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The Ford Mustang is the sole remaining traditional American muscle car, since Chevrolet discontinued its Camaro again, and the Dodge Charger has gone all woke with an electric powertrain or pansy six-cylinder engine. Ford’s has even doubled down on the Mustang as of late, taking the not-so-humble muscle car to new heights with the introduction of the $300,000 Mustang GTD, so there’s plenty going on with the original pony car to celebrate. Ford is doing just that with “American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience,“ which blends a few museum-style historical and technical exhibits with a 4D video experience and two projection rooms.

From an original 1964.5 Mustang GT to the cutting-edge GTD, guests get an entertaining history lesson on the Mustang’s cultural impact throughout its 50 years in production. The experience takes place in a warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles that’s located in front of the drainage ditch that hosted the iconic “Gone In 60 Seconds” movie chase scene. The experience was designed by the team that produced “Bodies: The Exhibition” and the seemingly redundant Titanic Immersive experience, so it’s pretty well orchestrated, if a bit cringey at times.

Immersive experience explained

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When you first walk into the warehouse, you enter a waiting area that has a museum-style exhibit about the Mustang’s inception. It includes photos of the three other design studies that were in the running of becoming the original Mustang, but the real excitement begins once you enter the first immersive room. I found the wording used to describe the event to be supremely vague, so I’ll do my best to paint a clear picture of what to expect.

In the first immersive experience, guests enter a white-walled, ceiling-less room, with only a powder blue 1964.5 Mustang GT at the front. The entire room acts as a projection screen, with animations moving across the floor and all four walls taking you through a brief timeline of the Mustang’s history, as well as its cultural significance. From the rotating platform at the 1964 World’s Fair to the modern streets of Hollywood, complete with a musical retrospective and a healthy dose of Ford verbally autofellating.

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After that, guests are herded through halls to the next immersive room that only has stools and a modern Mustang Dark Horse surrounded by white walls. This projection begins, and you quickly learn that this Mustang is on a rotating platform that moves with the projections. The projection in this room takes you through a virtual joyride that starts on a seaside mountain road and ends in an entertaining GTA-style chase scene.

Traditional exhibits, and a very non-traditional movie experience

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After the two immersion rooms, there are two more traditional exhibits. The first showcases some of the most famous Ford Mustangs to grace the silver screen, from Eleanor, the 1967 Mustang of “Gone In 60 Seconds” fame, to the 2005 Mustang Saleen S281 from the first “Transformers” movie, to the 1973 Ford Mustang Convertible from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

The next exhibit is dedicated to the bonkers Mustang GTD. There’s a gold example on display, and for nerds like me, there are disassembled chassis components on display to show how the trick inboard Multimatic rear suspension works, as well as the massive rear spoiler’s active aerodynamics and the artful front suspension.

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The final room is a doozy; it’s a 4D movie. You walk in and see four rows of theater-style seats, put on the provided over-ear headphones, and the show begins. You’re taken through a thrilling imagined world-saving mission, all while the seats rumble and move, you get blown by fans in the armrest that also release scents, and there’s an occasional squirt of water when it aligns with what’s happening on the screen. I was not warned about any of this prior to experiencing it so it was very surprising. If you go please be aware of what to expect, and use a waterproof finishing spray on any makeup you wear.

Overall, the Mustang Immersive Experience is a fun way to spend around 45 minutes of your time. It will remain in Downtown LA through February of next year, with tickets costing a steep $35, not including parking next door, which will cost $10. And yes, there is a gift shop where you can spend even more money on Mustang-branded goodies.

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Though it has cringey moments, the experience is pretty neat and makes anyone with Mustang-related memories feel all nostalgic and warm and fuzzy, which is a welcome break from the constant onslaught of chaos that happens around us at all times.