Rep Power: 497

Any connection I have concerning the so-called iconic stature of Ford’s 5.0-litre V8 comes courtesy of my brother, owner of three Mustangs over some 25 years, each fitted with the iron lump. I always considered it a good engine — strong, reliable and with plenty of low-end grunt — but hardly worthy of near-mythic reverence. Then, again, I’m a cynic at heart.

But I’m also a motor head and a product of my time, which means I love pony cars both old and new. So, while Ford’s resurrection of the 5.0L V8 in the Mustang last year — the automaker actually used the word “rebirth” — is pure hype as far as I’m concerned, I am perfectly happy to go along for the ride.

You see, other than sharing the same displacement as the old engine, the 5.0L Ti-VCT (for Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing ) eight residing under the hood of my 2012 Mustang GT convertible tester is like comparing Avatar with a silent film. Try 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. Plus, the rumble that emanates from the exhaust headers and out the twin tailpipes is an appetizer, tempting one to exercise the gas pedal a little more. The result is a guttural snarl that is obscenely awesome — pure aural seduction — with attendant acceleration that, unchecked, will inevitably have John Law sniffing at the Mustang’s hindquarters.

Manual transmissions mated to muscular engines can sometimes prove balky and not overly cooperative when hurried, which was the case with the GT’s standard six-speed manual. Blessed(?) with short throws and closely spaced gates, it was possible to miss the first-to-second upshift and hit fourth instead if the cue-ball shifter wasn’t firmly and deliberately handled. Given the all-aluminum V8’s prodigious torque, however, all that did was slow the linearity of the power flow; it didn’t bog the engine. Downshifts, notably fifth to fourth, were equally problematic.

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