Ford is bringing them back, those two little numbers that we all so fondly remember pasted to the side of many Fox Body Mustangs, no matter whether they had the bad boy 302 cubic inch V8 under the hood or not; but the story of the 5.0 goes back beyond to the beginning of the Mustang story. Despite the popularity of the 289 cubic inch engine in the original pony, Ford also offered a 302 cubic inch V8 built from their magical engine plant in Windsor, Canada.
There was also the factory tuned handling machine, the Boss 302, although it didn’t have the big boy 429 Cobra Jet engine under the hood, this car could run circles around its bigger brother. The Boss 302’s motor was taken from the blue oval’s Trans-Am team, the small black racing engine was chosen by Ford in 1969 because of its compact and excellent output, 290 HP, made for the best handling Mustang that has ever come out of Dearborne, it gave the car a more desirable weight distribution than the NASCAR big block. Think the Boss’s 302 cubic inch V8 as the 13B for muscle cars.
When Ford switched over the Mustang II update in 1974, it brought the 302 with it; but it wasn’t until the third generation pony car made its debut that the American automaker decided to add a little flare to the Mustang’s fenders. Unfortunately when Ford switched to the fourth generation Mustang in 1994, the 302 had a short lease on life. The Mustang was only available with that magical motor from Canada in this modern sleek looking Mustang until 1995.
Continued after the jump.
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In today’s era of mergers and bankruptcies, it seems logical for a car manufacturer to find some ways to reignite their floundering industry. For the Detroit 3 – Ford, Chrysler, and GM – one of those ways just might be sitting under their noses, parked in their garages and waiting to be unleashed to the public once more.
We’re talking about ’Muscles’, baby – those unassuming-looking yet extremely powerful muscle cars that dominated the streets of America back in the day.
While Ford has never been guilty of throwing a blanket on their Mustang series, the company has never really taken the time out to develop a Mustang that can carry the company back to prominence as it did in the 60’s and 70’s. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when Ford decided to revitalize the Mustang brand much to the warm reception from people that have been clamouring for the car’s ultimate renaissance.
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Starting this summer, Ford will be offering their updated retro muscle car with optional Shelby inspired Track Pack and Ford Racing developed FR3 Handling Package straight from the factory, so now your Mustang GT can handle almost as well as a GT500.
The Track Pack focuses on upgrading the way the car goes through the curves, by adjusting every element of the drive train to maximize the Mustang GT’s V8 and chassis with one of the most thorough “sport suspensions” that we have ever seen. The Ford special suspension product package begins with a set of sticky set of 19 inch Pirelli summer tires to make the most out of their contact patch. A set of retuned dampers work together with the sway bars from a Shelby GT500 to reduce body roll by 13%, giving the vehicle a much more planted feel. The blue oval crew will then swap in a shorter geared rear end complete with a carbon fiber LSD, then a set of new brake pads that are made to work with the factory ABS in order to give the Mustang as much stopping power as it just got handling ability, while still maintaining drivability on the street.
There is a hard core FR3 Handling Package from Ford Racing that uses a lot of the components from the KONI Challenge car. This suspension setup will lower your ride by about 1 inch thanks to significantly stiffened springs and a set of sway bars that are said to “eliminate” body roll.
The Track Pack retails for $1,495 while the FR3 Handling Pack retails for $1,335. Either kit can be installed by a factory certified technician, or in your own garage. It is nice to see that an American automaker is endorsing high performance modifications by offering them right from the showroom, things like this are signs of a return of the muscle car days.
Press release after the jump.
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The 50 units of the 2008 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet were sold out before we even realize they are actually on the market. But here’s a good new for those still wishing for a Cobra in their garage: Ford plans to bring it back for the 2010 model year with another 50 examples that have already been cleared for NHRA competition.
The automaker’s initial plan is for the 2010 Cobra Jet to be powered by a 425 HP 5.4 Liter supercharged engine combined with the 6 speed manual transmission from the 2008 CJ. However, with upgrades like an 8.50 ET NHRA certified roll cage, 5-speed Liberty manual transmission or even a race prepped automatic transmission the 2010 Ford Cobra Jet will be terrorizing the NHRA Sportsman series. Especially if the Blue Oval decides to offer an all aluminum race engine making 475 HP right out of the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog.
With prices starting at around $75,000 the 2010 Mustang Cobra Jet is truly an affordable option for someone who wants to be a professional drag racer, or if you don’t ant to lose any stop light drag races. We just think that it would be nice to incorporate these kinds of vehicles into the company’s test fleet, so that we can experience all the high performance stuff that Ford has to offer.
Press release after the jump.
