The Mustang has been a huge part of the fabric of the pony-muscle car error. When Ford reintroduced the retro Mustang several years ago, it was obvious that they had a winner. They did not reinvent the 1970 Mustang merely had updated it. Now the refinement gets better with age.  The interior remains very true to its heritage. The dash and gauges are merely modernized pieces resembling the 40+ year old counterpart. Even the center console is similar in design and function. I have never found a Mustang to be a comfortable cruiser, the seats are stiff and not well cushioned- a set of knock off Recaro’s would solve that problem. You sit pretty low in the car adding to the “hot rod” feel.

The 2012 Ford Mustang is a real head turner as well as a barn burner. Our test car was covered in the now infamous Grabber Blue. Forty years later, it is still an attractive color. It forces the car to stand out from the rest of the crowd. At the rear wheels it lives up to its history and produces a very tight and quick true muscle car.

Shift Point Phil and I drove it to the NHRA event in Englishtown, NJ. While it was no match for the John Force Racing Top Fuel Funny car Mustang’s I think it endeared us to him when the director of Ford Motorsports Tim Duerr explained that no one in America sold more Mustangs than John Force.

Ford has an incredible line of cars, the V6 Mustang has over 300 horses. Our 2011 Mustang GT is rated at 412 hp and 390 ft/lb – You will feel it in the seat of your pants. Edmunds.com was able to get a pre-production 2011 Mustang GT on a Dynojet dynamometer and after several pulls was able to achieve 395 hp and 365 ft/lb at the rear wheels. Assuming a 10-13 percent power loss through the drivetrain that would mean that the '11 Mustang GT is actually making 440-455 horsepower at the flywheel! So that leaves a question in our minds, was the pre-production Mustang they received for testing unusually powerful or is Ford's claim of 412 horsepower very conservative?

This car alone puts the Pony Car wars back on the battlefield. We were not able to make any passes at Old Dominion Speedway as it rained both Wednesday and the Friday we had use of the car. With a 6 speed close ratio transmission, the short shifts were fast and hard. It by far is the most pleasurable Ford and the quickest I have ever driven. I imagine bone stock out of the box its ¼ mile times are in the high 12’s- it is quick- super quick.

At less than $35,000.00 there is no competition for this car other than the Challenger SRT8 and the SS Camaro- I suggest you spend a Saturday and test drive all three. Don’t forget to bring a buddy- Shift Point Phil is always ready.

POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

Drivetrain layout Front-engine, RWD

Engine type 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads

Valvetrain DOHC, 4 valves/cyl

Displacement 302.1 cu in/4951cc

Compression ratio 11.0:1

Power (SAE net) 412 hp @ 6500 rpm

Torque (SAE net) 390 lb-ft @ 4250 rpm

Redline 6800 rpm

Weight to power 8.8 lb/hp

Transmission 6-speed manual

Axle/final-drive ratios 3.73:1/2.42:1

Suspension, front; rear Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; live axle, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Steering ratio 15.8:1

Turns lock-to-lock 2.7

Brakes, f;r 14.0-in vented disc; 11.8-in vented disc, ABS

 Wheels, f;r 9.0 x 19-in, cast aluminum

Tires, f;r 255/40R19, Pirelli PZero

The color of our car was quite the chameleon, black under certain conditions, but deep black cherry under extreme sunlight, even brighter burgundy under the incandescent lights and at night. The fit and finish of the car is outstanding. Absent are any squeaks or rattles one would assume a top down car would have.

Interior is a striking light birght red leather. It features all the standard bells and whistles we have come to expect from Infinity. Heated and air conditioned seats, navigation system and a wonderful Bose stereo system with satellite radio link. Dave plugged in his I Pod and we rocked and rolled both coming and going. It's like having your own personals DJ.

The real shame was that time and other restrictions did not allow us to put the G on the track at Sebring, although Nissan Motorsports, did premier their LMP-2 car there and finished 2nd in a stellar field of cars- not bad for the maiden voyage.

The G convertible comes equipt with the V6 3.7 litre engine that typically turns 330 horses. We are told that due to the added weight of the convertible hardtop that an additional 18 horsepower is provide. Let me say this- you do feel it in the seat of your pants. It also has a significant more exhaust rumble than the standard G37.

Even though it is a heavier car than the standard coupe, the handling is superb. It eats winding twisting roads for lunch. It feels nimble and accelerates rapidly, especially when the transmission is placed in the sport mode. You have the option in sport mode to manually move the stick forward to change gears or elect to paddle shift the car. It has an awesome rev-matching transmission when paddling down on the gear box. The sound with the top down is awesome-

In fact, we drove from Sebring back to Orlando with a black Ferrari California. Both cars are equal in footprint, just as wide and equally as long. I am not even remotely trying to compare these two fine autos- well, maybe just a little- the 12 cylinder of the Ferrari cannot be matched by the G Convertible, but they both sound awesome and in "normal" street driving both cars are perfect. They handle well, they sound great and they are very comfortable. The G has a back seat for kids, pets or groceries.

Here's the deal, you can nearly own 4 Infinity G37 Convertibles for the price of one California! Quite a bargain, the G37 doesn't have to be a Ferrari, there are plenty of folks that will appreciate the quality, handling and performance of the Infinity, more importantly they will appreciate the price.

Photos by Shiftpoint Magazine- Thanks Phil!