Ford Says Next Mustang will be Designed with Styling Input from Around the World

*2006 Ford Mustang Giugiaro Concept Pictured above

Ford believes its Mustang pony car isn't just an icon in North America alone, but an icon all over the world and as such, it should reflect the company's new philosophy in which products are created with global input.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2011 Geneva motor show, Ford's group vice president for global product development Derrick Kuzak, dropped the bomb: the next-generation of the company's pony car will be the first Mustang with styling themes proposed by studios in Europe, Australia and other regions. Up until now, the design of the Mustang was a U.S.-only matter.

"It is a common process we [now] use on every vehicle," Derrick Kuzak told reporters in Geneva. "When we embark on a new product, particularly one that is all new, it involves all of the studios. Then J [Mays, Ford's global design chief] and the design team pick the best of those themes," he added.

Kuzak said that the 2012 Ranger pickup truck for markets outside North America is one of the latest examples of Ford's new global design approach which was adopted in 2008. "The Ranger was done by the Australian studio with input from the European studio," Kuzak said.

So, when will we see the next generation of the Mustang with design input from Ford's studios across the world? Unfortunately, Kuzak didn't provide an answer to that but it is believed that a new Mustang should enter the market by 2014.

Source: Autonews [Sub. Req.]

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Foxy Mustang vs. Tree: Tree 1, Mustang Nil [with Video]

What enterprising youth hasn�t hooned around an empty car park in a car? I think it�s safe to say that most motoring enthusiasts would have at one stage in their lives, before they had the bravado to exercise their �skillz� [sic] on the track (or, in some cases, a nasty accident that makes them take pause). Well, think of this video as the interim stage between, �Parking Lot Racer� and �Certified Track Demon�.

So we have this guy (it would have to be, yeah?) in a post-1987 Mustang. He�s participating in some sort of coned off track racing shenanigans. It�s all fun and games power sliding through the cones until the 1:05 minute mark. Then...BAM! On the plus side, the car hit on the passenger side, which appears from the video to be unoccupied.

One thing�s for certain; it�ll be a long time before this driver takes another Fox body Mustang around that tree-lined car park. Check out the video below and leave your piece in the comments section.

By Tristan Hankins

Via: Autoholics

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MotorTrend Pits the Corvette Z06, Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R Against Each Other

What weights ten tonnes and costs more than US$240,000? If you said, �a gold plated bulldozer�, you�d be close but no cigar. The answer is three sub-100k supercars: the Chevy Corvette Z06, Ford Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R. These three industry titans, with nameplates stretching as far back as the 1960s, were the recent subjects of an epic comparison test by MotorTrend. Here are three would-be-supercars � over 500hp and 3 second 0 to 60 mph times � that don�t command the supercar price tag.

The US$55,330 GT500, US$90,950 GT-R and US$98,010 Z06 are all within the budgets of most mid-life crisis suffers (providing you sell the house, the kids and the dog) and offer the sort of performance that was once the sole reserve of great Italians like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati.

And they�re not stripped out racers either. The Z06, for instance, comes with such luxuries as heated leather seats, Bose audio, Bluetooth and sat nav. You can�t buy a second-hand Lamborghini with that sort of equipment for US$98,010.

If you want to find out who wins this legendary battle, you�ll just have to check out the video. Even if you don�t care who wins you should check out the video anyways for a sweet-as drag race between the Z06, GT500 and GT-R. Now that�s something you don�t see everyday...

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Motortrend

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Polish Ford Mustang Club Shows how to YouTube America's Original Pony Car

It�s no secret that I�m a dyed-in-the-wool Mustang man. Though I acknowledge the gorgeous styling, sweet-as-syrup handling and raw power of cars like the Chevy Camaro, I know at heart I�d take a �67 Mustang fastback over one of them any day.

So when the chaps and chapettes at the Mustang Klub Polska (Polish Mustang Club) release a video that not only features a dozen great Mustangs but also the cinematography to do these cars justice, you know I�m gonna pounce on this quicker than the news pounces on any story about Lindsay Lohan.

There are so many Mustangs in this vid, it�s hard to keep track of them all, but you�ll surely pick out the 2008 Mustang Bullitt, Dark Highland Green �67 GT Fastback, red �65 convertible with the white top, a handful of 2010 Shelby GT500 Super Snakes and countless others including a few Foose Mustangs and a handful of Gen 4�s.

It�s a Mustang orgy. It�s like Adam West dropping the �66 Batmobile off at your house. It�s like Hollywood making a movie adaptation of an old TV show that doesn�t suck. It�s like Justin Bieber and George Lucas retiring on the same day, promising to not record any more songs or make any more Star Wars spin-offs.

