Oficially official, the 2015 Ford Mustang

As promised, here's the all new 2015 Ford Mustang. The first completely new Mustang with inspiration from 50 years of production (yes even the Mustang II years). What can I say about the 2015 Mustang? Well for one, it looks fantastic. While overall the car is just a tad larger than the current Mustang. The new car actually looks smaller than it is. Which I really like. It gives the look of a sporty European sports car. The design is fresh and crisp, and when you get in to GT trim, it's very aggressive. The styling was critical when it came to the new Mustang as this is the first Mustang to be designed for global distribution. Believe it or not, all previous Mustangs were not made for global sales. And because of this new focus for the Mustang. Ford is pulling out all the stops to make a truly world class product. The new car is lower and wider with a wider rear track. And for the first time in a number of years, a true fastback body that leads to three dimensional LED, sequential tail lamps. You may notice the lack of the faux gas cap that had become a staple of the previous Mustang is absent in the photos. We have been reassured by a source that there will be a faux cap offered on some trim levels of the new car, however not all of them. Up front, we find LED running lamps, and a design treatment heavy on Ford Design DNA that still captures the Mustang's grille and shark bite design we have come to love on the GT 500.

The big news for the new Mustang lie in the performance and suspension. The traditional V6 and 5.0 liter V8 engines remain. But they are now joined by an optional 2.3 liter Ecoboost 4 cylinder. A first for the Mustang for nearly 30 years. And don't think this will just be a fuel sipping Focus in a new body. The Ecoboost Mustang is expected to pony out 305 Hp with 300 lb.-ft of torque. So you'll still get all the performance while saving some gas. The Ecoboost features a cast aluminum cylinder block with forged steel crankshafts and connecting rods. It also includes a newly designed high flow cylinder head with integrated exhaust manifold and a new twin scroll turbo charger that will make its debut on the Mustang.

The 5.0 liter will have in the neighborhood of 420 hp on tap while the standard 3.7 liter V6 will be at 300 hp. The V8 features larger valves, revised and re-balanced camshafts, and forged connecting rods and valve springs, for optimum high RPM performance. The engines will be backed by an updated 6 speed manual trans or a new select shift 6 sped automatic that will offer for the first time in a Mustang, paddle shifters. Very European no? The Getrag manual trans has had the shifter location moved closer to the drive and away from the cupholders (a complaint in the outgoing car). The new output shaft has been designed with a new ball bearing that will allow the GT to have a top speed of 155 miles per hour.

Flipping the shiny side over is where the Mustang is going to get really exciting. The Mustang is setting new benchmarks in terms of handling. The suspension has been redesigned from the ground up. The outgoing Boss 302 was the benchmark which has now been exceeded. A new perimeter subframe reduces the overall mass of the car while also making it stiffer. Thus allowing for more predictable wheel control to allow for better ride quality, handling, and steering. This new front suspension also allows for larger brakes to be utilized. And for 2015, there will be three different brake packages available. One will likely be Brembos.

In back where the rubber meets the road, a new integral-link independent rear suspension, again designed for the ultimate in ride quality and handling. This marks the first time the Mustang has ever had an independent rear end. Though I'm sure many diehards will miss the old live real axle, we're sure they'll take to this one.

Like all new Fords, the 2015 Mustang will feature the SYNC system and the new My Key system. The drive will also have different drive modes available (not sure if available on every model) allowing the driver to adjust engine, suspension, and steering settings at the touch of a button. A new advanced stability control system and the GT's standard launch control round out a powerful performance punch.

Looking at the interior pictures, I'm seeing a lot of new, and more upscale additions. First, a source at Ford confirmed that the material quality will definitely be far better than what we have seen on the previous Mustang. Better quality materials and leathers for a more quality feel. For instance, a leather covered dash top and center console, memory power seats, and it looks like the GT will have two additional gauges in the center of the dash. All 2015 Mustangs will also wear a special badge on the dashboard saying "Since 1964" In honor of the Mustang's 50th anniversary April 17th, 1964. An interesting fact, even though the Mustang's launch considered the car a 1964 1/2. Most states did not recognize a half year for title and registration purposes, thus making all 64 1/2s really 1965 Mustangs.

