Gone in 60 Seconds

Not a bad choice for movie night. Nicolas Cage’s acting is not bad, Angelina Jolie is hot, and Eleanor is one bad as Mustang. There’s a lot of good action and comedy in this movie.

Be honest with you, all of us Mustang enthusiasts should thank Chip Foose and the director for designing the custom GT500 Mustang and movie. I think this movie spawned a lot of GT500 fans, resulting in the a comeback of the Cobra GT500 in 2006.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I suggest driving your Mustang to Blockbuster and renting it. It will go down in history as one of the best Mustang movies of all time, if not, the best Mustang movie.

Roush Mustang Wheels are Awesome

Looking for a good set of chrome wheels for your high performance Mustang? Roush makes a really sharp five spoke wheel that looks great. The neat little feature I like is the etched “Roush” logo right on the wheel spoke. These wheels will definitely set your Mustang apart from the others! Roush gives you the option of painted, polished or chrome wheels. I would choose the chrome option, nothing looks better then chrome.

Steeda Mustangs

Based in Pompano Beach, Florida, Dario Orlando founded Steeda Autosports in 1988 using his years of experience repairing and racing cars. Steeda is one of the largest manufacturers of Ford aftermarket performance parts. In 2003 Steeda introduced the Q400, based on the Mustang GT with an advertised 400 hp (298 kW). The 4.6L V8 in the Q400 was modified with Vortec centrifugal supercharger, K&N Filter, and Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) 80 mm Mass Air Meter with 70 mm throttle body. Fuel is supplied via twin Bosch pumps, and Steeda-spec Borla 2.5-inch stainless pipes and mufflers. Motor Trend magazine did a dynamometer test on the Q400. Their Q400 had produced 425 hp (317 kW) from the rear wheels, and 450 hp (335 kW) from the flywheel.

In 2006, Steeda introduced Q525. It comes equipped with a 5.0L modular V8, producing 500 hp (373 kW) and 530 ft·lbf (719 Nm) of torque, thanks to a Steeda/MagnaCharger supercharger system with an intercooler, a 62 mm twin-bore throttle body, a Steeda/SCT air meter, 60 lb electronic fuel injectors and a Steeda Intake Kit.

Saleen Performance Company

Saleen was founded by racer Steve Saleen in 1983, with the first model being a 1984 Saleen Mustang. The first Saleen’s were mainly focused on looks, and used stock ford engines. As the years grew, so did the performance.

Saleen has won many races with his mustangs, including the famous 24 hours of Le Mans, 24 hours of Daytona, and many SCCA championships. Saleen has many different versions of the Mustangs, all called the “S281″, such as the S281 SC with a supercharged 4.6 Liter V8, making 465 hp (347 kW); and the S281-E Extreme, in which they have replaced the factory 4.6 liter with a Saleen-built V8 engine, increasing the power to almost 550 hp (410 kW).In 2007, Saleen and American Racing Legend, Parnelli Jones, created a limited-edition version of the Mustang.

Though often called the Saleen/Parnelli Jones S302, it was designed to pay homage the the legendary Boss 302 that Parnelli Jones had raced in back in the 70’s. Equipped with a Saleen MOD 302 cid 3-valve V8, the S302 makes 400 hp (300 kW) and 390 ft·lbf (529 N·m) of torque. On the outside, the S302 features a new front fascia, Saleen “Shaker” hood, window louvers, and custom Saleen/Parnelli Jones edition wheels. Production of this car was limited to only 500 cars.

Roush Performance Company

Roush Performance, established by former Ford engineer Jack Roush in 1988, had been known for providing performance parts, vehicles and engines. In 2001, the company introduced three packages for the Mustang. Stage 1 came with 17-inch wheels, a lowered suspension and a side-mounted exhaust system. In addition, it came with an air dam, side skirts and a rear spoiler. Stage 2 was an upgraded Stage 1 with 18-inch alloy wheels and BFGoodrich Comp T/A Tires. The suspension was extensively modified with Bilstein shocks, High-rate springs, stiffer anti-roll bars and new control arms. Roush claimed it achieved 1.0g lateral acceleration and was on par with the Porsche 911 Turbo. Both Stage 1 and Stage 2 came with V6 or V8 engine options. The top of the line was the Stage 3, with 360 hp (268 kW) and 375 ft·lbf (508 Nm) of torque. The Stage 3 platform was essentially a heavily modified Mustang GT. The Ford 4.6 L V8 was upgraded with an Eaton supercharger, a new intake manifold, high performing fuel injectors, an air-to-water intercooler and a lighter flywheel (on the manual transmission only). The Stage 3 was available in three packages: Sport, Rally and Premium.