It�s that good. So check out the video and leave your mark in the comments section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Via: Motofilm

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Shelby Introduces Limited Edition 2012 Shelby GT350, Adds Convertible Option for the First Time Since 1970

At the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, Shelby unveiled the limited edition 2012 Shelby GT350, which enters the new model year with two fresh color options and, for the first time since 1970, a convertible body style. Based on the Ford Mustang GT, the Shelby GT350 comes with three engine choices, including a base version with a naturally aspirated 430HP V8 mated to either a manual gearbox or an automatic transmission, and two supercharged variants delivering 525HP and 624HP.

The new color options are Race Red and Kona Blue, both with white Le Mans stripes, while the Performance White with blue Le Mans stripes combo continues for the 2012MY. Last but not least, the new GT350 convertible can be ordered with a light bar, while other options include a once piece drive shaft and color coordinated billet aluminum engine cap set.

�Last year, we brought back the GT350 45 years after it was launched,� said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby American. �They look and sound just like the ones we built in 1965. We�re repeating history by offering two additional colors and building a few convertibles for the second year of production.�

Prices, not including the donor Mustang GT, start from US$26,995 for the naturally aspirated version and US$33,995. The company said it plans to keep production limited to 350 units.

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One-off 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca to be Auctioned Off for Charity

At the 40th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, a one-of-a-kind 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca will go under the hammer to help raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Finished in a unique "Grabber Blue" paintjob, this Boss 302 Laguna Seca was specifically built by Ford for the auction and features a series of extra modifications over the stock model, which should increase its value at the auction.

The company's designers added distinctive black accents to various body parts (mirrors, roof and spoiler) and Citic Dicastal 10-spoke wheels, also painted black. Inside, Recaro buckets with embroidered Grabber Blue �Boss 302� inscriptions and other chromatic touches set this car apart.

The Laguna Seca package comes with upgraded suspension, chassis and aerodynamic kit, turning the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 into a ready-to-race muscle car. According to Ford, the Laguna Seca can easily reach 1.03 lateral Gs, while also featuring shorter stopping distances and faster acceleration times compared to the regular Boss 302.

Racing legend Parnelli Jones, who won the 1970 Trans-Am season opener in a Boss 302, will provide commentary from the auction stage with Ford�s Mustang team.

�I am very excited to see that Ford is carrying on the tradition of the Boss Mustang,� said Jones. �Ford had the right ingredients to bring back this legendary car and it�s a great addition to the Mustang lineup�.

During the last four years, Ford has raised nearly US $2.5 million for charity through similar events.

By Csaba Daradics

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Flashback: Steve McQueen Drives the 2005 Ford Mustang... 25 Years after His Death

In 1980, the world lost a cultural icon. Steve McQueen, the star of such films as Bullitt and Le Mans, had died. Metastatic cancer had claimed the life of the King of Cool.

Still, the legacy lives on. The actor�s love of cars and motorcycles was well known. McQueen competed in many motor races including the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Baja 1000. He also owned several semi-unique vehicles including a Jaguar XKSS, a Porsche 356 Speedster and a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso. Here was a man who loved his cars almost as much as we loved his movies.

Flash forward 25 years. In 2005, Ford released this ad for the fifth generation Ford Mustang. In it, a farmer carves a racetrack through his cornfield in a non-too-subtle nod to the 1989 film, Field of Dreams. As in that movie, �If you build it, he will come.�, and Steve McQueen magically appears out of the cornfield (looking pretty good for someone who�s been dead and buried for a quarter of a century) and takes the wheel of the Mustang for one last turn around the track.

Through the use of a body double and some nabbed footage, McQueen is there in the cornfield and behind the wheel. Even five years on the ad is pretty impressive from a purely technical standpoint. But don�t take my word for it! Watch it yourself and let us know what you think.

By Tristan Hankins

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Ford Unwraps Mustang Boss 302S Turn-Key Ready Racecar

With the introduction of the Mustang Boss 302S, Ford wants to offer enthusiasts an affordable way to road race. Based on the street legal Boss 302, the new racer is Ford�s third competition car to be sold through Ford Racing dealers, after the Mustang FR500S and FR500 CJ �Cobra Jet�.

�Ford Racing is excited to add an additional turn-key ready to race car to our stable, which includes the highly successful FR500C, FR500S, BOSS 302R and Cobra Jet�, said Mark Wilson, Engineering Manager Ford Racing. �The enthusiasts who purchase the Boss 302S will be competitive in both the World Challenge GTS and the NASA American Iron Series. We look forward to adding their names to the Boss 302's racing history�.

