Rob Hall

Through '73..the Cougar and Mustang were Ford's only convertibles for '73. The last year for the LTD convertible was '72, and the Torino bowed out after '71. Here's a sharp '73...

'71-72 Mustang is only 2 inches longer than the '69-70, but 3 inches wider...proportions are different also, hood is longer.. the 6th gen ('15-23) in comparison, is slightly shorter than the '71-72 and about an inch wider.

'83-present..

It was definitely a design of its times...I esp. like the '71-73 styling on the convertible..the long hood goes well w/ the top down, IMO. It's predecessor ('69-70) is my favorite styling of the fastback (Sportsroof) vintage Mustangs, IMO...

Once I finish my move later this month, my main summer toys will probably be my golf clubs and my new hot tub...

I miss CD players also. My current Jeep has one, but it is awkward to use since it’s inside the center armrest. I mostly stream my music from my phone now.

I can usually identify the model without looking at the badging, but years are pretty much impossible since the demise of annual styling changes 40+ years ago.

Yeah, the squares back then always had something to complain about. They still do.

Yes, a bit excessive. I’ll leave that to the dealer when I need bulbs.

Saw a few interesting red cars on I-90 today...a red Ferrari 308 coming up behind me this afternoon..it passed me, and I realized it was a Fauxrari...looked like a 3rd gen Camaro or Firebird with a 308 style body kit...faded red paint, '1MAGNUM' license plate...different, haven't seen something like that in decades. Also saw a '61 Corvette convertible w/ patina--red w/ white cove inserts, 6 round taillights, side pipes, roll bar, old slotted mags. Spotted a very clean red '65-66 Mustang coupe. Went to a retirement happy hour for a coworker the other evening, in the parking lot was my company founder's silver Ferrari 812 Superfast which he bought after selling the company last year, and the VP of Product Management's new red Corvette Z06 convertible (in that incredible red that looks like a Hot Wheels spectraflame color).

Hmmm..the .'yuppies' were in their 20s-30s in the 1980s, so are now in their 60s-70s. Maybe the Millennials or Gen-Z kids of today haven't seen old school dimmer switches, though. As a Gen Xer, I was exposed to old cars through my Dad and older brother...my '67 Cougar and '69 Mustang (both of which I inherited from my Dad) have the floor dimmer switches, manual windows, manual seats, no steering wheel adjustment, no A/C, manual transmission in the Cougar (and manual brakes and manual steering). Very basic..not something I'd drive frequently (I'm much too used to loaded modern vehicles), but fun on a weekend drive occasionally...

I remember my Dad having cars in the 70s-80s w/ bumper jacks. I've never used one, used bottle jacks a couple of times in the past though. But I've had AAA for 20+ years, wouldn't want to change a tire myself on my 5000lb Jeep w/ heavy 20 inch wheels and tires...

I did have a Haynes manual for my '00 Grand Cherokee, actually used it a few times about 15 years ago, esp. when I had to replace a broken seat frame. Haven't bought one for my more recent vehicles.

Speaking of basic work vehicles, I've got a Ford Transit high roof rental from Penske this weekend (3rd one I've rented recently), and it's pretty decent inside for a basic work van... power windows, a fob to lock/unlock the doors, etc. Power mirrors, back up camera, etc. Manual seats, but decent level of adjustment. Tilt wheel and cruise control, cold A/C, only an AM/FM radio though. But it does have several USB plugs and power ports.

You mean terrestrial radio? Don't think I've heard it referred to as celestial. I remember AM/FM radio, haven't used either in years...mostly listen to Sirius XM stations and stream stuff from my phone...

Comfortable seats...

And as far as the trailers for said trucks, I think the only trailers that haven't been reissued in the last decade or so are the moving van and race car hauler.

It will show up when it does, so I'll preorder one..

Model Roundup now showing August for this one.

I enjoyed mine back in the day...88hp IIRC. My '86 LX 2.3 had a 1bbl carb and a 4spd manual...got me through 6 years in NE Ohio in college and grad school. About the only mod I did was to add a console. Was a dark gray sedan w/ a red interior. Sadly, it was totaled the week after I moved to Ann Arbor, Mi for my 2nd round of grad school in '94 (replaced with an '88 Bronco II.. I still have my '87 Mustang GT that was my weekend summer car back then, need to have to some work done to get it back on the road. 64k miles, been stored for most of the last 20 years.

Out walking the dogs this afternoon, saw one of the new Amazon Rivian electric vans. Chatted briefly w/ the driver, said it’s more spacious than the Ram ProMaster and very quiet. Neat design. I like the huge taillight strip.

New AMT releases and an extra MPC Chevy pickup.

The rust on that LeMans reminds me of cars I saw in the Florida Keys when I was a teenager living there in the 80s. The particularly weird or beat ones often ended up featured in the local newspaper 'The Keynoter' every week as 'Keys Cruiser' of the week... a buddy in high school had a very rusty late 70s Granada 4dr, at the end of the senior year he and some guys in auto shop class sawed the roof off, drove it around as a convertible...

I’ve been thinking about a van camper conversion. Would be fun for summer and fall weekends around the Great Lakes.

I've gotten used to driving vehicles w/ all the mod cons as the Brits say (modern conveniences).... power everything, heated seats, heated wheel, bluetooth, remote locking, satnav, Sirius XM, backup camera, push button start, etc. Driving my oldies once in a while is a shock... crank windows, manual seats, opening doors w/ a key, etc..