Stang Pit

I saw some Mustang rendering of what some think the 2014 Ford Mustang may look like.  I ran for the bathroom, and after feeling utter nausea for at least an hour, I looked at the rendering again through the fingers covering my face, like gawking at a bad accident.

2014 - Time to barf

As far as the front end, please don’t make it look like the Camaro!  At least slant the upper outside edges inward like the Shelbys, rather than the rendering which has the whole overdone Toyota-trying-to-mimic-BMW-but-looks-like-a-Pontiac headlight-thing going on.

Ford’s Mustang V6 new performance package has been named the “Mayhem Mustang Package” in a Facebook contest that drew more than 3,000 entries.  The package bundles a 305-horsepower all-aluminum V6 (sweet), a 3.31 performance rear axle (couldn’t go 3.55 here at least?!?), Mustang GT-based suspension and braking components, unique 19-inch wheels and Pirelli performance tires.

2012 Mustang V6 - Soon to cause damage!

The winning entrant, from North Carolina, gets a three-year lease on a 2012 Mustang with the Mayhem Mustang package.  I guess that’s better than nothing, considering it wasn’t a groundbreaking name, but it wouldn’t have killed them to give him one for free all together!  (Everyone sing:  “it wouldn’t have killed them to give him one for free all together”)  That was for all the “Airplane” movie fans.

Ford said nearly 6,700 Facebook users downloaded and installed the automaker’s You Name It app.  Now Stang Pit is somewhat new to Facebook, but couldn’t they just have a poll for this on their website?  Was an app really necessary?

The contest winner, Jeremy Marler of Charlotte, North Carolina, should be pretty stoked to have a freakin Mustang package that he named.  We’ll just call him Jeremy Mayhem from now on.

Ford said the Mayhem Mustang package will be used as the name on all Mustang sales, marketing and communications materials.  That’s pretty awesome.

Definition of mayhem  / noun / māˌhem / :
Violent or damaging disorder; chaos.  As in “complete mayhem broke out”.
The crime of maliciously injuring or maiming someone, originally so as to render the victim defenseless

Sounds mean, I like the alliteration.  Thousands of entries lost, of course, but “win” in the entertainment category.  Losing entries include:

• Twinkle Toes Package
• My Big Package
• Beefy Package
• Sixy Package
• Gassy Package
• Rainbow Package
• Poofy Package
• Carl Package (I hope the author of this one was named Carl).

Classic Recreations has been making dreams come true, taking old 1967 and 1968 Mustang Fastbacks and turning them into the ultimate resto-mod street machines.  Word just got out of their new Viper model, but let’s first oogle their mainstay.

2011 GT500CR is SLAMMIN

Chassis mods start with coilover conversions for both the front and rear suspension, in addition to oversized sway bars at both ends. For stopping power, they slap on Shelby/Baer 13″ Track System brakes in front and the 12″ Touring System setup at the rear.

A staggered wheel set gets all that power to the ground, with 17 x 8-inch Shelby 427 Wheels in front and 17 x 9.5-inch versions in the rear. The car’s high performance tires are similarly set up, having 245/45ZR17 versions at the sharp end with 275/40ZR17 rubber out back.

The 427-cid (7.0 liter) crate engine pushes its 545 horsepower through a Tremec manual transmission and through a 9-inch Fab-9 PosiTraction read end, equipped with 3.70 gears. Adding BBK longtube ceramic headers, a dual 2.5″ exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers lends the requisite “old school” sound to the car.

“The G.T.500CR is meant to be driven,” Classic Recreations founder Jason Engel said. “Although the overall look is vintage Shelby, essentially this is modern sports car technology wrapped in vintage Shelby GT500 sheet metal.”

Every Shelby G.T.500CR will be listed in the Shelby Worlwide Registry, and can be yours for just about $150,000.  Throw in another $50,000 and you can get a 770-hp Viper Mustang.  Or you can buy 3 Super Snakes for $210,000 and a combined 2175 horsepower!!  I’m just sayin…

All you have to do is spend at least $600 on Ford Racing Parts you probably want anyway!  Buy an eligible Ford Racing Performance Part and join the celebration by owning this limited edition 110 Year Ford Racing team jacket.  These are sweet blue, 110 Year Special Edition Jackets that are not available for sale, and will only be offered for a limited time.

Ford Racing Jacket

Offer started March 7th and will run through May 31st 2011.  To get your jacket, complete the Claim Form and attach a copy of your proof of purchase and mail to Ford Racing.

