I always thought it would be cool to take a 68 camaro or firebird and and completely modernize it. new suspension, brakes, put in airbags, make it up to date in every way save for the body.
That's pretty much what I have in mind for my 69 except for the airbags. My 69 is getting a complete updating and modernization. Suspension, steering, drivetrain and a couple of minor refinements to the body while still keeping the classic lines. I had a 69 stang in high school and though it could be a pain in the butt it still was a fun car to drive. Incidently, I'm on the downside of 42. I agree the cars of the 80s pretty much sucked styling wise. I even owned a 79 pacecar stang and I never cared much for the fox body styling but the performance was good. I want one of the new ones but it will probably have to wait another 3 - 4 years. Since my 2 oldest kids are getting close to graduation I'm going to start focusing on the rebuild of the 69. When done it should perform at least as good as one of the new ones if not better.
I agree that Ford has hit a home run with the comeback of the Mustang. Actually, it wasn't until 1999 when the Mustang really started looking like a real Mustang. The entire side panels and the rear or the 99-04 Mustang looked like a real Mustang. The 2005-2007 Mustangs even look more retro. I like that.
Now I only hope that the next generation Mustang which is supposed to come out in 2009 is going to look even nicer than the 2005+ ones. I would like to see the next generation Mustang in 2009 look exactly like or close to the 1969 body style. The 69 Mustang IMHO is the BEST body style ever made by Ford.