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The return of the muscle car is upon us, despite these awful times to be selling cars. The Dodge Challenger is a beauty; the new Chevrolet Camaro should be a dream; and the Ford Mustang, well it could be bringing back the shaker hood with an all new Mach 1. The package was first unveiled back in 1969 and was a more affordable alternative to the factory tuned Shelby cars. The package was reintroduced in 2003 combining a dancing hood scoop with a unique set of rims for the Mustang.
If the design team at Ford get a look at Edmundo Cano’s photoshop makeover of a 2010 Mustang, it’s most likely that there will be a new Mach 1 for 2011, and with the introduction of Ford’s new Coyote V8 finding its way under the hood, why not give it a little room to breathe. We especially like the flat black treatment and vents covering the rear windows, an accessory that no new Mustang should be without. The 20 inch Torq Thrust rims are pure modern day muscle.
This is just a rendering, however not too far off from a production car, stamp a few holes in a couple of hoods, apply a few black vinyl graphics and paint a couple of sets of oversized wheels; and Ford would be ready to go. It is this kind of special edition vehicle that makes us think a little harder about buying American, we couldn’t think of anything better to be seen in laying down 400 HP worth of smokey burnouts.
The U.S. Air Force has partnered up with Galpin Austo Sports for an innovative recruiting strategy that kicked off last month. The aerial branch of the U.S. military decided the best way to grab hold of their nation’s youth was with a pair of highly modified modern day muscle cars. The team from G.A.S. (better known from MTV’s Pimp my Ride!) transformed a Ford Mustang into a beautiful pearlescent fighter jet codenamed the “X-1”; and a radar absorbing stealth bomber dubbed “Vapor” out of a Dodge Challenger.
The Air Force-inspired tuner cars will travel across the country as part of a mobile marketing campaign in an attempt for the Air Force to educate America’s youth about the mechanical and technical career opportunities they offer. If you want to see these two machines in person, the 2009 Super Car Tour will make its rounds to high schools as well as a variety of Air Force sponsored events like the DUB magazine car show, the tuner friendly Hot Import Nights shows, Battle of the Imports, Formula Drift, International Hot Rod Association and local community events.
Together the Mustang “X-1” and “Vapor” Challenger form one of the baddest fleets of high dollar tuner cars in the world. The vehicles are a combination of form, function and big money electronic equipment fused into two very attractive packages. If you want to see the buildup process of these two super cars, the Air Force has you covered, just visit http://www.airforce.com/supercar.
To see all that went into these two modern day muscle cars check out the press release after the jump.
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Falken drifter and Ford factory driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. recently made a trip across the Pacific with a purpose built 2010 Mustang in order to fulfill a longtime dream, drift in Japan. JR is the only American driver to win a D1 event, and because of this he is in league all his own. Follow Vaughn and his new ride as they travel Japan in search of sports roots; watch as he gets a taste for the togue, drifts the docks of Osaka and attends his first real Japanese drift day.
So check out the video after the jump, or follow the link below.
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After more than a decade of disappearing from Ford vehicles across the country, the famed 5.0 Liter V8 is making a comeback. The new V8 will replace the company’s 4.6 Liter modular motor by shoehorning the "Coyote" into the 2011 Mustang GT, and later on into the 2011 Ford F-150.
The Coyote engine will feature a four-valve per cylinder layout and will have the same fuel economy ratings to Ford’s current 5.4 Liter V8. The new engine should develop around 400 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque when it is finally placed under the hood of America’s favorite pony car.
Ford’s redesigned for 2010 Mustang has just received a 5 star safety rating. As it turn out the vehicle’s increased structural rigidity that makes for a much better handling machine has the added benefit of making it stronger in the event of a collision as well. So, adding to the public praise for the new car’s unmistakable design and upgraded performance, the combination of high strength steel found in the body and the ultra high strength steel found in the intrusion beams make for one very safe Mustang.
Press release after the jump.
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NASCAR is all about speed, I mean, how else could you have a car run between 140 and 180 MPH all day long, put them on a banked oval. The current NASCAR speed record was set by a 1987 Ford Thunderbird with NASCAR driver Bill Elliot behind the wheel at Talladega Super Speedway, and stands today at 212.089 MPH. Another blue oval badged car will be attempting to break that record, this time using an alternative fuel. Bill Elliot with have another shot behind the wheel, this time in a Mustang FR500C running on E85.
The combination of an FR500C and the Mustang Cobra Jet engine has already proven itself to be fast, the combination clocked a 252 MPH top speed run in Bonneville. But the salt goes on for miles; Elliot will have to remember to turn right every so often so he doesn’t take flight thanks to the 33 degree banking.
Press release after the jump.
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