Do I Drive a Ford Mustang?

In 1987 I was 26 years old and I drove a 1985 Ford Mustang GT Convertible:

I cannot even hazard a guess today as to the number of speeding tickets I received in that car. Let’s just say there were jokes amongst family members and friends about wall-papering my room with them. At one point I even thought I was going to lose my license and go to jail. I was clocked on radar at well over 120 MPH in Massachusetts. Fortunately for me the Police Officer that stopped me was more interested in putting the fear of God into a reckless young individual than he was in ruining a life.

There was a co-worker in the car with me at the time I was stopped, and that individual actually paid the speeding ticket and court fines on my behalf. There had been a conversation in the car as to whether I could get us back to the office within a specified amount of time or not. And my co-worker felt that he had goaded me into speeding and that he was therefore responsible for the costs.

But let me just say that I knew full well who was responsible for doing over 120 MPH in a 45 MPH zone at the time. I was. No one else. Just me. I was the one driving the car, my hands were on the steering wheel and my foot was on the gas pedal. So just like there was no one else responsible for eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden other than Eve, there was no one else responsible for my speeding ticket. However, just as Jesus Christ stepped in and told the entire human race that he was going to pay the debt for sin in full, my co-worker insisted (and ultimately did, despite my protests) on stepping in and paying my speeding ticket and fines. Which is interesting because I don’t believe he was a Christian believer and would get the analogy. That was 35 years ago though and perhaps things have changed. However, I digress. None of that is the topic of this post. Putting up that photo just reminded me of that incident.

As I was saying before chasing that rabbit, in 1987 I drove a Ford Mustang GT convertible. And there wasn’t a person I passed on the road (or that passed me) that didn’t see that car and instantly think “Mustang!”. My family knew I drove a Mustang. My friends knew I drove a Mustang. My co-workers knew I drove a Mustang. And people at Church knew I drove a Mustang. And I could be wrong, but I’m willing to bet that the majority of visitors to this BLOG who looked at that photo, immediately thought “Mustang!”. It was indisputable. That car was a 1985 Ford Mustang GT convertible 5.0-liter V8 big block.

But that was 35 years ago. And my question was not “DID I drive a Ford Mustang” but rather “DO I drive a Ford Mustang”. And I’ll save you some suspense, No, I do not have that car today.

I retired at the end of 2021 and we wanted to consolidate down to one vehicle and we wanted a new vehicle that would last us through retirement. Probably the last vehicle we will ever buy. So, a few weeks ago we purchased a brand-new vehicle and traded in our 2 previous vehicles. But was it a Ford Mustang? Well, here it is:

That is our brand new 2022 Ford Mustang GT Performance Edition. The MACH-E 4x. So yes, I drive a Ford Mustang.

Except that my friends, family, co-workers, and even Church members don’t quite see it that way. And you may have your own doubts looking at those pictures. I’ve heard a variety of explanations as to why I do not drive a Ford Mustang. HINT: Mustangs have 2 doors. A Mustang is a muscle car not a cross-over. That doesn’t look like a Mustang. Is that thing electric? Mustangs aren’t electric. I’m sorry, I can’t accept that as a Mustang. And once I was even told Yes, and No. All to the question of Do I Drive a Ford Mustang?

And I understand all of those comments/responses. People that have grown up with Ford Mustangs have developed certain expectations of what a Ford Mustang is. And an electric cross over does not meet those expectations.

But here is what we all need to understand. Ford Motor Co. owns the Mustang brand. Ford Motor Co. invented the Mustang brand. Ford Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. alone decides what vehicle will bear the Mustang logo and branding. And Ford Motor Co. has said that my vehicle is indeed a Mustang. And I purchased it from an authorized Ford dealer from Ford stock. So, plain and simple it is a Mustang, ergo I drive a Ford Mustang.

Some people approach this problem with the argument that they are the consumers of Ford products here. Don’t they get a say? And the answer to that is No, they do not. Consumers may influence Ford through their buying actions, however only Ford executives get to decide what the product branding will ultimately be.

So why do you care? Why would anyone in the world care if my car is a Mustang or not?

Here is the thought I’d like to leave you with. Let me phrase the question a little differently. Don’t we all have our own ideas about what is, and is not a reality in our lives? Don’t we even do this with the Bible, the Word of God? We decide what we want it to say and what we want it to mean rather than what God wants it to say and what God wants it to mean.

When it comes to Scripture, God is the only authority that can establish the meaning and the application. When we just suddenly decide that the car is not a Mustang because it doesn’t fit our mental image, or our definition, or our expectations. We need to remember that Ford Motor Co. owns the Mustang brand. And likewise, God owns His own Word, the Bible.

Think about it.