Developed by Ford Racing engineers, the 302S boasts a 440 hp 5.0-liter V8, coupled to a six-speed transmission of the standard car. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a T2 Torsen differential, while the suspension was beefed up with two-way adjustable coil-over dampers and Ford Racing anti-roll bars. 4-piston Brembo brakes provide stopping power.

As any self-respecting racecar, the Boss 302S comes with a complete aero kit, including a heat extracting fiberglass bonnet, adjustable front splitter and huge carbon fiber rear wing. Every car will come with a graphics package mimicking the original 1969 Boss 302.

The cabin was stripped of any components deemed unnecessary and fitted with a roll cage, race seat with 6-point belt, quick release steering wheel and AIM data acquisition system with GPS.

Built at Ford�s Flat Rock plant in Michigan, the racing-flavored 302S will be available in the second quarter of 2011. MSRP has been set at $79,000.

By Csaba Daradics

Ford Mustang Boss 302S specs

Engine

5.0L BossR engine

Engine oil cooler

FR serialized intake badge

Boss 302 fuel system

Upgraded cooling system

Driveline

5L Boss 6 speed transmission with stock Boss 302 clutch/flywheel

Torsen Diff

3.73 gears

FR1 Muffler

Chassis

Front: coil over struts

Front lower control arms with extended ball joint and delrin bushing kit

FR adjustable front swaybar

Caster/Camber plates

Rear: coil over shocksTubular lower control arms with spherical bearings

FR Swaybar

EPAS with unique Ford Racing calibration

FIA Spec 6 point roll cage

Electrical

Lightened FR wiring harness

AMB Transponder

Switch plate � Start/ignition, aux switches

Interior

AIM data aquisition system with GPS

Recaro HANS Pro Racer seat

Fire system with 2 nozzles

Quick release racing steering wheel

Window net

Safety system triangle nets

6 point racing harness

Master cut off switch

Exterior

FR front splitter

Rear adjustable CF wing

Unique fiberglass hood with air extractors

Hood pins

18X9.5? wheels

Boss 302S graphics package

F/R tow hooks

Brakes

Brembo race 4 piston front brake system

2 piece 14? front rotors

2 piece 12? rear rotors

PFC racing pads

Brake duct kit

Stainless steel brake lines

FR brake booster assembly

Unique FR ABS calibration

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VIDEO: 800 hp Shelby GT500 Blows Up During Dyno Test

We don�t know if this is a factory 800-horsepower Super Snake or a privately tuned GT500, but something went very wrong during this dyno test... It might have happened due to insufficient cooling or a faulty component - we just don't know. Whatever the cause, the owner is one unhappy guy. Follow the break and watch the engine going up in flames and a cloud of smoke.

By Csaba Daradics

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2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 gets a Special TracKey that Unleashes the Muscle Car's Full Potential

Good news for buyers of the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 as Ford announced today that it will provide two sets of keys for the muscle car. And why is this newsworthy, we hear you ask? Because the second optional set, called TracKey, promises to unleash the full performance of the Mustang Boss 302. You see, the TracKey communicates with an additional powertrain control module (PCM) turning the special edition 'Stang into a competition-ready track car.

Once the Boss 302 is started with TracKey, the PCM software adjusts more than 200 engine parameters, among which variable cam timing, spark maps, engine braking and fuel control, providing complete race car calibration.

"From an engine management standpoint, we've done just about everything possible to give TracKey users a full race car experience", explains Jeff Seaman, Mustang powertrain engineer. "It's not for use on the street � for example, the deceleration is set up to preserve the brakes, and the throttle response is very aggressive. A skilled driver on a closed course will really appreciate the benefits".

As part of the same package, Ford engineers also developed a two-stage launch control system, similar to the one used on the Cobra Jet race car. Drivers simply set a desired launch rpm (using buttons on the steering wheel), floor the gas pedal and release the clutch. The electronics will take care of the rest, aiding racing fans and quarter-mile addicts to get the most out of a standing start.

When the track day (or hooning) comes to an end, owners need to restart the engine with the standard key and the Boss 302 will be once again as "normal" as a 444-horsepower special edition Mustang can be.

The Trackey powertrain software installation and key programming will be available for installation through Ford Racing authorized dealers, with pricing to be announced at a later date.

In other relevant news, the Blue Oval company announced today that it is offering every Boss 302 owner a complimentary track day, as part of the Boss Track Attack program, held at the Miller Motorsport Park in Tooele, UT. At the track, customers will be able drive the car to the limit and hone their driving skills.

By Csaba Daradics

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