JUDGEMENT DAY

THIS COULD END badly for Ford. MOTOR, Mustangs and maximum attack haven’t exactly been a marriage made in heaven in recent years. The FM Mustang, released in 2015, was a barrel of laughs on a race track; a bit soft and woolly around the edges, sure, but with strong brakes, an adjustable chassis and grunty V8 you couldn’t help but have fun.

We expected big things from the FN facelift in 2018. A revised engine with lots more power, a 10-speed automatic option, MagneRide adaptive dampers, Racetrack and Drag Strip modes and stickier Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres (the FM’s Pirellis were a bit how-yagoin’) all raised expectations and initially all was well.

On road there was plenty to like, but the balloon was popped with a bang at PCOTY 2018. Our auto test car would barely complete a lap before going into limp mode, but any suggestion it was due to the sunny South Australian weather was stymied when the same thing happened at Winton in the dead of winter at the following year’s Bang for your Bucks.

Of course, track performance isn’t everything (or indeed anything to many buyers) but for a car that is marketed