Take Your Pick
When Ford dealers unlocked their doors on April 17, 1964 to the long lines of people waiting outside, buyers rushed in. Six months later, Ford released the Mustang fastback. One year later, Ford sold its 600,000th Mustang.
Ford tiptoed around a redesign with the 1967-1968 model years, offering facelifts front and rear. They weren’t quite as popular, but they still sold in big numbers. In those two years alone, Ford sold 605,000 hardtops, 113,000 fastbacks, and 70,000 convertibles. There were five engine options offering 115 to 390 horsepower (on the dyno, 428 Cobra Jet was more like 410), with performance ranging from commuter car to pace car to race car.
Empirically speaking, and from a purely objective perspective, they’re all wonderful Mustangs, aren’t they? Well, unless you’re taking a straight-six Mustang to the drag strip, or commuting in a Cobra Jet, or driving a 427 in the snow.
Generally, cars are most enjoyable when they’re operating within their strength set. The Bible encourages people to think of themselves the same way:
“If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8
In these self-obsessed times, the notion of doing what you’re good at seems self-evident. But it was a big deal back then, when serving a deity could have required acolytes to practice child sacrifice, self-mutilation, various sexual appeasements, or complex rituals. This passage answers the question of “What does God want from me?” along with:
What’s the best way for me to serve God? Simply look at where your heart is most free. This list of gifts from Romans 12 can be translated as: vision, working, guiding, uplifting, providing, managing, or compassionately delivering justice.
How can I make a difference in the world? Your ability to effect change is significantly stronger because it comes from your God-given spirit.
Why are mission work, service work, and volunteering important? Your capacity and ability for this work has been given to you along with the grace given to you by God through faith. Faith is unflexed muscle without this action.
What if my acts of service look different from someone else’s? Well, that’s why Ford didn’t release just one Mustang body style and one engine. At this point, millions of diverse Mustangs have admirably served millions of different people. Together, they demonstrate the automotive provision that exemplifies the total provision God provides through his millions (or billions) of diverse followers.
Each person is the person God made them to be, with the blueprint he designed and the heart he created. He has big plans for each one – old or young, powerful or a little feeble these days – and he gives them all grace to be who they were meant to be and do what they were meant to do.
About $600 separated the cheapest and most expensive Mustangs you could buy in 1968, but that’s far from reality today. A decent hardtop driver is still used-car cheap, while low production numbers (just 50 were built) mean the 428 Cobra Jets will forever be retirement-money expensive. If you’re in the market, take time to evaluate their strong suits, and see how they align with your interests. You have a lot of good options.
John V16 is the intersection of God and cars. Please support our work and donate a V16-powered 1940 Cadillac Series 90 Sixteen to John V16. Or share this article with a friend.
