Post by Jerry Baker on Dec 12, 2006 11:57:50 GMT -5
Rolling Icons Stoke Passions of Owners
By Daniel Wallace, FCN
DEARBORN, Dec. 8, 2006 -- Passion is not always easily found. Christopher Ihara, a Mustang fanatic, finds his every time he goes out to his garage.
"A car isn't just a car; it's something you get attached to," said Ihara. "I'm not a 'trade-in' kind of guy. I get very emotional about the cars I bring home. I don't see how people can sell their cars all willy-nilly, when there are memories you have with that vehicle you just can't put a price on."
Long before the Blue Oval’s Lust 4 Life marketing platform, Ford has been making cars that struck emotional chords with its customers in many ways and have gone on to be some of today's treasured icons. Ihara's 1999 Ford Mustang certainly qualifies as one of those.
From the engine to the scratches, Ihara say's it's a love affair between him and his Mustang. The pony car plays a pretty significant role in his life. Ihara is the owner of a Mustang enthusiast site called www.corral.net, which caters to about 90,000 late-model Mustang fans. The site is managed out of his Virginia home, which gets a bit cumbersome sometimes with all the servers and racks he needs to operate it.
"When I started the site, I didn’t realize the work it took in keeping us Mustang lovers connected. It’s more than just a hobby for me; it's a life-long commitment," he said.
He got his first Mustang in college, a 1987 GT with T-tops that he nicknamed "Baby." He cruised by day and drag-raced by night, a match made in heaven, he thought. And then in a flash, after about 187,000 miles, an accident separated the two. "Baby" was totaled, and so was its owner's heart.
Ihara believed that he and his car shared like personalities and thought he'd never feel quite the same about another vehicle. But then he saw the 1999 Mustang, which went through a hard-etched redesign.
"At first, I thought the designers were going to ruin the car, but when I saw it in person, I fell in love all over again," he said.
The mere sight of the vehicle seemed to brighten up his day. He's sometimes teased by friends who thinks he's "nuts" for circling around the parking lot in search of the best spot where he can keep a bird's eye view on his car.
"Mustang is an obvious example of cars done right by Ford and have captivated the American car buyers' market, but their formula of passion doesn't stop there," said George Peterson, president, AutoPacific, Inc. "Ford's got a whole slew of cars that hit people's passions."
Some of those icons include the Ford Taurus, F-series, Ford Explorer, Lincoln Continental, the Crown Victoria and the Thunderbird. Randy Betki, vice president of the Classic Auto Restoration Society, believes some of these vehicles were a hit because of the brave styling and the high-performance options available on some of the models, such as on the Harley Davidson edition of the F-series or the Taurus SHO.
“People want to drive winning vehicles, and while they may not be able to afford the supercharged model, they can certainly afford its counterpart,” Betki said.
Sales for these vehicles have helped sustain the company throughout its history.
"The people that buy these niche cars are great ambassadors for the company. They bleed so much Ford blue that it spills out onto other people," Ihara said.
"When you're in an icon, you know it, and everybody around you knows it," said Don Reisinger, a Thunderbird owner. "I can't tell you how many times I've driven somewhere, and I’ve got a thumbs-up or a honking horn. It's a great feeling."
Reisinger says what he loves most about his 1957 Thunderbird is the "cool" factor, which he hoped would rub off on him when he bought the car nearly 22 years ago.
A lot of icon motorists end up joining car clubs. And for many of them, the car is the only common thread between them. In fact, it's a great ice-breaker for the doctor and the local grocery store bagger.
"I can't tell you how many friends I've made and neighbors I've met and relationships I've forged because of my cars," said Ihara. "Car clubs are like extended families. I know some people on my Web site feel a bond because of the cars."
By Daniel Wallace, FCN
DEARBORN, Dec. 8, 2006 -- Passion is not always easily found. Christopher Ihara, a Mustang fanatic, finds his every time he goes out to his garage.
"A car isn't just a car; it's something you get attached to," said Ihara. "I'm not a 'trade-in' kind of guy. I get very emotional about the cars I bring home. I don't see how people can sell their cars all willy-nilly, when there are memories you have with that vehicle you just can't put a price on."
Long before the Blue Oval’s Lust 4 Life marketing platform, Ford has been making cars that struck emotional chords with its customers in many ways and have gone on to be some of today's treasured icons. Ihara's 1999 Ford Mustang certainly qualifies as one of those.
From the engine to the scratches, Ihara say's it's a love affair between him and his Mustang. The pony car plays a pretty significant role in his life. Ihara is the owner of a Mustang enthusiast site called www.corral.net, which caters to about 90,000 late-model Mustang fans. The site is managed out of his Virginia home, which gets a bit cumbersome sometimes with all the servers and racks he needs to operate it.
"When I started the site, I didn’t realize the work it took in keeping us Mustang lovers connected. It’s more than just a hobby for me; it's a life-long commitment," he said.
He got his first Mustang in college, a 1987 GT with T-tops that he nicknamed "Baby." He cruised by day and drag-raced by night, a match made in heaven, he thought. And then in a flash, after about 187,000 miles, an accident separated the two. "Baby" was totaled, and so was its owner's heart.
Ihara believed that he and his car shared like personalities and thought he'd never feel quite the same about another vehicle. But then he saw the 1999 Mustang, which went through a hard-etched redesign.
"At first, I thought the designers were going to ruin the car, but when I saw it in person, I fell in love all over again," he said.
The mere sight of the vehicle seemed to brighten up his day. He's sometimes teased by friends who thinks he's "nuts" for circling around the parking lot in search of the best spot where he can keep a bird's eye view on his car.
"Mustang is an obvious example of cars done right by Ford and have captivated the American car buyers' market, but their formula of passion doesn't stop there," said George Peterson, president, AutoPacific, Inc. "Ford's got a whole slew of cars that hit people's passions."
Some of those icons include the Ford Taurus, F-series, Ford Explorer, Lincoln Continental, the Crown Victoria and the Thunderbird. Randy Betki, vice president of the Classic Auto Restoration Society, believes some of these vehicles were a hit because of the brave styling and the high-performance options available on some of the models, such as on the Harley Davidson edition of the F-series or the Taurus SHO.
“People want to drive winning vehicles, and while they may not be able to afford the supercharged model, they can certainly afford its counterpart,” Betki said.
Sales for these vehicles have helped sustain the company throughout its history.
"The people that buy these niche cars are great ambassadors for the company. They bleed so much Ford blue that it spills out onto other people," Ihara said.
"When you're in an icon, you know it, and everybody around you knows it," said Don Reisinger, a Thunderbird owner. "I can't tell you how many times I've driven somewhere, and I’ve got a thumbs-up or a honking horn. It's a great feeling."
Reisinger says what he loves most about his 1957 Thunderbird is the "cool" factor, which he hoped would rub off on him when he bought the car nearly 22 years ago.
A lot of icon motorists end up joining car clubs. And for many of them, the car is the only common thread between them. In fact, it's a great ice-breaker for the doctor and the local grocery store bagger.
"I can't tell you how many friends I've made and neighbors I've met and relationships I've forged because of my cars," said Ihara. "Car clubs are like extended families. I know some people on my Web site feel a bond because of the cars."