Pricing hasn't been released yet, though I wouldn't expect it to be far off from the current Mustang's base price. Ford is expecting the 2015 Mustang to hit showrooms in late 2014.


Source & Photos: Ford Motor Co.

This is it! The 2015 Ford Mustang

It was bound to happen. Ford's plan was to reveal the 2015 Ford Mustang on Thursday. But as usual, things don't always go to plan. An adept reader of AutoWeek magazine received their December 9th issue and smack on the cover is the completely new Mustang.

It's a very tasteful mix of American Muscle meets European Tuning. I was worried that the car would be too much Ford Design DNA (i.e. Fusion, Taurus, etc). But this car isn't. You look at it, and instantly think Mustang. I won't go in to too much detail now, that is until I get my hands on the official photos and specs from Ford on Thursday, so stay tuned.

Source: Mustang6g.com

Happy Birtday Mustang! And a special milestone.

April 17th, 1964. That was the day that the automotive world was turned on it's ear. It was on this day that Ford Motor Company unveiled the all new 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang. Launched at the New York Worlds Fair, the Mustang quickly rose to be Ford's best selling car since the Model A. It also launched the pony car craze that led to the muscle car. Ford sold over 400,000 Mustangs in 1964. 100,000 of which were sold in the first 3 months of production.

That leads us to today's milestone. 49 years to the day of the introduction of the Mustang, Ford's Flat Rock, Michigan plant produced it's 1 millionth Mustang. Production of the Mustang was moved to Flat Rock from the famous Rouge factory in 2004 for the launch of the redesigned 2005 Mustang. Since 1964, over 8.5 million Mustangs have been tearing up American roads.

The car, a ruby red 2014 convertible was driven off the line by Raj Nair, Ford's Vice President for global product development. The production of the 1 millionth Flat Rock Mustang also helps to launch the 50th anniversary year of the Mustang. 


Source: Ford Motor Co.

Press release:

FLAT ROCK, Mich., April 17, 2013 � Happy Birthday Mustang! Forty-nine years to the day after its 1964 debut in New York, the iconic sports car celebrates another milestone: One million Mustangs have rolled off the line at Ford�s Flat Rock Assembly Plant since production moved there in 2004. Ford is celebrating this milestone as year 50 of continuous Mustang production gets under way at Flat Rock Assembly.

 

Raj Nair, group vice president for global product development, today rode off the line at Flat Rock Assembly Plant in a Ruby Red 2014 Mustang convertible. Nair was riding shotgun with Ed Salna, material planning and logistics manager at the plant. Salna is a 27-year veteran of Flat Rock Assembly, starting work there more than a year before the plant produced its first car.

 

�Mustang is one of the most beloved nameplates in the industry, with fans around the world and throughout Ford Motor Company,� said Nair. �The team here at Flat Rock Assembly has built an outstanding reputation for quality while producing one million Mustangs over the last nine years, and we expect that to continue for many years to come.�

 

Ford has built Mustangs near its home base in Dearborn, Mich. for 49 years. The car was built at Ford�s famous Rouge factory, just a few minutes from company headquarters, for four decades before moving a few miles south to Flat Rock in 2004.

 

Introduced in April 1964, Mustang proved to be far more popular than anyone expected, prompting Ford to add production capacity outside Michigan. By early 1965 plants in Metuchen, N.J. and San Jose, Calif. were also building Mustang. Less than two years later, on Wednesday, March 2, 1966, the one-millionth Mustang rolled off the line in Dearborn. To date, Ford has produced and sold more than 8.5 million Mustangs.