• Eligible Parts:
• 2005-2011 Mustang FR1 Power Upgrade Package
• 2005-2011 Mustang CAK or High Flow Filter with FR Calibration (tuner kits not included)
• 2005-2012 Mustang FR3 Handling Pack
• 2011 Mustang GT or 2011 GT500 Supercharger Kit
• 2011 Fiesta FR3 Handling Pack
• 2011 Fiesta Cat-Back Exhaust System Set of 4 Ford Racing Wheels

Ford Racing is celebrating 110 Years of racing and winning!

For all you hockey fans watching the NHL playoffs, you may have noticed the sweet red Shelby Mustang gracing the sides of Detroit Red Wings’ goalie, Jimmy Howard’s mask or helmet. It appears to be a 1967 Shelby, done in the “Eleanor” style, which is where he got the idea for the mask.

Jimmy Howard's Shelby Mustang Helmet

Unlike the movie, it is red with whites stripes, to match the Red Wings’ team colors of course. They just won Game 5, giving them 2 wins in the 7-game series, to San Jose Sharks’ 3 wins. Howard says he doesn’t own a Mustang, but is proud of its connection with Detroit and the Motor City.

Ford unleashed their sweet BOSS 302 motors as crate motors available from Ford Racing.  Now with a mere $12 G’s we can all slap one of these bad boys under our hoods and rip our tires off this summer.  Sure it’s $5000 more than the  2011 Mustang GT 5.0L motor for only 30 more HP, but why screw around?

2012 BOSS 302 Crate Motor

Personally, I would get the $7000 412-hp Mustang GT motor then buy a BOSS 302 intake instead for $440 if you’re just going for the BOSS look under the hood with better performance than the outgoing 4.6L motor.

Here’s what Ford had to say about this sweet new crate offering:

“Ford Racing’s aluminum 5.0L Mustang Boss 302 crate engine is a modern 5.0L 32-valve DOHC V-8 that uses advanced features like Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) and high flow CNC cylinder heads to deliver 444 horsepower and 380 ft.-lb.+ of torque (with premium fuel)

• 11.0:1 compression ratio
• Lightweight aluminum cylinder block features cross-bolted main bearing caps and thick main bearing bulkheads for bottom-end strength
• Features large sump 8.5 qt oil pan with revised oil pan baffling for improved oil control under hard cornering
• Revised composite intake system with shorter runners, inspired by Ford Racing’s Daytona Prototype engine program
• 80 mm single bore “drive by wire” throttlebody
• High-strength aluminum-alloy cylinder heads with fully CNC-machined ports and chambers for exceptional high-rpm airflow without sacrificing low-speed torque
• Sodium-filled exhaust valves for improved heat dissipation
• Forged aluminum pistons and upgraded sinter-forged connecting rods for improved strength
• Includes manual transmission engine harness and flywheel
• Vehicle harness and PCM not included
• Engine weight: 444 lbs

Boss 302 crate engine shown with optional Ford blue coil pack covers FRPP part # : M-6P067-M50B and NVH insulator pads, Ford dealer part # :CR3Z-6N041-A. sold separately.

Engine mount bosses and bellhousing mount pattern common to 4.6L modular engines.
Photo and specs may vary. “

Now Anyone Can Buy a New Ford Mustang Boss 302 – Special Boss Prints Available from Ford Images
Ford Images creates a special, limited-time promotion for 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 owners – specialized prints that match their vehicle’s color, framed and mounted with a customized VIN plate.

• In celebration of the launch of the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, all enthusiasts can order images, prints and posters via www.fordimages.com with a 30.2 percent discount through April 22.
• Ford Images creates a special, limited-time promotion for 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 owners – specialized prints that match their vehicle’s color, framed and mounted with a customized VIN plate.
• The Boss 302 is a completely re-engineered Mustang that redefines world-class performance.

2012 Boss Frame your Dream!

DEARBORN, Mich., April 13, 2011 – In celebration of the first Ford Mustang Boss 302s reaching dealerships, Ford Images is running two special promotions at www.fordimages.com.

First, owners of the new 2012 Mustang Boss 302 can revel in the classic lines of their new vehicle not only in their garage but now on their walls as well. Ford Images is offering unique prints of the Boss 302 – available to owners only – in the customer’s vehicle color, framed and mounted with a metal chassis plate customized with the car VIN or name. The prints will be hand-signed by racing icon Parnelli Jones, who won the 1970 SCCA Trans-Am Series championship driving a Mustang Boss 302.

