This Mustang Shelby Shooting Brake is Coming as a One-Off; Have Salt Grains Close at Hand…

Working on the internet has taught us not to believe anything we find even mildly unbelievable, without being presented with some kind of satisfactory proof that can attest it. That’s why when we look at the amateurish render you see posted here, we are not won over by feelings of certainty as to its translation into reality as a one-off model.

Yes, that’s right, this Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 shooting brake model is apparently going to become a real car made by Strand Craft, a company whose site is full of renderings, plans and dead links. We were skeptical, so we asked for official confirmation, and we got it in email form.

Company president, Kurt Strand, told Carscoops that it is “a 2014 GT 500 Super Snake Shooting Brake… wide body kit, station wagon style,” and it is indeed being made “in  collaboration with a show car builder in LA,” without providing any names.

We’re looking forward to receiving some photos of it when completed, because the idea is frankly not bad at all. Let’s just hope the metal interpretation is more successful than the…MS Paint…renderings...

By Andrei Nedelea

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Ford's SEMA Fleet of Custom F-Series, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Mustang Concepts

Ford has detailed more of its 57 custom concepts that will be on display at this year’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Besides the 10 Transit Connect tunes we’ve presented earlier this week, Ford will also bring six different interpretations of its F-Series trucks. There will also be concepts based on the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Mustang. You’re invited to scroll down and check them out one by one.

Ford F-350 from Cars by Kris

The heavy duty truck gets an extensive list of modifications, including Carli Suspension upgrades to the chassis to handle 22-inch, eight-lug wheels from American Force Wheels, custom upholstery with hexagon stitched seats, painted interior accents and custom floor mats, as well as technical modifications like the Banks Power Ram-Air Intake, Straight-Shot Water-Methanol Injection System and iQ Man-Machine Interface.

Ford F-350 by EcoTrek

This is an environmentally-friendly truck with a 6.7-liter V8 diesel engine – no, we're not joking; it’s what Ford says. It features two additional fuel tanks that have a range of 1,800 (2,897 km) miles each, a rooftop shelter, refrigerator, stoves and flexible solar panels that allow it to be used in some of the most rugged locations. The truck can run on diesel, biodiesel or algae-based biodiesel.

Ford F-250 by Hulst Customs

This mean-looking F-250 features powertrain upgrades via Banks Power, 22-inch wheels from American Rebel MFG and a two-tone leather interior that matches the custom-painted black panels and chrome accents.

Ford F-150 by JR Consulting

Equipped for adventures at hunting, fishing, hiking and camping, this F-150 features an 11,000-pound (4,989-kg) winch from Superwinch, a CargoGlide storage cargo management system, 20-inch Dick Cepek all-terrain wheels and tires and more.

Ford F-150 by Skyjacker Suspensions

Aimed at people who are into the backwoods lifestyle, this F-150 features a 6-inch lift kit from Skyjacker Suspensions, locked storage area from TruckVault, bumpers from Fab Fours Inc. and BMF wheels with BFGoodrich Tires.

Ford F-150 by Fatal Clothing

A full-size pickup posing as a street racer, the F-150 by Fatal Clothing features a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine matched with twin-screw supercharger from Whipple Industries and performance exhaust system from CGS Motorsports for a total output of 650 hp. Huge 24-inch DUB wheels somehow fit beneath the wheelarches, while the Katzkin Leather interior has Fatal Clothing logo embroidered in the seats.

Ford Fusion Concepts

Two interpretations of the Ford sedan will be on display at SEMA, a 400-hp racer concept by Full-Race Motorsports that gets turbocharger and exhaust upgrades, and a blingy tune from DSO Eyewear.

Ford Focus Concepts

The main theme for the Focus is motorsport: there’s one with a Lotus livery, one with a Gulf racing livery and a rally-inspired Focus ST for law enforcement. The fourth Focus concept is one that celebrates Southern California’s car culture.

Ford Fiesta Concepts

There are five Fiesta interpretations: a 3Dcarbon tune that mixes elements from European road touring cars and American muscle cars, a rally race-ready Fiesta ST from Ice Nine Group, a Fiesta ST that will be featured in the upcoming Forza Motorsport 5 video game, a model dedicated to the U.S. military by COBB Tuning/Tanner Foust Racing and a Fiesta ST with a custom BASF paint job by Bojix Design.

Ford Mustang Concepts

Finally, there are three Mustang tunes, starting with Vortech Superchargers’ 605hp Project Yellow Jacket Ford Mustang. There’s also the spectacular Hollywood Hot Rods Mustang GT Convertible with 750 horsepower and a handsome concept from Nitto.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Ford Stages Fratricidal Race Between 2013 Mustang Cobra Jet and Fiesta ST Rallycross

Ford builds a variety of racing cars, but it’s hard to find two models that are more far apart from each other than the Mustang Cobra Jet and the Fiesta ST global rallycross car (GRC).

While the former is designed to run the quarter-mile as quickly as possible on the drag strip, the other is a nimble little car made for crazy rallycross stages that combine dirt roads with asphalt and various obstacles.

There are more differences: the Cobra Jet is a rear-wheel drive monster powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine fitted with a Ford Racing-built Whipple 2.9L Supercharger, while the Fiesta ST GRC is an all-wheel drive supermini with a 550hp 2.0-liter turbocharged engine mated to an OMSE gearbox with custom ratios.

