By Gary Anderson

How much would you pay to relive your high school days? If you were in the class of 1969, how does $29,290 sound? For that you can be big man in the campus parking lot and date the homecoming queen, whether or not you managed either of those feats in high school.

That price will buy a 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1, one of the best of the retro cars currently on the market. Slide into the driver’s seat, trimmed with ’60s “Comfort-Weave” leather and painted Torch Red with black accents that my wife Genie and I drove recently. Or you can have it in Competition Orange, Screaming Yellow, or other attention-grabbing colors.

Turn the key and start the 305 horsepower V-8 engine, just to hear that inimitable low-down rumble through the twin stainless exhaust pipes. Blip the throttle a few times and notice that the big black hood scoop sitting in the middle of your field of vision vibrates with the engine and moves sideways slightly with each touch of the throttle.

The best part of this car is the famous “shaker” hood scoop that set the original Mach 1 apart from all the other pony cars in the day. Fastened directly to the engine and projecting up through an opening in the hood, like the scoops on dragstrip monsters, it moves with every motion of the engine.

Track the revs on the big tachometer and notice that the dials of all the instruments look as if they came right from a ’60s Mustang. The interior isn’t glitzy, like some retros. It just looks purposeful and even a little mean.

Slide some golden-oldie rock ‘n’ roll CDs into the six-disc CD changer on the high-grade stereo and enjoy the symphony of exhaust counterpoint to driving bass guitar. For those of us who harbor a little nostalgia for the ’60s, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Or does it? We were pleased and, frankly, a little surprised to find that this model — built by Ford to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Mustang’s introduction in 1964 — wasn’t some graphics-enhanced wannabe, all saddle and no ponies. Not at all. It’s the real deal.

To start with, the Mach 1 has all the goodies that would have turned every head at the hamburger stand in 1969. Hooked to that big V-8 is a five-speed manual transmission and a Trac-Lok 3.55:1 live rear axle, controlled by a rear stabilizer bar. No use having all that power if we can’t keep the wheels from spinning.

Front and rear air dams, in the same flat black of the hood scoop, are counterpointed by a spoiler on the rear deck lid. The wheels–17-inch five-spoke Heritage alloy wheels shod with 245/45ZR17 Goodyear Eagle performance tires–fit right into to the muscle-car look.

Together, this package works on all levels. It looks and sounds right. We put over 500 miles on it driving to Buttonwillow Race Track on Interstate near Bakersfield.