 

The launch of Mustang production at Flat Rock coincided with introduction of the then all-new fifth-generation model � first in the series to get a dedicated platform. In addition to the standard V6 and the V8-powered GT model, Mustangs coming out of Flat Rock Assembly Plant have included several special editions and race cars:

 

• In 2006 Flat Rock built a limited run of black and gold Shelby GT-H coupes for Hertz rental fleets to commemorate the 1966 Shelby GT350H rental car
• 2007 brought the debut of the Shelby GT500 Mustang developed by SVT with a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 producing 500 horsepower, the most ever for a Mustang then
• For the 2008 and 2009 model years, the Mustang lineup included the Bullitt, inspired by the car driven by the title character in the 1968 film of the same name
• For the 2012 and 2013 model years, Flat Rock built the track-optimized Boss 302
• The Flat Rock line has produced numerous competition versions of Mustang including the FR500, Boss 302R and the extremely successful Cobra Jet drag racer

The Flat Rock factory has been producing vehicles since 1987, when it opened as Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA and built the Mazda MX-6. In 1992 Ford purchased a 50 percent share in the plant and it was renamed AutoAlliance International. Over the years Flat Rock Assembly has produced the Mazda 626, Mazda6, Mercury Cougar and Ford Probe. In addition to Mustang, Flat Rock will add production of the Fusion sedan later this year.

 

�Flat Rock has gone through an amazing transformation over the past year,� said Tim Young, plant manager, Flat Rock Assembly Plant. �We�ve invested $555 million including a state-of-the-art, fully flexible body shop and an upgraded paint shop to make sure we�re continuing to build the best of the best for the next one million Mustangs.�

 

�The one-millionth Mustang is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of the Flat Rock Local 3000 membership,� said Tony Bondy, UAW Local 3000 chairman. �It�s been great building an iconic American car since 2004, and with the introduction of Fusion along with our new plant upgrades, we will keep building world-class quality in Flat Rock for years to come.�

 

Ford is adding 1,400 jobs and a second shift at Flat Rock Assembly Plant to support new Fusion production as part of its plan to add 12,000 hourly jobs in the United States through 2015.

Hurricane Sandy vs Collector Cars

Ok, first it's Hurricane Sandy, not Super Storm Sandy. No matter how you slice it, it was still a hurricane that rocked the east coast of the U.S. in October. And the one thing that drives any car guy crazy is to see vehicular damage. We cringed at a photo floating around facebook that was also the cover shot of Automotive News magazine last week of a fleet of Ford Crown Victorias and a few Transit Connect taxis sitting in a lot flooded with water. Turns out they were brand new cars sitting at a Ford owned dealership in Manhattan. So it turns out not only were they Crown Vics, they were some of the LAST Crown Vics built.

From our friends over at Hemmings comes these photos snapped by a reader of two Aston Martins that weren't so lucky last month. Makes you want to cry.


See all the photos here.

Source & Photos: Hemmings Blog

Officially licensed: 1940 Ford coupes

Want to build your dream 1940 Ford coupe hot rod, but don't want to feel guilty about cutting up an original '40 Ford? Well now you can build your dream rod thanks to Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts. Just in time for SEMA, Ford will display a bare metal body and a hot rod built using the new preproduction body. The bodies can be bought fairly reasonably at about $12,000. Which is not bad when compared with finding, buying, shipping, and then repairing an original body. 

 

The 1940 Ford is just one of many classic cars gaining the support and blessings of their original manufacturer for a full reproduction. It joins the classic 1932 Ford and 1964-1970 Mustangs. I've also included a picture of an all original '40 Deluxe Coupe spotted in Hershey.

 

Source: Ford Motor Co. 

 

Press release:

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 26, 2012 � One of the most cherished and collected classic cars of the pre-World War II and hot rod era � the iconic 1940 Ford Coupe � is the latest addition to Ford Motor Company�s growing stable of officially licensed all-steel reproduction car bodies.

 

Available now for ordering, and complementing the 1965-70 Mustang bodies, the 1940 Ford Coupe body is also constructed of modern, high-strength steel and is assembled using modern welding techniques. The new body comes rustproofed from the factory and is ready to be assembled as a custom hot rod or as a faithful tribute to the original.

