2015 Ford Mustang and Wayne Carini visit Talking Cars Podcast

Wayne Carini, star of Chasing Classic Cars on Velocity by Discovery, knows historic cars. He finds them, buys them, restores them, and sells them—hopefully for a profit. So it’s quite a treat to have Wayne talk with us about one of the most historic nameplates in the business: the Ford Mustang, newly redesigned for 2015.

Auto Test Director Jake Fisher interviews Wayne about Mustangs of years past. As he explains, backed up by Consumer Reports tests through the years, not all Mustangs have been created equal. Defining a whole new category, this pony car went from top-selling cultural phenomenon when first introduced to becoming essentially a warmed-over Pinto during the sad 1970s. But unlike other storied nameplates like Camaro or Thunderbird, the Mustang name continued without pause for over 50 years, undoubtedly adding to the brand’s strength today.

Comparing the new Mustang, even in EcoBoost four-cylinder form, to performance Mustangs from 30 years ago shows just how far the car has come. With over 300 horsepower and newfound sophistication, the 2015 version would have been exotic stuff back then. Wayne and Jake also talk about the classic Mustangs that aren’t just fun, they’re now investment-grade. Hint: if you have an unmodified Shelby GT500 in your barn, it’s very likely worth more than your barn. And your house.

Next week we go back to our usual roundtable format, but with another rather special car: the BMW i8. We also answer angry reader letters about our test of the Subaru WRX.