The two cars were driven at the zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway by drag racing legend Roy Hill and rallycross driver/Top Gear USA presenter Tanner Foust. We won’t disclose the outcome of the race, but we'll tell you that the race wasn't as one-sided as one would have expected.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

2015 Ford Mustang: C&D Says This is "Almost Definitely" It…and Yes, They're Illustrations

Love or it loathe it, agree or disagree with it, the upcoming new generation of the Ford Mustang will be if not the, one of the most talked about models over the next few months, so even though it won't officially be unveiled until December, we'll be seeing and hearing a lot about it…

On Sunday, we learned about Car&Driver magazine's December 2013 issue the front page of which is titled "We leak the 2015 Ford Mustang" and "Exclusive! The images and info Ford doesn't want you to see", along what a photo of the pony car.

The publication also hosts an online article titled "Leaked! This is (Almost Definitely) the 2015 Ford Mustang: Exclusive 360º View and Full Details!" with…illustration credits. And no, the pictures seen online and on the front page are not "official" photos of the real car, but digital renders, which are said to be close to the real thing.

In the article, it is mentioned that the 'Stang will launch with the current model's 3.7-liter V6 and 5.0-liter V8 producing the same 305hp and 420hp outputs and linked to either 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

Newer powertrains, including a 2.3-liter inline four turbo, possibly the 3.5-liter EcoBoost turbo, a twin-turbocharged V8 code-named “Voodoo,” and an unspecified V8 for the Boss 302 are said to be added down the line. Over the weekend we shared a survey made for Ford about the 2015 Mustang, in which the turbo four was mentioned.

Story References & Photo Credits: C&D [Thanks to Chris Doane for the tip!

Update: C&D requested the removal of the five additional renderings (for websites – "Leaked! This is (Almost Definitely) the 2015 Ford Mustang" images for readers). You can still check them out on the magazine's website.

2015 Ford Mustang Survey Includes Info on Engine Range, Prices [Updated]

Whenever carmakers, or for that matter, any kind of company that offers products for sale, develop a new model, they survey the public to make important decisions and even alterations in design, features, marketing, pricing and other important areas. The same applies with Ford and its upcoming 2015 Mustang.

One of those U.S. market surveys conducted for Ford by Morpace was shared online on the Mustang6G forums, courtesy of member PVC. While there's no way of being 100 percent sure that everything mentioned is final, we suspect that certain specs and details could be very close to what we'll get when the 6th generation Mustang goes on sale next year.

"I recently got a survey on car options. I was thinking it might be an indicator about the type of options available for the Mustang," said PVC in a posting. "We have a 2013 Mustang and wonder if we got the e-mail because of that. Anyway, here are screenshots I took. Do these items and prices look to be in-line with what the Mustang might have?"

On the powertrain front, the survey mentions three available engines, beginning with a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 producing 300hp and 290 lb-ft (393Nm) that returns 19mpg city, 29mpg highway.

The second option is a (+$560) 2.4-liter inline-four GTDI (turbocharged with direct injection) rated at 310hp and 310lb-ft (420Nm), which has fuel economy numbers of 22mpg city and 32mpg highway.

The last choice is a (+$1,890) 4.9-liter V8 twisting out 430hp and 396lb-ft (536Nm), and returning 18mpg city and 28mpg highway.

For the record, the current 2014 Mustang Mk5 is offered with two regular powertrains (there's also the 662hp Shelby GT500), a 3.7-liter V6 producing 305hp and 280lb-ft (19mpg city / 29mpg highway for manual), and a 5.0-liter V8 with 420hp and 390 lb-ft (15mpg city and 26mpg highway for manual gearbox).

In other words, all three engines listed in the questionnaire for the 2015 Mustang are either new or improved / modified.

There's also a query in which the 2015 Mustang's base price is listed at $23,995, and another one where the survey asks which of the following transmissions would they pick if the cost was the same: 10-speed automatic, 6-speed automatic, 7-speed manual and 6-speed manual.

In our opinion, the most important data in the survey is the engine range, which does match what we've heard in the past. You can take a look at it for yourself in more detail and discover other interesting tidbits, in the gallery below.

Update: We were contacted by Morpace, which asked us to remove its screenshots from the survey

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Ford Remembers Mustang's Most Popular Colors Through the Years

Did you know that during the long career of the Ford Mustang about 21 percent of all the cars built were painted red? Maybe not, but while red remained constantly among buyers’ favorite colors, there were times when it wasn’t the top-selling color.

The favored color choices of Ford Mustang owners have shifted dramatically in the past 50 years. As television went from black-and-white to color, Mustang reflected the incoming fashion trends with a palette of vibrant colors.

Currently, black is the best-selling Mustang exterior paint color, up 10 percent over the last decade to account for 28 percent of all 2013 Mustangs sold. Yet, between 1967 and 1973 only about 1.5 percent of customers ordered their Mustang black.

Mustang buyers don’t always seem to care for trends. While white is the best-selling vehicle color in the U.S. today, only 10 percent of Mustangs sold now are painted in this color.

In the early years, though, blue was the most popular shade, reaching a peak of 30 percent of all cars in 1968 when six different finishes were offered for the exterior. In recent years, the availability of shades like Grabber Blue and Kona Blue have helped that primary color capture as much as 23 percent of sales in recent years.

Other early favorites like green, yellow and brown didn’t have the same fate. Green and yellow have mostly been found on limited edition Mustangs like the Bullitt and Boss 302 while the last brown Mustangs were built in 1989.

In addition to typical colors, Mustang has been offered in various specialty shades ranging from Playboy Pink in 1967 and the color-shifting Mystichrome on the 2004 SVT Cobra to today’s 'Gotta Have It Green'.

By Dan Mihalascu

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