 

At the upcoming Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Ford will display a custom 1940 Ford hot rod built using a reproduction body and a new bare body shell that demonstrates the high-quality construction. Prices start at $11,900 plus shipping. The full body shell as well as individual steel panels are available through Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts, http://www.dennis-carpenter.com.

 

 

The fully built, copper-colored SEMA show car sports a new 5.0-liter V8 engine, four-speed automatic transmission and Mustang II front suspension. The roof has also been chopped or lowered to give the car an even meaner look.

 

�Like its older 1932 Deuce Coupe and younger Mustang siblings, the 1940 Ford is a bodystyle and design that represents Ford at its best,� said Dennis Mondrach, Ford Restoration Parts licensing manager. �The 1940 Ford Coupe has always been highly sought after and collectible. Unfortunately, good, solid restorable examples have become hard to find and expensive, so this faithful reproduction is bound to prove popular.�

 

The �40 Ford: Part of American culture

The 1940 Ford has had a major influence on post-World War II America, said Detroit automotive historian Joe Cabadas, author of ��40 Ford: Evolution * Design * Racing * Hot Rodding.�

 

�Bootleggers down south always wanted to know who had the fastest car,� said Cabadas. �Because of its lightweight V8 engine, they started racing them on Sundays, and that is the beginning of stock car racing.�

 

After World War II, the 1940 Ford was at the forefront of another major cultural movement � hot rodding. The �40 Ford got noticed by World War II veterans, who began buying up the cars and turning them into hot rods by adding performance equipment to the car�s flathead V8 engine.

 

The 1940 Ford has been a fixture in Hollywood, appearing in countless TV shows and movies such as �American Graffiti,� �Bugsy� and �Mulholland Drive.�

 

�With their big fenders and integrated headlights, the 1937-40 Ford was one of the first streamlined cars from Ford Motor Company,� Cabadas said. �Edsel Ford had a hand in its style. He wanted a family look for Ford and Lincoln vehicles, and so you can see some Lincoln Zephyr in it. The 1940 was also one of the few cars in its price class with a V8.�

 

Reproduction body: A blank canvas

Hobbyists looking to build a hot rod using the new 1940 body are limited only by their imagination and budget. The new body is available with a stock firewall that accommodates the original flathead V8. However, for those looking for greater performance from a modern powertrain, the new 1940 Ford body can alternatively be ordered with a recessed firewall that will allow much larger modern engines to be installed.

 

As with the officially licensed reproduction parts available for the 1965-70 Mustang bodies, Ford also supports the 1940 Ford with an array of correct mechanical and trim restoration parts. To see what is available for the 1940, visit www.fordrestorationparts.com.

 

Dennis Carpenter, owner of one of the nation�s largest classic Ford restoration parts companies, owes his start in the business more than 40 years ago to the 1940 Ford.

 

Carpenter was having trouble locating a good used set of dash knobs for a car he was restoring � and still owns � so he approached Ford and obtained permission to reproduce the knobs using original factory blueprints and designs. Today his company, Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts, produces many Ford-licensed parts for the 1940 Ford. With the body now back in production, Carpenter is gearing up to add even more trim parts for the car.

 

�When you see a beautifully restored 1940 Ford, it is like a piece of jewelry,� Carpenter said. �People just really love the lines of that car. It is timeless and appeals to all ages.�

 

# # #

 

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 168,000 employees and about 65 plants worldwide, the company�s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

For when Zombies attack! Get back with a 6x6 F250

This is just the thing for a zombie apocalypse. What's better than a diesel powered, 6x6 driven, quad headlight, Ford F250 crew cab for you and your family to cruise in? I spotted this behemoth on the back of a flat bed trailer parked on the side of the road outside of Zelienople Pennsylvania. No one was available at the shop it was outside of to get details as to what exactly this truck was built for. A few friends on facebook have said they've seen it at mud bogs and tractor pulls in the area, but no one has ever seen it run. Here's what we can tell though. Whoever built it, really took their time to create something that doesn't really look home built. The bed has been professionally finished to look like a factory piece. Same with the grille and second set of headlights which instantly make you think of a pickup from the fictitious "Wagon Queen" brand from the National Lampoon movies. Even to the point of adding the fender and hood edges from the donor truck to make a finished front fascia. They were likely added for height limitations for lights so the truck can be driven on the road.

