Roush 05-0477 -The Car That Saved American Muscle

I grew up in Alabama, in the days of fast muscle cars. Our hometown heroes,  Bobby and Donny Allison, were our inspiration.  Mom loved fast cars, so I learned to drive V8 Chevys, Dodges, and Fords. 

Chevelles, Camaros, and Challengers were my dream cars. Like every kid my age,  I wanted a Mustang.

The 1970s came with emission controls; America lost its balls.  Horsepower came from Italy, Germany, and Great Britain.  Reliability came from Japan.

The Camaro and Challenger disappeared.  The Mustang II was so bad that even Farrah Fawcett in a swimsuit couldn't sell it.

In 2005, Ford decided enough was enough and built a retro-styled Mustang, taking cues from the late 1960s cars, and giving it a small-block V-8 with 300 hp and as much torque.  It was beautiful, fast, surprisingly agile, and light.  The 2005 Mustang was a bare-bones car but Ford built it right.

I had to have one.

Kady had a nice Toyota 4-Runner, still in great shape, and I had been driving a Toyota MR-2 for thirteen years, so I began the process of getting Kady on board with the idea. I showed her artistic conceptions, told her all about the cars I had driven in the past, and reminded her that the Mustang was always my dream car.

When Ford released it, it was everything I hoped it would be. I began shopping. Every time I passed a Ford dealership, I would stop. I could never find a V-8; people were snatching them up like candy. Ford forced their dealerships to take a certain number of six-cylinder cars for each GT. I don't remember how many, maybe three or four. There were plenty of those on the lot. I was able to get a good look at the inside of the car.

He took me to the front lot. There they were, eight Roush Mustangs in every color, with racing stripes and Roush banners. I hadn't read anything about Roush modifying the car, but what they had done was make the car look more like a 1970 Mustang. They added a front dam, side molding, and a rear fascia with a spoiler. Roush put carbon fiber on the dash and installed Roush pedals, Roush gauge cluster, Roush floor mats, and Roush leather seats. These cars were what Roush was calling their Roush Sport, normally aspirated, with only body improvements. They wouldn't supercharge theirs until 2006.

I was in love! One car that stood out above the rest was a Mineral Gray car with no racing stripes. I sat in it, cranked it up, and called Kady and told her to come to Bessemer. She showed up about 30 minutes later with Sylvia and SS. When she saw the car, or maybe it was the look on my face, she told me to buy it if I wanted it.

GREAT WIFE!

I slept on it overnight, a waste of time, and picked the car up the next day.

My first trip was to the Lake House, east on I-20.  I was a nervous wreck; I-20, like always, was under construction.

At the Lake House, everyone loved the car and wanted a ride.  No one would drive it.  I asked Bee, my son's girlfriend, to pose with it and she agreed.

On my way back to Lexington, I began to realize how much people loved Mustangs. When a car pulled up on my seven and stayed there, I was irritated.  When they passed, I saw that a girl was hanging out of her window taking photos of my car.

As I drove into Lexington, a group of kids hanging out in the Kroger parking lot began bowing and chanting, "We're not worthy."

Every wash day, someone stops to talk to me about my car or stops to tell me about their Mustang.  They all told me how they still wish they had theirs.

Once the Corps returned to Post, Bess became a favorite topic when talking to Cadets.  They loved her and respected her.  I have let a few cadets and a few of my people drive her.  The Commandant let me photograph her inside Barracks.

My daughter was the second person to drive Bess.  She took her around the Parade Ground at VMI.  You could still do that in 2005. She took a couple of laps, hitting 55 in a 15 zone.

E can drive; E doesn't care.

Since buying her, I have made a few improvements, which I decided to keep Roush:

To begin, I carefully removed the Town and Country sticker revealing her name, "Bess," while removing Bessemer.

I installed a Roush Stage two Suspension, lowering Bess's front-end an inch and rear-end a half-inch.  Her handling is much stiffer and sure.

A Roush Cold Air Intake helps her breathe and adds about 15 horsepower.  I decided not to Supercharge her; I prefer the rumble of a naturally aspirated V8 to the whine of a supercharged engine.

A Roush Short Throw Shifter, though very "notchy," makes shifts faster and more fun.

She has Juju which keeps her safe from bad stuff.  This Talisman includes:

• My Dog Tags

• First Wedding Ring from Kady

• Wrapped strands from E's Hair

• Turkish Prayer Beads

• Celtic Cross from Mordoan

• St. Michael's Medal, 82nd Airborne

• St. Meen and St. Mary Medals from St. Mere Eglise, France

• Key from KS and Jay's Wedding

• Turk Nazar Boncuğu (Evil Eyes)