In 2004, Roush released a limited edition mustang known as the 440A. This was a Stage 3 Roush with the addition of custom 440A interior, Roush braking system, and a rear exhaust system instead of the side-mounted exhaust system. The 440A model was released in 2004 to commemorate the 40 years of Ford Mustang production. Only 40 Roush 440A Mustangs were produced and all were sold at a dealership in Florida, USA. Roush also claimed that this model produced 400 horsepower (300 kW), a claim that has been argued by some who claim that the engine was dyno tested at 360 hp (268 kW).

In 2007, now based on an S-197 Mustang, Roush introduced the Sport and 427R editions. The Sport package became the Roush base model, and comes with body kits and high performance exhaust systems. The Stage 1 comes with 18-inch chrome wheels and aggressive tires, a high performance exhaust system, body kits and a vast option menu of visual upgrades. The Stage 2 enhances the Stage 1, by upgrading the stock suspension with high performance front struts, rear shocks, front and rear springs, front and rear sway bars, and Pinion snubbers. The Stage 3 comes with 18-inch, forged chrome wheels and high performance tires, and 14-inch rotors with four-piston calipers. The 4.6 L V8 now has the output of 415 hp (268.4 kW) and 385 ft·lbf (521 Nm) with a Roush supercharger and an air-to-water intercooler. The new top of the line is the 427R, which is based on the Stage 3 Mustang. It produces an additional 115 horsepower (86 kW) and 65 ft·lbf (88 Nm) of torque over the Stage 3 Mustang, due to an upgraded ECM (Electronic Control Module). In addition, it is equipped with an upgraded appearance package.

Ford Mustang Mach 1

In 2003 and 2004 the “Mach 1″ nameplate returned. The original 1969 and 1970 Mustang Mach 1s were (and remain) some of the most popular Mustangs ever, Ford introduced the new Mach 1 to keep interest in the current Mustang high until the release of the S-197 with yet another special-edition Mustang. The Mach 1 used a non-supercharged version of the Cobra’s 4.6 DOHC V8 which utilized cams from the Lincoln Navigator motor, and it was conservatively rated at 305 hp (310 hp in 2004). Other special features included “retro” interior styling, with seats made to look like the “comfortweave” seats in the original Mach 1s, old-style gauges, and aluminum pedals and shifter. Outside, the Mach 1 featured a striping package and blacked-out spoiler designed to mimic the original Mach 1, “Magnum 500″ styled 17-inch wheels, and a “Shaker” hoodscoop. The “Shaker” was so named because it was attached to the engine and stuck out through a hole in the hood, and would move with the torque of the motor. Ford utilized the same casting for the new “Shaker” that they had for the 1969 model year. Despite having camshafts that produce power at lower rpm, the Mach 1’s 4.6 produced as much power as the ‘01 Cobra, in part to the revised 4-valve heads, an increase in compression from 9.85:1 to 10:1, and the ram-air system. The Mach 1 was also equipped with 3.55:1 rear gears (manual transmissions only), making it capable of very low 13-second 1/4 mile ETs and ~106 mph trap speeds with an experienced drag driver.

Bullitt Mustang

In 2001, Ford offered a special version of its GT with the “Bullitt” nameplate. It was reminiscent of the 1968 390 fastback model driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 movie famous for its high speed chase, Bullitt. The car was designed as a good handler, to become so it was lowered 3/4 inches, received Tokico shocks and short length sub-frame connectors. In addition, a new intake design, high-flow mufflers, and special underdrive pullies helped increase the power to a conservative 265 hp (198 kW), many owners report numbers closer to the 270-275 range. More telling is the torque curve, which was vastly improved over the base GT models, 90% of its 305 ft·lbf (414 N·m) available from 2000 rpm. This broader torque curve makes itself known at the drag strip, as these special edition Mustangs could cover the 1/4 mile in 2-3 tenths of a second quicker and about 2 mph (3 km/h) faster than regular GT.

The special intake manifolds responded well to superchargers and was well suited for use with nitrous oxide (due to the fact that if there was a nitrous-backfire, the aluminum Bullitt manifold would not be blown apart like its plastic counterpart). 17 inch “American Torq-Thrust” rims, wrapped in 245/45ZR performance rubber by Goodyear, were reminiscent of those on the car driven by McQueen in the movie.

These wheels also became available for use on the standard GT as well. The Bullitt featured a large hood scoop reminiscent of the earlier Boss 429 scoop, as well as new side scoops, lower body moldings and c-pillars with unique rear side window shape. Other special features on the Bullitt included aluminum pedals and shifter, retro-styled gauges and seats, red brake calipers with the Mustang logo on them, and the removal of the spoiler and fog lamps regularly found on Mustang GT’s, all for a cleaner look.

