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2010 Ford Mustang GT Convertible: V-8 drop-top is the pony you didn’t get as a kid
 For 2010, the Mustang GT gets a horsepower bump. Its 4.6-liter V-8 now generates 315 hp. SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH
The family had gathered for a 9-year-old’s birthday party -- and, at the soiree, I made out better than the guest of honor! He got a replica WWE championship wrestling belt. I got a pony. And, noooo, I didn’t gloat. I resisted the temptation to stick my thumbs in my ears and wiggle my fingers at him. Mostly. But it was tough, because the horseflesh in question was the 2010 Ford Mustang GT convertible, a pony car that -- like its coupe sibling -- has been significantly redesigned for 2010. The most obvious changes are up front, where the grille, headlights and power-dome hood are new. Of course, the classic tri-lens taillights are retained, adding for 2010 a sequentially flashing turn signal whose illumination marches to the side of the car when the blinker is on -- a bit of entertainment for the guy behind. That said, I confess I liked better the styling of the outgoing car — a modern Mustang that captured the classic ’67-’69 pony car’s look in a thoroughly contemporary way. But this new one, with its hood bulge atop a hood bulge and shaved-corner aft appearance, is more muscular. Inside, heritage elements like the twin-plateau dash, flow-into-the-console center stack and conical gauge shapes are retained, all accented by a new, soft-touch instrument panel that can be optioned to house the aluminum-finish panels we had. Only complaint: at night, the gauges reflect off the windshield. On the road, this new Mustang is a hoot -- provided you‘re OK with the inherent characteristics of a drop-top pony car. The ride is firm, the cabin cozy (the back seat is a parcel shelf with seat belts) and, at speed, interior noise levels are high . . . I SAID, INTERIOR NOISE LEVELS ARE HIGH! That’s not the fault of the power top, which seals nicely at the touch of a button and the securing of two latches. Nope, our interior’s sonic symphony was provided by the tires and our GT’s marvelous 4.6-liter V-8. Regarding footwear, our car optioned up from the standard 18-inch tires to W-rated -- up to 168 mph -- 45-series 19s that hugged aluminum wheels. While gripping the pavement tenaciously, they merrily transferred to the cabin news of each encounter with tar strips and pavement imperfections. The other member of the orchestra -- the GT’s big V-8 -- is the major mechanical news for the 2010 Mustang, which sees few other hardware changes. The GT’s engine upgrades from 300 hp in 2009 to 315 in 2010, courtesy of the now-shelved Mustang Bullitt. Ford simply dropped its higher-horsepower engine into the GT, where it rumbles ominously when idling, growls happily when cruising and roars gleefully when provoked, launching this drop-top to 60 mph in about 5 seconds. Managing that power in our car was a five-speed manual transmission -- a gearbox that, on first encounter, seems absolutely antediluvian in this era of ubiquitous six-speeds. However, once its short throws, crisp shifts and feels-good shifter handle are experienced, all objections are banished. A five-speed automatic is optional in GT, as it is in the base Mustang, which is powered by a 210-hp V-6. Mustang remains what it’s always been -- America’s premier pony car. The convertible just adds to the fun. It makes a wrestling match seem tame as a sleeper-hold.
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