, meanwhile, is mostly untouched in Ford’s new RTR Series 1 package. Instead it focuses much more on the visual; adding in RTR’s signature demon-eyed LED grille and a gawking body-kit primed to instill fear into the eyes of kerbs, speed bumps, and ankles. And of course, there are numerous RTR and Ford Performance power upgrades one can sprinkle onto a GT should they want to join the 400kW club. In its own way, each upgrade represents
solid value. At $65,990 the High Performance is just a $3000 premium over standard, while the $89,990 RTR is $7000 more than an ordinary GT. Impressively similar straight-line performance, similarly finished cabins, and an equal amount of turned heads. It’s enough to think that, maybe, there’s no real comparison to make. They’re the same car, only one’s gifted with the silky deep voice. But, take them onto a challenging piece of road, and they’re totally different. The RTR serves up a familiar mix of surprisingly smooth ride, visceral 5.0-litre roar, and charming simplistic rear-driven underpinnings, conjuring nostalgia for many still hurting over the death of the Aussie muscle
cars that we worshipped for generations. The significant weight of the GT (and its engine) will make those pining for oldschool thrills grin from ear to ear. But with the EcoBoost there’s a much better grasp on the more modest power figure. In fact, the four-cylinder has a much better grasp on everything. All that engine-related weight loss (almost 100kg) is taken away from the front end, transforming it into one of the sports car world’s best-kept secrets. The amount of mechanical grip and front-end composure is impressive in isolation, and just straight eye-opening when compared to the GT. In short, the EcoBoost is a better sports car. And the GT is a better Mustang.
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Friday, June 12, 2020
11
One tough little Triumph Bernard Egan MOTORING
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t’s great when one story leads to other tales. Our story two weeks ago about a Cadillac and an overbridge ended with those words. True words. Well, there’s another connection with the story, but before we get to that there is something else to mention. Photos taken by Roger Hart. Like his words, they’re always good. He picks some great locations for pictures of the vehicles he test drives. Last week’s photo of the Subaru Outback is absolute proof of that. Amongst rugged terrain with a backdrop of our majestic Southern Alps, it’s hard to imagine a more fitting location in which to showcase that vehicle. It looks right at home and no doubt when its makers see that photo they’re be delighted. And it’s a reminder of the amazing scenery right here in Mid Canterbury. There you go; the proof’s in the pudding so to speak – a photo from Roger’s last col-
umn has led to a comment in this one. Getting back to another connection with the Cadillac and the overbridge – well to be more precise the Cadillac – Alice McLaren has told us about a car that has a connection. Now to be fair, the car Alice has mentioned and the Cadillac could hardly be more different. Alice has told us about the delightful little Triumph Sports Coupe which her late husband Ian owned when they began courting, and which they kept for a while after they were married. It was small and it was British. The Cadillac was big and it was American. So how could they be connected? Well to start with, the owners of both cars liked them, and the owners had a connection with the Highbank area. The MacLauchlans who owned the Cadillac lived near Highbank; Alice’s family also lived in that part of the County. Both cars were used for memorable trips – the Cadillac was used to transport a pony up country, and on one occasion Ian took three passengers up to Mount Hutt Station in the tiny Triumph. So, on at least one and probably more than one occasions, the two cars covered the same road, and they were filled to the brim with passengers. Alice vividly remembers a day in 1952, when she and Ian took her sister Edna – who was accompanied by her then boy-
Alice McLaren’s sturdy little Triumph Sports Coupe.
friend Merv – on a trip to Highbank and Mount Hutt in the Triumph. Now the thing to remember is the Triumph was a 2-seater, but had a dickie seat in the boot which accommodated Edna and Merv. Alice and Ian were up front.
The old Truck on a Truck on a Truck Trick, on parade down Ashburton’s East Street.
The ‘mother-in-law seat’
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hy is a dickie seat called a dickie seat? Well actually its known by at least three names and several spellings. A rumble seat (American English), dicky seat, dickie seat or dickey seat (British English), sometimes called a mother-in-law seat, is an upholstered exterior seat which folded into the rear of a coach, carriage, or early motorcar. The usage of the word “dickie”
comes from the British word for a rumble seat, as such seats were often used for luggage before cars had integrated storage. When unoccupied, the space under the seat’s lid could be used for storing luggage. So who invented the rumble seat? According to the Automobilist Magazine in August 1958, it was Sir Hubert Malcolm Rhumble, a prominent English carriage designer in the late 1800s, who designed a coachman’s seat.
It’s uphill all the way from Ashburton, but the gradient increases significantly on the stretch between Methven and the Mount Hutt turn-off. But Ian knew what to do, and after changing down gears they made it up the road. Coming down was a different matter – top gear all the way and a bit faster too. Having achieved that, the four of them decided to go and have a look at the Highbank power station. Now they’re on a really steep road, but unlike the previous part of the journey this time the downhill run came first. And was no problem. But coming back up was. The four of them travelled down in the Triumph but only one of them – Ian – drove back up in it. The passengers not only enjoyed some great motoring that day, but some good exercise as well. Alice says she and Ian had some great trips in the little Triumph, but did not take on their honeymoon because Ian’s boss at the time lent them an Austin Ute, somewhat more suitable for their road trip. They kept the little Triumph until around 1955, when it was sold to the late Doug Robins. Their first child arrived and as Alice puts it “there was no room for the pram”. Later they purchased a Chev truck, a great workhorse for Ian’s business, which Smallbone Bros borrowed for their unusual display in a local street parade. Or as our sub-editor Steve dubbed it when he saw the photo, the old Truck on a Truck on a Truck Trick. Tricky!
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