New Mustangs get more grunt
Car tuners beef up iconic car at US car show
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, which opened in Las Vegas today, revealed 15 all-new 2005 Mustangs honed by the US industry’s leading high-performance tuners.
"In 1964, Mustang became a hit because it was great looking and affordable. But street performance and racing victories made the car an icon," said Ford exec Greg Smith. "That’s why SEMA is the absolute right place to be to cap Mustang's 40th anniversary celebration."
Since the launch of the first true high performance Mustang – the 1965 Shelby GT-350 – the business of making Mustangs faster has grown into an $800 million-plus (£435 million) annual business fuelled by customers who spend an average of $1,500 (£816) every year on performance parts, according to Ford estimates. Ford says the Mustang has a larger share of this market than any other nameplate – almost 10 per cent.
That figure includes everything from power-boosting superchargers to handling kits and high performance wheels and tyres. Ford says the 2005 Mustang was recognised by SEMA as the most accessory friendly new vehicle at last week's California International Auto Show, where it captured the first of three SEMA Vehicle Design Awards.
The $800 million figure does not include sales of Mustangs built by manufacturers such as Saleen, Steeda Autosports, Roush Performance and Ford’s own Special Vehicle Team (SVT).
These fully engineered, super high-performance Mustangs can deliver Ferrari-like acceleration for only a fraction of the cost, says Ford. One of the wildest examples – the 2000 SVT Cobra R – was built by Ford itself using parts developed by the industry’s leading performance names.
Each of the 300 Cobra R models built featured a 385-hp, 32-valve 5.4-litre DOHC V8, Brembo brakes, Borla side exhaust pipes, Recaro racing seats, a six-speed Tremec T-56 manual transmission and a racing-style Fuel Safe fuel cell. With a top speed in excess of 170 mph, it accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and covered a quarter-mile in 13.2 seconds in a Car & Driver (US) magazine road test. List price was just over $50,000 (£27,200). Work continues on an SVT Cobra version of the all-new Mustang, which is now hitting the market, reckons Ford.
Who’s who of Mustang street performance
The all-new 2005 Mustang, with its unmistakable design, all-new chassis and 300-horsepower three-valve 4.6-liter SOHC V-8, has poured white gas on an already hot performance aftermarket. The result: 15 unique visions of the ultimate new Mustang, all of which are on display at the SEMA show .
SEMA also is providing the occasion for Ford’s Greg Smith to give special recognition to five of the most prominent names in Mustang performance: Carroll Shelby, Steve Saleen, Dario Orlando, Jack Roush and Parnelli Jones.
Carroll Shelby
Carroll Shelby, whose name is synonymous with Ford performance, was totally immersed in building and racing the legendary Cobra roadsters and Ferrari-beating Ford GT-40s when Ford’s Lee Iacocca persuaded him to build a Corvette-killer. That car, the 1965 Shelby GT-350, began life as a fastback Mustang coupe powered by a 289-cubic inch V8 "Cobra-tuned" to deliver 306 hp.
Shelby also fitted Koni adjustable shocks, 6-inch x 15-inch cast alloy wheels, 7.75-inch x 15-inch Goodyear Blue Dot performance tyres, upgraded brakes, suspension components and a fibreglass bonnet with working air scoop. Later Shelby Mustangs included the race-ready GT-350R, the GT-350H (which were specially built Hertz rental cars) and the GT-500 and GT-500KR.
Shelby Mustangs were successfully campaigned in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events throughout the 1960s by legendary drivers including Jerry Titus, Dick Thompson and Dan Gurney. Today, Shelby Automobiles offers an extensive line of Mustang performance and restoration parts, and Carroll Shelby continues to lend his expertise to Ford in the development of high-performance cars, including the Ford GT and Shelby Cobra Coupe concept. A new concept, called the Ford Shelby GR-1 was unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August. 2004.
Steve Saleen
"Power in the Hands of a Few" is the mantra of business school graduate turned race car driver and entrepreneur Steve Saleen, founder of Saleen Inc. Since Saleen’s company was established in 1983, it has produced more than 9,000 high-performance Mustangs, including the street-legal 2004 S281 Extreme, which is powered by a supercharged 4.6-litre SOHC V8 that delivers 445 hp and 450 lb-ft. of torque. Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine tested the Extreme last year and recorded a best quarter-mile acceleration time of 12.1 seconds with a trap speed of nearly115 mph. On the racetrack, Saleen Mustangs have delivered six GT Manufacturers’ Championship road racing titles.
Jack Roush
Jack Roush began his professional career in 1964 as an engineer for Ford. He eventually left to pursue his interest in engine development and motorsports. Roush Racing, which was established in 1988, has fielded cars in NASCAR, SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA road racing and IRL oval racing – and achieved success in every series. Roush-prepared Mustangs and driver Tommy Kendall dominated Trans Am in the mid-1990s.
Jack Roush’s personal preference for hot street Mustangs (he owns more than a dozen) provided the inspiration for Roush Performance (www.roushperf.com) which he founded in 1995 to design, engineer and manufacture high-performance Mustangs. The latest Roush Mustang – the 400-hp 440A – commemorates Mustang’s 40th Anniversary. The 40-car limited edition includes a supercharged 4.6-litre SOHC V8, 18-inch chrome wheels, Alcon brakes and the Roush Level 3 suspension.
Dario Orlando
Steeda Autosports (www.steeda.com) was founded in 1988 when Dario Orlando decided to put his (then) 15 years experience repairing and racing cars to work turning the Mustang into a world-class sports car. Today, Florida-based Steeda’s business spans the full spectrum of Ford vehicle performance upgrades, from professional and amateur racing to new turnkey vehicle packages.
One particularly potent example of the breed is the 2003 Mustang GT-based Steeda Q400 (for 400 horsepower), which was tested by Motor Trend magazine in its December 2002 issue. The car’s 4.6-litre SOHC V8 was fitted with a Paxton Novi 2000 supercharger, a K&N Filter Charger, a Ford Racing Performance Parts 80-mm mass air meter with 70-mm throttle body, Steeda-spec Borla 2.5-inch stainless exhaust and other upgrades. Zero to 60-mph acceleration was estimated at 4.9 seconds and the quarter-mile time was estimated at 12.7 seconds at 111.7 mph.
Parnelli Jones
Parnelli Jones, the first man to drive faster than 150 miles per hour at the Brickyard at Indianapolis, cemented his place in Mustang history behind the wheel of a Bud Moore-prepared Boss 302 Mustang Trans-Am car. In 1970, Jones claimed five victories in a season where Chevrolet, AMC, Dodge and Plymouth all fielded racing versions of "pony" cars whose names are now lost to history. Jones earned the driver’s championship, Ford won its third manufacturer’s championship and the Boss 302 helped inspire Ford’s Mustang GT-R concept, which was unveiled at the 2004 New York Auto Show. That concept, in turn inspired the creation of Ford Racing’s Mustang Boy Racer, which will return Mustang to sports car racing beginning in the 2005 season.
However, no matter how Ford tries to spin it, I was very disapointed that they went with the solid rear axle. This is almost 2005, not 1964.
I do not, have never been into drag raciing. I like a performance car that also handles well.
Maybe the Cobra version will have the independent suspension, but I don't know if I will want to pay that price for a Mustang. (I'm still in TVR withdrawl).
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