The body appears to be resting on a military style 6x6 chassis and and powered by likely the same diesel engine from the view I had through the fender well. And of course there's the air horn trumpets and the twin giant fuel tanks mounted in between the axles and the the twin big rig exhaust stacks in the bed. The truck also appears to have an air suspension added to raise and lower the truck. When I initially spotted this truck I first thought it was an old monster truck, and then an F150 mounted to a big rig frame, but closer inspection revealed the 6x6 chassis.  I'm trying to dig up some more details on this truck as it's just too cool to look away from.

Ford unveils 2013 GT500 tribute to Carroll Shelby

Ol' Carroll Shelby may no longer be with us. But his name and legend (good or bad) lives on. As part of this weeks events in Monterey, California, Friends of Carroll Shelby has unveiled this special four wheeled tribute to Shelby in the form of the 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra. Packing the punch of 663 horsepower, a Whipple supercharger ups the output to over 850 horsepower.

Ok, enough with the horsepower. How about the trick wide body thanks to Ice Nine Group of Detroit, Michigan. And of course there's the classic Shelby GT350 hoot scoop and a few other retro Mustang touches. Then there's the 20x10 and 20x13 wheels to fill out the wheel wells. Now I'm not usually a fan of 20 inch wheels, but they just seem to really work on this car. The Cobra was painted classic Shelby Guardsman Blue with Wimbledon White dual racing stripes, one of my all time favorite color combinations and really shows off the lines of the new Mustang.

Now of course, this car is technically a concept car. I wouldn't expect to see this on dealer showrooms any time soon.


Source: Ford Motor Company

Press Release:

MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 17, 2012 � Friends of Carroll Shelby, including Ford Motor Company, Shelby American, Ford Racing and many others have built a unique 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra as a tribute to the late Carroll Shelby.

 

Ford is also announcing a renamed road at its Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich., as a tribute to Shelby as well. Cobra has been the consistent performance label as Shelby worked with Ford for most of the last 60 years, and Shelby was instrumental in the creation of Ford performance vehicles including Cobras, the GT40 and Mustangs since the mid-1960s.

 

2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra

The unique tribute car was unveiled by Ford Motor Company board member Edsel Ford II, Ford�s group vice president for sales and marketing Jim Farley, and Shelby American president John Luft at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion where Cobra is the marque of show for 2012.

 

�Even at 89 years of age, Carroll was an inspiration to us all,� says Farley. �This year marks the 50th anniversary of the original Shelby Cobra. The one-off car we have created represents the very idea he had about making the 2013 Shelby GT500 into a true Cobra.�

 

Using the 662-horsepower 2013 Shelby GT500 as a foundation, �Friends of Carroll� created the one-of-a-kind 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra wide-body Mustang that now generates more than 850 horsepower with the help of a Ford Racing 4.0-liter Whipple supercharger.

 

Putting that much power to the ground requires plenty of traction, so the 13-inch-wide rear wheels are wrapped in massive 345-section high-performance tires for extra grip.

 

Ford Motor Company teamed up with Shelby American for several key components on the Carroll Shelby tribute car. Shelby American provided a specially designed hood, new rear wide-body kit, Shelby Wilwood brakes and new 20x13-inch rear and 20x10-inch front wheels. The bodywork is finished in the same Guardsman Blue with Wimbledon White stripes that graced so many of the Cobra roadsters built in the 1960s.