Braking was also improved with the addition of dual-piston Brembo brakes with 13-inch rotors, the same brakes utilized by the Mustang Cobra. The Bullitt Mustang was offered in only three colors: Dark Highland Green (like Steve McQueen’s original 1968 GT Mustang), Black (like the Charger chased by McQueen), and True Blue. Total production was 5,582 units, with 3,041 Dark Highland Green, 1,818 Black, and 723 True Blue. A 2008 Bullitt edition will be released in mid-2008. Among the details are a blacked out rear panel and a plain grille similar to the base V6 Mustang, suspension similar to the Shelby GT, and exhaust upgrades that will increase power to around 325 hp (242 kW).

Anniversary Editions

Ford celebrated the Mustang’s 20th Anniversary in 1984 by issuing a limited-edition GT model under the designation GT-350. The GT-350 name had not been used since the last Shelby Mustang was produced in 1970. The GT-350 could be ordered in either a hatchback or convertible body style driven by either the high performance 302cid V8 or the 140cid Turbo four. All came in white with special stripes and lettering while inside, SVO style seats were a feature of the all red interior.

The 1984 20th anniversary edition GT sported a whole new look for Mustang, including the white monochromatic paint scheme and bold “GT-350″ Striping. These Stripes are very reminiscent of the classic Shelby Mustangs Produced in the 1960s. One big mechanical revision for the Anniversary Mustang involved the GT’s suspension. This revision was introduced as a running change early in 1984 to ALL GT Mustangs. The rear control arm pivot points were lowered 1/2-inch on the upper end and 1/4-inch on the lower end for improved suspension geometry. In addition, quad shocks replaced the old-style traction bars and the rear anti-roll bar diameter increased to 0.79 inches compared to 0.67 inches in 1983. Another newcomer in 1984 was the introduction of an Automatic Over Drive (AOD) Transmission.

This combination could only be purchased with a 302 utilizing a Throttle Body Fuel Injection (TBI) system, also called Central Fuel Injection(CFI). The optional 165 horsepower (123 kW) 5.0L engine with CFI and the 4-speed AOD transmission package was offered with a 3.27:1 axle ratio. The 175 hp (130 kW) 4V version carried over from 1983 was available only with a T-5 manual transmission. The 4V 5-speed was available with a 3.08:1 axle ratio.The 20th Anniversary Edition GT350’s were produced during 35 days of production. The entire production is believed to have been done in 35 batches starting March 5th, 1984 and ending in April of 1984, there was one final Anniversary Mustang Convertible (TBI/CFI Automatic) Produced on June 12, 1984.

There was no official 25th Anniversary model from Ford in 1989, even though this was looked into with several designs on body and performance modifications. In response Ford modified the running horse badge on the passenger side of the dash board, stating “25 Years” on the bottom of the badge. These badges were installed beginning in April of 1989 for one year, until April of 1990, the Anniversary model year. After April of 1990, Ford kept the badges in place,without the “25 Years” portion. Ford also added “25 Years” water mark on the window sticker with the running horse badge during this time period.

In 1999, Ford produced a special 35th Anniversary Edition of the Mustang.

In 2004, Ford produced a special 40th Anniversary Edition of the Mustang. Available in both Standard and GT editions, it consisted of 40th Anniversary badging, enhanced interior, and a few “special” collectible items for the owner. It also marked the end of this design of the Mustang, as 2005 ushered in an all-new model.

2009 Woodward Cruise

So did the poor economy in Michigan affect the 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise? I sure think it did, it seemed like there were less muscle cars out there. I went on all three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I also noticed on Sunday that there was barely anyone cruising. From what I remember, Sunday was still packed with cars, well not this year.

There wasn’t any loss of people, people were still getting drunk and partying. It seems to have almost turned into a place to party and hang out at, instead of watching all the classic cars go bye.

I don’t want to be to negative, it was still a good time. I saw a lot of neat cars there, and a ton of customized Mustangs. Actually got to see a 2000 Cobra R Mustang in person for the first time. Ecto 1 from the Ghostbusters showed up also. I really can’t wait for next year to come around.

Cruising and the Economy

So the big question on my mind is whether or not this bad economy will put a dampen on things such as cruising this year in your late model Mustang. I for one am hoping it will not!

You might ask yourself, what is he talking about? Well, I mean high gas prices, less people out cruising, and less enthusiasm for muscle cars themselves. A lot of people are wondering how we are going to make it out of this struggling economy alive, well I just say fight! Work as hard as you can and try to still fit in enjoyment such as cruising Woodward on weekdays or weekends.

I for one have to keep an element such as this in my live in order to keep my sanity, last year I spent my whole spring, summer, and fall working. Not this year, I’m going to try to stick in some days cruising and hanging out with my friends out on Woodward in my 04 SVT Mustang Cobra. I just hope things haven’t changed, I guess only time will tell.

Keep the muscle car legend alive friends!