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Nobody ever raves about the great indoors.

The automotive world mourned when Cadillac retired the “last” convertible in 1976, and rejoiced when Chrysler brought the ragtop back in 1982. On a hot summer night, when the stars are out and the roof disappears behind the seat, it’s hard to believe we ever thought a sunroof was enough.

I remember the first time I saw the new Mustang, when Ford debuted it at the Detroit auto show. It all went as most of them do: a stilted speech from a company representative, a short film (which didn’t work properly), soaring inspirational music, and a cloud of dry-ice fog through which the car was driven. And my first thought, when the headlights cut through the haze and those eight cylinders roared through the twin pipes was, “Holy (expletive deleted), they got it right.”

Does everyone like it? Of course not, but it’s not their fault that they don’t know any better. Put it next to the last-generation Mustang, and that previous pony looks old and dated, even though the new Mustang emulates a model built four decades ago.

2006 Ford Mustang V8 GT Convertible. Click image to enlarge

The Mustang is available in two engine sizes, a 4.0-litre V6 and a 4.6-litre V8. Time was when nobody in his/her right mind would admit to a desire for the smaller powerplant, but Ford’s V6 is exceptional, and if I were actually laying out the cash – including a buck and change for every litre of gas through it – my invoice would feature the six-banger, five-speed stick shift and soft roof. I’d also throw on the new-for-2006 “Pony Package”; it adds the larger wheels, ABS and traction control that are standard on the V8. I really want it for the grille-mounted fog lamps which are, as far as I’m concerned, the only way this Stanger’s nose should go out the door.

Right now, though, I’m not paying for this V8-powered GT convertible – although a starting price of $36,999 for that configuration is fairly reasonable – and the weather cooperated beautifully.

Ford got the styling right, but more importantly, they got the sound right. Any kinship you may feel with the movie Bullitt is dead-on. The V8 doesn’t just start up; it roars to life, through a pair of twin tailpipes cut into the bumper. If that rumble doesn’t get your blood pumping, you don’t deserve to be called a gearhead. Go buy a minivan, and leave the rest of us alone.

2006 Ford Mustang V8 GT Convertible. Click image to enlarge

What’s even better is that it doesn’t just end with that initial snarl. The beauty of this beast is that even though it’s all electronic, it sounds mechanical; you expect to open the hood and see carburetors and linkages. Those who grew up on more modern cars bemoan the lack of independent rear suspension, but purists don’t mind: the solid axle can take a lot of race-day punishment should you be that way inclined, and even if you aren’t, this one still smoothes out most road imperfections, and keeps the rear wheels planted in a way that the 1960s versions could only dream of doing.

The power roof opens quickly and easily: pull down two latches and press a button. Installing the fabric boot cover is trickier – it’s a pain in the butt, frankly – but take the time to do it, because it’s all about the look. Besides, we won’t be putting the roof back up for quite a while.

2006 Ford Mustang V8 GT Convertible. Click image to enlarge

Make no mistake: you will be noticed. This is Radar Love territory. Slip that one into the Shaker 500 stereo and crank it up to eleven. Sure, it’s not the most sophisticated system on the market; you’re not going to mistake this for Audi’s Bang & Olufsen stereo, or Volvo’s Dolby Pro Logic II. But this is American muscle, and all it needs to be is loud – and this one definitely is. And if you’re a true enthusiast, you’ll just be listening to the engine anyway.

You’ll listen to the rumble when you sit at the intersection, and the roar when you take the short-throw shifter through the gears. You want to hit all the red lights just so you can shift it up and down again. The seats are low-slung, the hood is massive, and the dash looks like it was lifted out of the cars that Steve McQueen and Carroll Shelby drove. There’s chrome, for heaven’s sake. And it belongs there.

The funny thing is, when you look at individual aspects of the new Mustang, there’s always something out there that does a better job.

2006 Ford Mustang V8 GT Convertible. Click image to enlarge

Handling? Mazda3 runs rings around it. Shift quality? Let’s talk Miata MX-5. Interior fit and finish? Hello, Toyota. Power? One word: Hemi. And even the relatively bargain-basement Pontiac G6 has a retractable hardtop.

But none of those cars bring everything together the way the Mustang does, at least not for people who grew up immersed in the golden age of muscle, when you could delete every option short of the windshield, and your car was just an engine stand for that monster under the hood. This Mustang is not for tuners, or for sports car fans, or for those who appreciate the supersweet power-with-finesse that the Germans and the Italians and the Japanese do so well. This car is for grey-haired enthusiasts, perhaps with a bit of a paunch but still with a lot of love for sheet metal and meaty tires, who know that a six-pack doesn’t involve beer and a pistol grip has nothing to do with guns.

This car is the Boss on the stereo, nowhere you have to be, the roof down, the road open, and nothing to look at but stars and a centre line that goes on forever.

Did Ford get it right? Damn right they did, in spades.