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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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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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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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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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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ROUSH 5XR Mustang GT with 525HP Supercharged 5.0 L V8

Michigan based Ford tuner ROUSH has taken on the new Mustang GT, resulting in the 2011 ROUSH 5XR Mustang. The 5XR will be limited to just 150 units and is available in either coupe or convertible body style, albeit only with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Utilizing ROUSH's R2300 ROUSHcharger (supercharger), the Mustang GT's 5.0-liter V8 will be good for 525-hp and 465 lb. ft. (630 Nm) of torque. All ROUSH components and the powertrain come with a 3 year, 36,000 mile (58,000 km) warranty.

Jack Roush, ROUSH chairman said:

"I'm always excited to get an opportunity to work on a new engine, and the Ford 5.0-liter is a great platform. It has 412 horsepower [307 kw] to begin with, but our group was able to coax out another 113 horsepower [84 kw] with the ROUSHcharger. The 2011 ROUSH 5XR runs fast, sounds great, and is another amazing addition to the ROUSH Mustang heritage."

ROUSH has upgraded the Mustang's suspension with new front struts, rear shocks and springs and front and rear stabiliser bars.

The exterior gets a square tipped exhaust, full bodykit, new front fascia with driving lamps and upper billet grille, a front chin splitter, side rocker splitters, rear valance and a three-piece boot spoiler. The whole thing sits on 20' chrome rims wearing Cooper RS3 rubber.

The 5XR also gets body stickers, unique 5XR badging inside and out and a lettery of authenticity signed by Jack Roush himself. Options include color-matched sports leather and four-piston brakes with slotted rotors.

The ROUSH 5XR Mustang will only be sold as a post-title vehicle (you have to buy a Mustang before you can get order the ROUSH modifications) and is not available in California. The recommend retail price will be US$15,390, on top of the price of the Mustang base car.

By Tristan Hankins

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Australia: The Pricey World of Right-Hand Drive Conversions

Car buyers in Australia and other RHD countries have long got the short end of the stick in terms of American muscle cars. The reason is quite simple: they drive on the "wrong" side of the road.

Most manufacturers are unwilling to do right-hand-drive conversions on what are essentially specialist models: cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Viper, Ford Mustang and the like. There just aren't enough buyers to rationalize the cost.

Fortunately, a cottage industry (or rather a man-in-a-shed industry) has popped up offering RHD conversions of American muscle cars for eager buyers in countries like Australia, the UK and Japan.

In Australia, for instance, you can get just about anything from a AU$359,990 Corvette ZR-1 (or around three times as much as it does in the U.S.) to a AU$139,000 Chevrolet Camaro (or the same as an Audi S5 Cabrio in Australia).

Want a 2011 Mustang GT convertible? Be prepared to pony up AU$142,500 (the same as brand new Porsche Boxster Spyder) for that Pony. And it becomes even more laughable when you look at the U.S. prices for these same cars:

We do not claim to know the full details involved with importing a car and converting it to RHD, but it can't be so difficult as to demand the of a new entry-level Porsche 911...

So the next time you harrumph at some foreign nobody, whining about, "How good you bleedin' Yanks have got it" – spare a thought for the poor, cash-strapped Aussie... selling his 911 to buy a RHD Corvette ZR-1.

By Tristan Hankins

Here's where we found pricing information for the RHD conversions:

Corvette Clinic - makers of the RHD ZR-1
Mustang Australia - builders of RHD Mustangs
Performax - makers of the RHD Camaro and other cars

And Top Gear Australia magazine's August 2010 issue.

Shelby Releases 800-Horsepower Super Snake on the Unsuspecting Public

Shelby American, the company responsible for creating modern "Shelby" Mustangs (except for Ford's own GT500), has released details about its Super Snake package for the 2011 Mustang GT500. No surprise there, except that the "post title" package can be pushed up to 800 horsepower (no torque figures have been released for that one, yet). Interested? Get in line, because only 1,000 will be built for 2011.

The base 2011 Super Snake package gets people a 660-horsepower / 590 lb-ft supercharged V8, a Ford Racing suspension kit, Borla exhaust system, new Shelby-designed Alcoa rims, and more (check out the rest below, because the list is just your standard bolt-ons and my fingers grow weary).

Package options include a supercharger upgrade to Shelby / Ford Racing or Shelby / Kenne Bell supercharger - anything to tack "Shelby" onto a part - that puts out 750 horsepower and throws in a new driveshaft, throttle body, and badges for good measure; or, if you're really in the mood to spend some cash, you can opt for that 800-pony package. Shelby American says that its Super Snake packages will only be available from the company or one of its "mod shops".

