Muscle Cars

2006 seems like forever ago, doesn’t it? At the very least, it feels like a different lifetime. Social media was still in its infancy and the world felt a lot bigger back then. 2006 was also a big year for Ford. The Blue Oval was bringing the Shelby Mustang back to life after a 25-year absence. Ford went all-out in marketing the return of the Shelby nameplate, and one commercial, in particular, effectively hammered Ford’s point. The Shelby Mustang was a beast, and there really was just one road in the world that could have a proper dance with it: the German Autobahn.

The ad, called “Germany,” puts the spotlight squarely on the 2006 Shelby Mustang GT500 and what it could do on a stretch of road that didn’t have any speed limits. It’s a fascinating commercial to look back on given that the Shelby Mustang is now deep into its third generation.

The long awaited second-generation Subaru BRZ is finally here with notable inside and out, as well as a brand-new engine under the hood. The redesign is far from dramatic, but it brings the relatively old BRZ into the 2020s in every aspect. Performance aside, the 2022 BRZ comes with a heavily updated interior that looks fresh and packs more technology than before. Let’s find out how it compares to the outgoing model.

Stupid drivers know no bounds, and they certainly don’t favor one muscle car over another. Take this nincompoop, for example. Driving a camouflaged Dodge Charger SRT 392 at a car gathering in Houston, the driver decides to demonstrate his burnout skills in front of a gathered crowd.

That kind of stunt normally ends in one of two ways. He either pulls off the burnout to the delight of the adoring crowd or something goes horribly wrong and he’s left with more than pee down his trousers. Unfortunately, it’s the latter. Just as he attempts his burnout, the driver loses control of the Charger SRT 392 and crashes into a gathered crowd, taking a few bystanders along the way. Fortunately, no one got seriously hurt, and to the delight of Ford, it wasn’t a Mustang that ended up being on the short end of this YouTube lowlight.

FCA’s crate engine lineup is steadily growing with the addition of some tasteful mills. The group’s parts and accessories division, Mopar, unveiled the most powerful version of the Hellcat engine that can be plonked into any vehicle of your choice.

Dubbed as the Hellcrate Redeye crate engine, this 6.2-liter V-8 mill will dish out 807 ponies and 717 pound-feet of torque. Could it BE any better? (high five if you read that in Chandler Bing’s voice!)

Not too long ago, news of the Godzilla pushrod V-8 arriving in the 2022 Mustang surfaced on the internet. But, it’s time to get over it now, because there’s something even more exciting coming up. According to Ford Authority, the automaker will offer the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500’s heart as a crate engine. The details surrounding it are still scarce, but this is exciting!

Ford’s Godzilla engine is old news now, as there’s a new 6.8-liter V-8 powerhouse in the works. This news comes courtesy of the President of a Canadian trade union for auto workers, who claims that Ford is building a new 6.8-liter V-8 engine. While unconfirmed by Ford, this engine is expected to be offered in both the F-150 and the Mustang.

After five years on the market, Ford decided to discontinue the Shelby GT350 based on the sixth-generation Mustang. Introduced in 2015, the Shelby GT350 and the GT350R won’t be offered for the 2021 model year. If you already own one, this is good news as the value of the GT350 is likely to go up. If you missed on the GT350, well, you can always go for the beefed-up GT500.

The Ford Mustang Mach 1 is headed to the Old Continent. No, it’s not going there for test runs at the Nurburgring — it already did that — nor is it going there to be showcased at an auto event — it just made its debut at Goodwood SpeedWeek — only to return to the U.S. as an America-only special edition Mustang. The Mustang Mach 1 is coming to Europe, and, more importantly, it will be staying in Europe.

CD Projekt, the developer and publisher behind such all-out hits as the Witcher series gears up for another action-packed video game that just so happens to be set in a post-apocalyptic future. The game, announced a mere eight years ago, is now little over one month away from its release date and CD Projekt is trying to increase the hype all the way and beyond the boundaries of our solar system by taking a page out of Rockstar Games’ book of tricks. So, here’s the latest ploy: recreating the star car from the game, ’The Quadra’.

Vaughn Gittin Jr is a man of surprises. When he’s not slicing tires in his Formula D Mustang RTR or drifting the Nurburgring in a Ford Raptor, Mr. Gittin drives the insane all-metal ’69 Ford Mustang RTR-X.

Yes, we know, you never heard of it.

Just like the Demon, the Challenger Super Stock was built with the drag strip in mind. There are some quintessential differences between the two, but one of them stands out more than the others.