Check them out at Ford Images!

Last month, Ford announced they are having problems with suppliers in Japan that were devastated by the earthquake and tsunami.  They first stated that only certain colors of paint ordered from Japan would not be available.  Soon afterwards, they announced some Ford plants would cease production indefinitely due to supply shortages. 

One Piece at a Time

Ford has closed production plants at Flat Rock, MI where the Mustang is built.  They did not say when production would resume.  It was supposed to resume this month, but will there be enough 2012 Mustangs for the masses?  What if the weather actually turns nice again for summer?  Though doubtful, the people will want their new Mustangs!!

Boss 302 Ultimate Induction Pak Upgrade for 5.0L Mustangs

Steeda has recently announced a Boss 302 Induction Upgrade Pak for all 5.0 L Mustangs.  It comes with the Boss 302 composite intake, and new intake tube, tuning program, and more, all to support both naturally aspirated and nitrous applications.  Read on!

Massive Air Eater

From Steeda.com:

“Are you ready for one of the best performance upgrades for your 2011 5.0L Mustang? The Steeda Autosports Skunk Works Team has been working feverishly on creating a new Ultimate Induction Pak that utilizes the Boss 302 composite intake as a key induction upgrade component along with our proprietary Pro Flow Cold Air Intake. Rather than marketing just a piecemeal solution, we have been burning the midnight oil, aggressively working on a performance package offering that provides a thoroughly engineered solution for both naturally aspirated and nitrous applications. Rest assured that the Steeda Boss 302 Ultimate Induction Pak is being extensively tested to deliver optimal performance for track, street, and dragstrip performance and to deliver the level of performance you have come to expect from Steeda Autosports.

Lookin Good Under the Hood!

While others in the industry will sell you the Boss intake and a tune created on only a dynamometer and then offer you “free tunes for life”, we have chosen to take a much more comprehensive and racer orientated approach by using the dyno as a baseline, then like we do with all of our performance parts, test all of the package components under severe racing conditions to make sure that complete induction system and tune delivers the level of optimum performance under all conditions you may encounter with your ride. Using advance data acquisition equipment and extensive “seat of the pants” knowledge we have gained by racing at the track and at the dragstrip for over 25 years, the Steeda Boss 302 Ultimate Induction Pak is just what the name implies – the ULTIMATE in naturally aspirated induction for the 5.0L powertrain.

The performance figures we have seen have just been amazing so far – especially at the upper RPM range where initial testing has shown tremendous power increases all the way to the redline. Track and dragstrip tests have also been extremely impressive – surpassing our own high expectations for this power package! For those that are incline to want a nitrous injection, we are also developing an integrated solution that is completely compatible with our induction system.

What are the specific power increases we have been able to attain with both the naturally aspirated and nitrous applications? Before we lay all of our cards down, it is important to know that we are still tweaking our Induction Pak under our ISO 9001-2008 certified procedures….and we were so impressed with the preliminary results that we have that we felt compelled to get the word out to you today that this is going to be one really hot performance ticket to have on your 5.0L Mustang. So look for an upcoming email in the very near future as well as news on www.steeda.com for full details. It definitely will be worth waiting for!”

Components included in the Steeda Boss 302 Ultimate Induction Pak for 5.0L engines will include:

• Boss 302 Composite Intake
• Steeda High Velocity Cold Air Intake with Cool Tube Technology
• Steeda Performance Tune maximized for total system performance
• SCT X3 Power Flash Tool for easy flashing operations
• Comprehensive instructions for easy do-it-yourself installation
• Steeda – Mastering Speed for over 23 Years

Click here for link to Steeda’s full press release

The sweet 2012 Boss 302 Mustangs have been produced since February in Flat Rock, Michigan.  They are just starting to arrive at some dealerships around the country.  If you ask your local dealer, they are likely to give you the same old line, “yeah we’re not sure when we are getting those, or if we are getting any”.  Then you find out they get one the next day or next week.

Color Me Red!

Not all dealers will receive a Boss 302, even fewer will see Laguna Seca versions, which have popped up with $90,000 asking prices.  This is a 200% markup which is really uncalled for, until someone pays that price.  Some will see around sticker price, especially for the “standard” Boss 302.

For those of you in the Chicago area, I can say that Spring Hill Ford in Dundee has said they will “never mark up a car higher than list” whereas a different Ford dealer 5 minutes away was marking up even base GT models back in 2005 to $5000 over list.  It pays to shop around people!

Everybody Wants Some!