Company president John Luft says, "Ford Motor Company did a marvelous job making the 2011 model year GT500 lighter and more powerful. Our team applied its experience building Super Snakes over the past several years to offer a package that dramatically increases the new car's capabilities. And with the visual changes we've made, it will be a definite stand out on the road or track."

To give you an idea of pricing, the 750-horse package will run $30,245 including installation. You know, don't worry about getting in that line I mentioned earlier; if the price adds that kind of cash to the $49,500 price of a base...BASE...GT500, just go get yourself a Viper. Hell, at least you'll be driving one hell of a cool snake-themed sports car. That, and your neighbor's kid won't have a V6 version of the same thing.

By Phil Alex

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Shelby

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The 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake post title package includes:

• Ford Racing handling pack including dynamic adjustable dampers, lowering springs, tuned stabilizer bars, and front strut tower brace
• 6-speed manual transmission with 3.73:1 rear axle ratio
• Shelby/Ford Racing supercharger upgrade producing over 660 HP and 590 ft.-lbs. of torque
• Either a Shelby/Ford Racing or Shelby/Kenne Bell supercharger kit producing 750 HP with upgraded drive shaft, billet twin 75mm throttle body and exclusive badges
• Optional Shelby/Kenne Bell 800 horsepower tune on pump gas
• Borla exhaust system
• An optional Shelby / Eibach handling pack is also available
• Shelby-designed Alcoa 20-inch wheels in durabright or anthracite
• Short-throw shifter
• Forged Shelby / Baer brakes with 6 piston calipers and cross drilled / vented rotors
• Front brake cooling ducts and behind the door side scoops
• Unique fiberglass hood featuring classic Shelby design and pins
• Shelby signature Super Snake stripes in either matte black or matte white
• "Shelby" lettering across the rear deck lid
• "Super Snake" vehicle badges and official Shelby CSM interior plate
• Optional two tone leather interior
• Shelby signature embroidered headrests, floor mats and other Shelby designed components

Real-Life Transformer Fulfills All Our Childhood Fantasies

This video of a real-life Transformer snapped rolling on Hollywood Boulevard has been making the rounds on YouTube for a few months. No, it's not a lame viral marketing attempt by Citroen or a trailer for a new shaky cam Michael Bay / Jerry Bruckheimer movie.

It's a guy in a transforming Transformers costume. How cool is that? Remember when you were a kid and you had that cardboard box that you used to hold around your waist, pretending to be a fire truck? This is like that, but a million times cooler.

The video says its Optimus Prime but come on; everyone knows Optimus is a big rig. Binaltech has a Mustang Transformer called Wheeljack, but that's pretty obscure even from a fanboy perspective. It could be Barricade from the 2007 movie but if so, where's the police get up?

The pièce de résistance of course is the vinyl roof. Well, it's either that or a convertible roof, but the former is much funnier.

By Tristan Hankins

Respect your Elders: Consumer Reports says V6 Mustang better than 1970 Boss, Misses the Point

"I like old Mustangs, but new ones do tend to show them who's boss." That's how a Consumer Reports article ends on a piece comparing the 2011 Ford Mustang V6 against the 1970 Mustang Boss 302, and I'm not quite sure if it really makes any sense.

Being boss means you put your contemporaries (not geezers) to shame. That's like saying, "Man, I just wiped the court with that WWII veteran. Look at me now!" Of course, all this comes about because of Consumer Reports' number chart comparing the 1970 Boss 302 and the modern-day V6 (see below).

While Señor Jim Travers makes the conventionally wise point that technology "has marched on", I wouldn't go so far as to say that the new V6s show the old Boss Mustangs "who's boss" (or anything else, for that matter).

Sure, the numbers are better for the most part, along with just about everything else (materials, comfort, value, etc.), but that's not really the point, is it? The Boss WAS the Boss, and should not have to be the Boss today. It could be just me, but I don't think anyone in their right mind cross-shops these two cars.

Another thing: just because it has similar or better numbers does not make the new V6 Mustang (as good as it is) a muscle car. Why? For the same reasons that so many people love it: it's an efficient, well put-together, high-output V6-powered, sporty coupe that can take corners without killing you and the wifey.

Muscle cars are loud, old, V8-packing pollution machines that get single-digit fuel economy figures when pushed on the highway and mostly do the straight line part of a trip. That's it, that's all, we're done.

Yes, the V6 Mustang is a better car in general, but is it really an "eye opener" to see that figures have gotten better over time? Nope.

By Phil Alex

Source: Consumerreports

Photo Gallery: 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302

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Photo Gallery: 2011 Ford Mustang V6