How one family found unity in a Ford Mustang
Three brothers bond over their shared passion for iconic muscle cars. They frequently travel to car shows around the country together.
Fox – 13 News
Car enthusiasts who aren’t die-hard Ford Mustang fans tend to take them for granted. Ford has sold so many cars over the past 61 years that they are everywhere. They can be found on every street in every town across America, and in many places overseas. When they appear in shows and movies, they don’t even blink. It’s easy to forget how much history this car has, how deeply woven into American culture it is, and how many cool features it has. “American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience” is here to remind you of that.
What is an immersive experience?
Have you been to Body Worlds or Titanic Immersive Experience in your area? It’s the same team behind this one. Ford employees wanted to do something special to commemorate the Mustang’s 60th anniversary last year, but management didn’t want just a quiet, staid museum exhibit. A so-called “immersive experience” was required.
Essentially, it’s still a museum exhibit. It’s filled with rare cars, historical artifacts, exhibits, and history lessons. But instead of just wandering the halls, visitors are guided through seven rooms, each of which displays video, from simple screens on the walls to projectors that project video onto every wall and floor, as if they were entering a Star Trek holodeck. Not limited to passive video, the experience ends with a motion simulator thrill ride with wind, smoke, and water spray.
Room 1: Design
Semi-guided tours begin in the waiting room, but more extensive reading material is available. On the wall is a timeline tracing the development of the original Mustang show car before its debut at the 1964 World’s Fair. The exhibit includes sketches and photos of other designs that didn’t make the cut, as well as some interesting facts that I won’t spoil.
Room 2: History lesson
As you are ushered into the second room, a video is projected across the front wall covering a brief history of the Mustang from 1964 to today. In addition to facts and old photos, the book also includes interviews with Ford executive chairman Bill Ford Jr., TV host and car collector Jay Leno, film producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Ford archivist Ted Ryan, and more.
As this is a celebration of the Mustang’s enduring success, it is not a comprehensive history and some points are glossed over or omitted. For example, although there is no mention of the Mustang II or Mustang Mach-E, Bill Ford Jr. and Ted Ryan mention a narrowly averted disaster when Ford briefly considered replacing the Mustang with the later Mazda-designed front-wheel-drive Ford Probe.
Room 3: Cultural significance
This is where the immersion begins. When the Room 2 video ends, the door on the wall it was projected on opens, revealing a 1964 Mustang Notchback with a 289 V8 in the center rear of the all-white room. Upon entering, projectors begin playing computer-animated videos on all four walls and the floor.
At first it’s just some cool graphics and a monologue, but then it’s transferred to the original Mustang assembly line in Michigan. From there, go to the 1964 World’s Fair and stand on a turntable as the expo spins around you (this can cause motion sickness, so stay focused on the cars). The story then travels to California, where the Mustang’s contributions to American culture over the decades are told.
Room 4: Road Trip
Once you reach 2025, you will be guided to the next room. There, you’ll find a brand new Mustang Dark Horse sitting on a turntable in the center rear of the room. When the 360-degree projector turns on, you’re thrown into the middle of a California road trip. Unlike in the previous room, where the car was stationary, this time the Mustang Dark Horse rotates from side to side sequentially in time with the video, making it appear as if it is actually driving on the virtual road to the tracked car. Even though Route 66 does not pass through Utah, a highly inaccurate depiction of California’s Pacific Coast Highway passes by before warping to a deserted section of Route 66 visible in central Utah.
You are then transported back to the center of an unidentified city, where you line up for a street race against several other animated Mustangs. At first it looks like a scene from the movie Fast and Furious, but it quickly transforms into a Need for Speed video game, complete with jumps, helicopter chases, and slow-motion effects.
Room 5: Movie car
Take a break from immersive videos and dive into the world of Mustangs in movies. Here you can see real movie cars from Transformers, Kick-Ass, and the real Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds. Mary Tyler Moore Show cars are also on display (ask your parents or grandparents).
Don’t miss the movie poster and photo collage on your way into this room. That’s because it includes a copy of the original frame from Bullet, starring Steve McQueen, that has never been shown to the public. There’s also an interactive exhibit about recommended road trips and an exhibit where you can hear what each generation of Mustang sounds like.
Room 6: GTD
If you haven’t seen the Mustang GTD in person yet, now’s your chance to see it up close and personal. Not just one car, but multiple parts are on display, including front and rear suspensions, active rear wing, transaxle, and transaxle cooler installed inside the trunk lid.
This room also features a timeline of Mustang racing from the 1960s onwards, which inspired the GTD. A Mustang GT3 race car is also on display in the lobby immediately after entering the exhibition building.
Room 7: Thrill rides
It’s not like riding a real GTD, but it’s still a good time. Anyone who has ridden Star Tours at Disneyland will agree. Sitting in a power seat that tilts and tilts in time with the video, you’ll feel like you’re in a car driving through a dystopian city. Fans blow air to make it feel like it’s actually moving, smoke wafts from the floor when it burns out, and water splashes on your face as you walk through puddles.
The story itself, told by Captain America actor and Mustang enthusiast Anthony Mackie, is very similar to the Terminator movies. The AI has conquered the world and you, an agent of the Resistance, have stolen the “AI Core” and must retrieve it from a burnt-out city. Of course, you’re being chased by evil robots, flying drones, and driving an unbadged Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. The GTD may not be the best car to race around a bombed-out city given its ground clearance, but it looks cool when you’re jumping off a bridge in a Ghosn in 60 Seconds-inspired style. The graphics are more video game than sci-fi movie, but still plenty of fun.
Your ticket is worth $500 to a new Ford
American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience opens on Saturday, November 8th in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood, just across the river from downtown. It runs until the end of January, and tickets are $34. But don’t wait, because if you bring your ticket to a Ford dealership in Southern California by January 6th, you’ll get $500 off your new Ford purchase.
After LA, the experience will travel to Miami and Dallas in 2026. Ford is working on adding more cities across the U.S. in 2027 and hopes to take the show internationally in the coming years.
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor
