2005 Ford
Five Hundred
 By Larry Edsall

On sale fall 
of 2004

 $22,000 up

Pershing: 76 
By Eric Colby

Impress the neighbors—for only

 $4.7 million

While its name may rekindle memories of famous Fords of the past, the 2005 Ford Five Hundred is a thoroughly modern car. Ford says the all-new Five Hundred sedan will be the flagship of its car line in the coming years.

Ford first used the 500 designation in 1957 to indicate the highest trim level when it introduced its Fairlane, a new model that helped Ford overtake Chevrolet as the country's No. 1-selling marque. Ford introduced a new top-of-the-line model, the Galaxie, in 1959 and soon used the 500 badge to indicate the top trim level for that car. However, the 500 designation went into hiatus when Ford joined other automakers in downsizing its full-size sedans in 1979.

But Ford now brings back the Five Hundred and not just as a trim package but as an all-new nameplate for a car that Ford expects to redefine the American sedan in much the same way that the Taurus did when it was launched nearly two decades ago. While the Taurus introduced a jellybean shape to the American highways, the Five Hundred offers luxurious styling that may remind you of an Audi A6 or other European import.

Nudging the joystick controls, I tweaked the drive trim and watched the rpm climb by a couple hundred as the boat picked up speed. A tap of the trim tab controls settled the bow and we were cruising oh-so smoothly across the tops of the three-foot waves capped by wind-blown froth at 50 mph. Just for kicks, I tried raising the drives a little more. The rpm climbed but we lost speed. I knew that would happen, but playing with the trim and fiddling with the throttles is part of the fun of taking the helm of a performance boat, especially one like the Pershing 76. With a pair of 2,000-bhp MTU V-16 diesels mated to Arneson by Twin Disc ASD15 surface drives, this Italian hot rod hit a top speed of 54.7 mph.

The Arnesons add to the 76’s versatility because they’re trimmable. At 1800 rpm, this boat does 44.6 mph. I lowered the trim tabs to drop the bow and settle the ride. If you have some wimps onboard, pull back to 1250 rpm and trim down the drives and tabs—the 76 will still run 25 mph and no one onboard will worry about spilling a drop of espresso.

Want to have some more fun? Crank the wheel. The 76’s deep-V bottom measures 22 degrees at the stern and banks like a classic offshore go-fast—it completes the maneuver easier and tighter than any inboard.