As things stand right now, the Super Stock is going to be way more limited than the Demon, at least as far as the 2020MY is concerned.

Ricky Bobby is back, folks. Sort of. The star of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby now has his own Dodge commercial. Ok, so it’s not really Will Ferrell reprising his role as the GOAT of all NASCAR drivers, but the commercial does star Bobby during his childhood in 1981 where, apparently, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat also exists.

His childhood friend, Cal Naughton Jr., is also in the commercial, even though it’s also the childhood version of the character played by John C. Reilly. The “Shake” to Bobby’s “Bake” can be seen driving a Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock. Bobby’s father, Reese Bobby (played by Gary Cole), is also in the commercial — he’s the only one reprising role — driving a Dodge Durango Hellcat.

The Dodge Charger was Chrysler Corporation’s more luxurious response to the Mustang, billed as a mid-size fastback coupe similar in size and shape to the AMC Marlin. It was based on the Coronet but shared none of its visuals and spawned a number of super quick versions that tortured just about any early Mustangs.

The year was 1966 when Dodge finally joined the fastback muscle car party with the Charger. It was based on the B-body platform and was previewed in an ad that ran during that year’s Rose Bowl which talked about the new "Leader of the Dodge Rebellion."

The original Charger was a more refined coupe sitting just under the personal luxury category dominated by Ford’s T-Bird. That’s why performance wasn’t paramount from the get-go although the 426 Hemi engine was duly available. Also, Dodge quickly put the Charger on the track in the Nascar series, the car winning the 1966 NASCAR Grand National championship with driver David Pearson.

Yes, car manufacturers are switching to smaller engines aided by forced induction. Some are even electrifying their powertrains, mixing petrol units with e-motors, but that doesn’t mean the V-8’s days are numbered - yet.

Take Ford, for example. According to a report by Ford Authority, the carmaker maintains a positive position as far as V-8s are concerned and has no intention of killing off this particular cylinder configuration in the foreseeable future.

The Ford Mustang is the world’s best-selling performance car, but just because it’s popular, that doesn’t mean it’s immune to mechanical issues and the recalls that come after that. Brace for some bad news, then, owners of the 2020 Ford Mustang. There’s a good chance that your muscle car will be recalled after Ford submitted documents to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) saying that more than 38,000 units of the 2020 Mustang could have a defective brake pedal bracket assembly.

The defect is largely contained to Mustangs with automatic transmissions; Mustangs with manual transmissions aren’t affected. It’s a tough blow for owners of 2020 Mustangs that are affected by the recall, especially if you live outside the U.S.

The current Dodge Challenger is built on a really old and dated platform, but this hasn’t stopped it from competing on a solid level with the more modern Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. That’s because Dodge designed high-performance versions such as the Hellcat and the Demon. However, there’s one field where the Challenger can’t compete: the convertible market. Although the original was available as a cabriolet, Dodge didn’t not create a drop-top version of the third-gen Challenger. But if you’re dying to drive one, Fair Oaks Motors is selling an after market conversion. The good news is that it’s based on the cool SRT Hellcat and it retails for less than $100,000.

Just because the rooftop parking lot is empty, that doesn’t mean you can just go there and do donuts to your heart’s content. Sure, the empty space is great for these burnout runs, but the debauchery can also go sideways at a moment’s notice, especially if you’re not careful. Two people found that out first-hand when they went to an empty rooftop parking lot, intending to leave rubber in concrete. After doing a serious of burnouts, the driver inexplicably loses control of his rear-wheel-drive ‘Stang, causing the muscle car to slam cleanly into a light pole. Worse, the whole bone-headed scene was captured on video by a couple, who were also at the rooftop parking in their own Mustang doing whatever it is they were doing. Fortunately, the driver and passenger of the crashed ‘Stang didn’t appear to get seriously hurt from the crash. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for their prized ‘Stang, which now has a long date with mechanics before it gets back up on its feet, or, in this case, all four wheels.

The 1969-1970 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 arguably marked the end of an era, as the GT500 began to be built in-house by Ford. Carroll Shelby’s actual involvement in the design of the car was reduced, somewhat telling of the colder relationship between the two sides that was further underlined by the fact that Ford raced the Boss 302 at the same time - not a Shelby model. But all that gets put aside when you look at the renders of Rostislav Prokop that has envisioned an unusual mid-engined Mustang: one that keeps the proportions of the front-engined original.