The new Ford Mustang has been on the road now for several months, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you shouldn’t be driving. Or voting. Or doing anything that requires one to know what’s going on around them. Seriously, with its unabashedly evocative exterior design and myriad interior improvements, the muscular new Mustang has made more news this year than anything else on four wheels.

Something you may not have seen yet, however, is the new Mustang convertible, which made its debut last January at the L.A. Auto Show and will be just hitting dealerships about the time you read this. In some ways, it is a topless clone of the coupe. But in others, it’s a whole different bird. Or more appropriately, a whole different horse.

Looking forward and backward at the same time

The magic of the Mustang’s allure starts with its shamelessly retro styling, which is generally shared by both the coupe and the convertible. Blatantly, lovingly and successfully retrospective of Ford’s sexy ‘Stangs of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, the ’05 design features a forward-canted nose, deep set headlamps and a chunky rump that has just the right amount of macho without going overboard on testosterone. Among our favorite details are the huge, optional fog lights in the grille, the three-element taillights and the big round badge that recalls the gas caps of the originals. Subtle surface development along the lower extremities looks back without resporting to outright copying. Nice.

With the top down, the convertible’s low windshield and high waistline retain the overall impression of formidable mass and purposefulness also displayed by the comparatively private Mustang coupe. In convertible form, however, the wide grins of the frolicking, wind-blown passengers are there for the world to see.

Our first experience with the new convertible was in Los Angeles this past winter, right in the middle of the infamously awful weather that spawned landslides, a few tornadoes (!) and of course, rain, rain, and more rain. The top stayed up the whole time, in which condition the convertible very closely mimicked the cosseting feeling of the coupe, albeit with just a slightly less rigid overall feel (inherent in many four-seat convertibles). Outward vision was surprisingly good, thanks to a generously sized rear window and pillarless quarter windows. As one of my friends pointed out, the top and window shapes look much like those of the Sixties’-era convertibles, just as the coupe’s roof looks like the original fastbacks. Again, nice.

Fortunately, a couple of months later, we were granted a full week with this beautiful ragtop when Los Angeles was much more amenable—mixed weather bracketed by stunningly beautiful days on either end. With the top down, the Mustang’s personality changes from brooding and introverted to friendly and engaging. Suddenly, the road is no longer your personal drag strip, but rather your personal playground. As with the coupe, the convertible is a blast to drive, but instead of just catching the eye of passersby as they stare enviously—which happens in the coupe just before the pillars block all subsequent communication—the convertible lets its driver bask in admiration, the witting recipient of countless thumbs-ups, bright, teethy smiles and the occasional phone number. (CONTINUE...)