MY NO 1 SOFT OPTION

The Ford Mustang GT Convertible is a joy to drive and, although it's a little dated and bad for Mother Nature, you'll miss it if it rides off into the sunset

- By Sean O'Grady

Before it goes to the great automotive knacker's yard, I thought I'd drive a Ford Mustang GT, the “proper” one with the five-litre V8 motor rumbling away. I don't mean to alarm anyone. The Mustang, with its very American base, may well be around for a lot longer, depending on politics and whether the US can hold a free and fair national election again. But on this side of the ocean, it is surely doomed. Indeed, the old pony, now in its seventh iteration, is being flogged on all sides. It's obviously unacceptable in the current climate (pun intended) to be hoofing around in something that returns 24.6 miles per gallon (in my mixed driving) and, more to the point, pumps out a frankly appalling 280g of carbon dioxide for every kilometre of highway it charges down.

In due course, in most of Europe, electrification and legislation will euthanise the Mustang. In the case of my test car, the convertible, things are even more bleak. You may have noticed that sales of soft tops in the UK have plummeted; almost 100,000 registered in 2004, against about 12,000 now. There's far less choice available now as well. The old coupe-convertibles, such as the Peugeot 208 CC are long gone, and the volumes are usually too small to make sense in today's hyper-competitive market. People don't have as much disposable income these days as well.