Earlier this year, my white whale headed for the auction block — the Golden Sahara was going to be sold in a no-reserve auction at the Mecum Spring Classic in Indianapolis. As an Indy native, there’s no way I could have missed this sale — more importantly, there’s no better excuse to grab a couple of Red Bulls and a twin pack of Slim Jims and put some miles on our seasonlong-tester 2018 Ford Mustang GT.
Heading from Detroit, Michigan to Indianapolis Indiana used to be a cinch — even in rush hour traffic. Now, since our fair state shut down the ever-important southbound side of the I-75 bridge exiting Detroit, it’s become a mess of traffic and long creeps. In standstill traffic, the Mustang is impressively docile, even in sport mode. The torque from the 5.0-liter V8 pulls the car while lightly slipping the easy clutch. During the hour or so in sub-10 mph traffic, my left leg stayed perfectly cramp-free and I was nearing the end of the traffic-jam turmoil.
On the open road, at highway speeds with the active exhaust in sport mode, there’s just enough noise to remind you what gear you’re in — too quiet and you forget to slip it back into sixth after you pass the ’96 Grand Caravan chugging along at 40 mph, but in top gear it’s just a light drone.
My route to Indianapolis leads me to Defiance, Ohio — the dead middle spot between my apartment in Detroit and my parents’ house in Indianapolis. Rolling off the interstate and into the gas station, I hopped out of the car without much fatigue. Sure, it’d only been about three hours behind the wheel, but a third of that was stuck fighting rush hour traffic. After I filled the tank, I looked at the receipt to see exactly how much this Coyote V8 liked to drink — I managed 21.42 mpg at the midpoint.
Back on the interstate, the Mustang performs flawlessly. Now equipped with Mountain Dew and gas station peach rings, I power through the short jaunt left in Ohio, and soon hit Indiana. The trip from Fort Wayne to Indianapolis goes about as seamless as a highway under construction can go. The Mustang handles divots and ruts in the road well — not a peach ring was lost under the seat.
I got to my parents’ house just as night started to settle. That means I unloaded the pony, threw my things into my old bedroom — now turned into a strange guest bed, even though my parents rarely host — and went to see friends. Around town, the Mustang is a little thirstier than on the highway, especially when you’ve got the switch dialed into sport mode and the revs hovering around four-grand the entire time. Still, I could only bomb around the city for so long — I had to wake up early, don a suit and head to the Mecum auction in Indianapolis.
The morning commute to the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds was similar to the trip to my parents’ house — a little boring, but the Mustang handles traffic so well that there’s no reason to get the automatic. Even with dress shoes, the clutch pedal gripped the slipper sole of my shoe and kept me from accidently dumping the clutch. Without too much fuss, I pull into the Indiana State fairgrounds and park the Mustang.
I saw the Golden Saraha and the Kookie Kar sell, as well as a 2017 Ford GT for $1.65 Million, and headed back to the Southside of the city to see my folks and get ready from my trip home.
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