 

�Carroll Shelby changed the performance world forever,� says Luft. �And while he was proud of Shelby American�s achievements, Carroll was far more interested in the next car we would build. You will find the spirit and influence of Carroll Shelby in every future vehicle we build just as you�ll find it in the rear wide-body kit and hood integrated into the 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra.�

 

�You might also know that Carroll was a philanthropist, noted for supporting causes that moved him,� adds Farley. �In that spirit, this car will be taken on tour around the country, and hopefully will be used in a special way at the end of its tour �  a way Carroll would appreciate.�

 

Before the 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra hits the road, it will be shown at the Ford display in the expo area at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion this weekend.

 

Carroll Shelby Way

For more than half a century, Carroll Shelby inspired designers and engineers throughout the extended Ford family. As a teenager, Edsel Ford II worked for Shelby doing a variety of jobs including cleaning transmission parts.

 

Countless engineers crossed paths with Shelby over the years, from those who crafted the original GT40 to those working on the 2013 Shelby GT500. Up until his death, Carroll Shelby remained committed to developing great performance cars. Even at the age of 88, he spent more than five hours driving the most powerful production Mustang ever during engineering validation sessions at Sebring and the Arizona Proving Grounds in late 2011.

 

During and after test sessions, Carroll spent hours discussing with engineers what he liked and what needed improvement. No one who worked with Carroll will ever forget it, and his lessons in vehicle dynamics will be passed along to coming generations.

 

Ford product development engineers now will get a daily reminder of Carroll�s way as they traverse the newly renamed Carroll Shelby Way through the heart of the Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich., to the entrance of the proving ground.

 

�Sadly, Carroll Shelby is no longer with us, but his spirit lives on with the designers and engineers he interacted with over the years and he will continue to influence Ford performance cars for many years to come,� says Farley.

14th Annual All Ford Powered Car Show

On June 10th, the Greater Pittsburgh Mustang Club held their 14th Annual All Ford Powered Car Show at Shults Ford/Lincoln in Harmarville, PA. It was a beautiful day for a car show with hardly a cloud in the sky and the blue oval well represented across the board. The show has been renamed the Tom Cavataio Memorial Show in honor of GPMC longtime member Tom Cavataio who passed away in late 2011. Tom's beautiful Grabber Blue 1970 Mach 1 was prominently displayed by his family. And anyone who knew Tom, knew he shared a great passion for anything blue oval. I entered my 2009 Mustang Bullitt for the 3rd year and brought home 2nd place for 2005-current Mustangs. Here's some pictures from the event as well as a full album of pictures taken throughout the day.

California Highway Patrol switching to SUVs

When you think of a highway patrol car, you instantly think Ford Crown Victoria. And usually in California Highway Patrol black n' white trim. Since the Crown Vic went out of production last year, you see a few older models out on the roads that have been slowly replaced by the Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus, or the Chevrolet Caprice (I know we haven't seen one yet either). But Ford also produces the new Explorer in a police package, and that's what the California Highway Patrol is leaning towards to replace their fleet and to keep it in the Ford family. The CHP maintains a fleet of 4,000 vehciles (give or take a few) and each year, they replace 1/3rd of that fleet with new vehicles.

Due to the ammount of gear that a trooper has to car with him or her on any given day is always increasing. And now with gear mandated by the Department of Homeland Security, the smaller patrol cars offered by the big three just won't cut it.

Of course they'll still be black and white....


Source: California Highway Patrol.

Old Nascars rock!

Kind of like the saying that some things get meaner as they get older. Vintage Nascars were much cooler than their counterparts of today. Take a look at this photo from the fine folks over at Hemmings Motor News. This shot taken in 1956 at the Holman-Moody shop in Charlotte, NC. This shows the then new, and essentially stock 1956 Fords campaigned that year. Two sedans and two convertibles. This was when stock car racing was really exciting since you could go and buy the same cars you saw tearing up the tracks. Things were so much simpler then.

Source: Hemmings Motor News