My Wheels: Sophia and her Guard Metallic Ford Mustang

I bought this 50th Anniversary Edition in April last year. I was raised on American television where Ford’s iconic car is heavily represented and I have always wanted a Mustang. You’ve got to love Farrah Fawcett in Charlie’s Angels, driving her 1976 Mustang Cobra II and Robert Urich in Spenser: For hire, with his 1966 Mustang and 1987 Mustang GT. You’ll find Mustangs in Bond films, too, typically driven by seductive female assassins!

Several years ago, I holidayed with a friend in Palm Springs, California, and we hired a Mustang. Palm Springs has a cool, retro vibe and the convertible Mustang matched the mood perfectly. I was about to buy a 2014 model with a V6 when the salesperson said that the first 2015 model had just arrived and insisted I see it. It was love at first sight.

This car drives like a dream. Dubai is full of dream cars; why not dream a little, too? After all, life’s too short not to have an exciting ride.

I’m frequently on the E11 highway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Before buying the Mustang I would often use a driver for the journey, so I could work in the back seat — and the trip would always feel long and dull. Now I look forward to the drive, it’s exhilarating and the journey seems to finish all too soon.

The 2.3-litre turbocharged motor delivers a super-smooth ride and it’s responsive for those occasions when pace is required. The direct fuel injected, DOHC 16-valve motor with an aluminium block and head makes 325bhp and 428Nm of torque. They’re numbers that approach V8 territory.

Ford planned to limit production to 1,964 units — a nod to the original Mustang’s first model year — so having one is a wonderful feeling. The colour, Guard Metallic, honours the same green hue of the 1967 GT390 that Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt. It’s a special 50-year issue.

Friends and colleagues are invariably surprised. Many people seem to expect that I should be driving a sophisticated but sensible German saloon — or dare I say, a safe SUV. Drivers of Camaros or Challengers often like to get close to see who’s driving and when they see me they seem a bit shocked as they probably expect to see a bloke behind the wheel!

The whole package. It’s a fine-looking Mustang that has melded retro touches with the latest technology. I like that it’s not a pretentious performance car. When it comes to the summer heat in Dubai, I’m grateful for the ventilated seats along with the remote ignition system; it’s a relief to get the engine running and the car cooled before setting out. It’s also fun to see or hear the car rev to life from a distance. But I guess the Pony Projector lights embedded in the wing mirrors amuse me the most. Too cool!

It was, and so was he. When I was younger, he’d let me eat pizza and load up on fizzy drinks so it was a guilty pleasure to spend time with him and ride in his Ford.

When I turned 21, I bought my first car. It was a glacial white Subaru RX. The dealership salesmen would automatically direct me to the ‘little ladies’ cars’ so I bought that turbocharged coupé decked out with front and rear spoilers, and riding on a set of gold wheels, as an act of rebellion! Its full-time four-wheel drive gave it all-weather/all-road capabilities that most sports coupés couldn’t match. Back then I was spending a lot of time skiing in New Zealand, so I liked that it virtually inhaled those unpaved mountain roads. Driving it matched the excitement of downhill skiing, however, it was a thirsty machine; I spent more money on fuel for the car than food for the fridge!

But the most memorable drive I have had was when I lived in the UK and got to wheel a baby blue Jaguar E-Type through the streets of London, past Big Ben and all the sights. It was a hot summer’s day and the traffic was moving slowly but the car purred blissfully along. Being a 28-year-old blonde in a denim dress and driving the quintessentially British car sure did attract a lot of attention!

Conceptually, I would say the 1967 Mustang Fastback. However, I must admit to liking the reliability, technology, and comfort found in newer cars, so the latest Bentley Continental GT3-R would suit me just fine! It’s a stunning automobile with masculine proportions, a 572bhp V8 and it’s limited to just 300 units.

Got a hot ride? Email us at mywheels@gulfnews.com with a photo and description and you could be our next my wheels star!