Mustang

[iGav]

I'm totally lovin' this car.... boy do I hope it makes it to this side of the Atlantic! I'd sell my soul to have one!! :D

I'd rank it just above the TT in the all round coupe cool stakes, with the Nissan Z in 3rd!!

Blindin', especially after the sacrilege that was the 80's and 90's Mustangs!!

[Independence]

i guess i like the current mustang a lot more. i don't like how ford is going retro with some of their vehicles. the thunderbird looks like something straight out of the 50s and i wouldn't be caught dead driving it. as for the 2005 mustang, there are better looking cars on the streets these days.

in a nutshell, the 4th gen F-bodys look better. now i just hope chevy brings back the camaro.

[iGav]

I'm totally lovin' it!.... fantastic design detailing that really pushes it close to the TT and 350Z, it's this kind of thing that would make it attractive to European buyers... normally U.S. cars just don't sell over here, although that trend has been somewhat reversed recently with the PT Cruiser... but apart from that, nothing else gets a look in.

I don't personally normally like retro cars.... (even though it is the current fad) I'm neither a fan of the new Mini or New Beetle and generally head for more innovative and original design like the Nuvolari or TT, or new 5 Series.

Retro seems to be the way at the moment, and for the forseeable... looking at the new FIAT Cinquecento, which FIAT would be mad not to call the 500, or the new VW Microbus or the Ford GT even Ferrari with the new 612 Scaglietti on the retro path....

[eyelikeart]

I think the current styling of the Mustang is pretty tired, and needs to be put to rest. Remember how long they kept the bodystyle before that?!

I'm always a fan of retro, and this does it right...with an updated feel.

I like it too. :D

[rhpenguin]

I am a big fan of the retro look and to tell you the truth im glad Ford decided to add some class to their product line, yet it is Ford and they managed to mess upa very nice car by making it TOO BLOODY HEAVY! (my father was in charge of production of all the suspention so i got all the nitty gritty from the production side.)

The retro look is comming back bigtime. The 350Z has a lot of the styling queues from the 240Z. If i parked my 240Z beside a 350 it becomes really aparent.

Oh well.. Lets hope that Mazda's new rear wheel drive car that is on the horizon can do what this cant.

[medea]

I saw this as I was looking at all the upcoming models the other day and even though I'm not a mustang nor muscle car fan I really like the design, it definitely looks more like a competent sports car than the current model.

[medea]

more pics

[iGav]

I'd have to specify the leather in black though.... that red looks like it came straight out of a boudoir.... :eek: :p :p

I'm still interested to see how it's priced... if they can get it within range of a TT then it'll sell... everyone over here knows about the Pony car.. it has history and people know about it.... ;)

If we get it in 05/06' and it's within the £35k range... I think I'd be very, very tempted! :D

[iJon]

do they have specs on it yet. but i do like the new look, looks a lot better than the ones now.

iJon

[iGav]

Originally posted by iJon
do they have specs on it yet. but i do like the new look, looks a lot better than the ones now.

iJon

a very rude 400BHP V8 with 390 torque! :D

[iJon]

Originally posted by iGAV
a very rude 400BHP V8 with 390 torque! :D
beautiful, back to the muscle cars.

iJon

[rhpenguin]

But as i said early its heavy as hell. Ill get exact numbers sometime soon if i can.

[iGav]

Originally posted by rhpenguin
But as i said early its heavy as hell. Ill get exact numbers sometime soon if i can.

that is a major problem with most yank-tanks isn't it.... that and requiring enormous levels of BHP to actually get decent performance from it....

A 400BHP V8 with that amount of torque should be a mid 4 seconds to 60 easily... but if it's too lardy, that'll drop down into the late 5's maybe early 6's.... when any stock Subaru/Evo/Focus RS/ will whoop a$$ at the lights!

They need to strip it right down, aluminium and carbon fibre, lose all the gadgets and make it f**kin' RAW as!! :eek: ;) :D

But not like what BMW have done with the lardy M3, by stripping a couple of things out, giving it a carbon fibre roof, some super sticky rubber specials and calling it the legendary CSL.... :rolleyes: when they really should have gone the Ferrari Stradale route and stripped EVERYTHING out of it... ;)

[rhpenguin]

But then it becomes an affordability problem. If they started doing that then no one would afford it. This is Fords only (affordable) sports car. I think by doing a whole bunch of crazy stuff to it would definatly jack up the price and no one would buy it becuase i know that iw ould rather go bmw than ford anyday so they have to keep costs low.

Sorry about the ramble, but you get the point.

[iGav]

Originally posted by rhpenguin
But then it becomes an affordability problem. If they started doing that then no one would afford it. This is Fords only (affordable) sports car. I think by doing a whole bunch of crazy stuff to it would definatly jack up the price and no one would buy it becuase i know that iw ould rather go bmw than ford anyday so they have to keep costs low.


but they could approach it in the same way as Lotus did the Elise.... strip it out of all the unecessary stuff, and make it raw.... :D

The Elise is pretty much stripped of any goodies, is raw, and is one of the best handling, quickest round the racetrack cars you can buy... for the same price as a 320 BMW.... That's what Ford should be aiming with this new Mustang... not bloating it out like every other yank-tank!

[wdlove]

I agree it is very sharp. Very modern looking. Like the silver exterior with a black leather interior.

[Mr. Anderson]

Wow, that's quite nice - keeps the lines of the originals - but looks almost BMW esque....I'd love to see one in person and take it for a test drive.

When you come for a visit here to the states, if you haven't already sampled it, you might have to take a trip to a dealership and see if they'll let you take a spin ;)

D

[Counterfit]

I think it looks much better as a coupe then as a convertible. And an American car company stripping down a car? Hah! Only if it's meant for racing (like the Viper and Neon ACR's)

[iGav]

Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
Wow, that's quite nice - keeps the lines of the originals - but looks almost BMW esque....I'd love to see one in person and take it for a test drive.

When you come for a visit here to the states, if you haven't already sampled it, you might have to take a trip to a dealership and see if they'll let you take a spin

D

It's the attention to detail that makes me think it'll appeal to European buyers... (and Europe is a HUGE market)...

Also the 'Mustang' is a Legend over here... everyone knows what a Mustang is, even my Mum!

If they could price this car in the TT bracket it'll sell.... although I think I'd be looking at a 250BHP version as opposed to the full 400 ponies just because of insurance purposes. (and you can't do more than 6mph in central London anyway) :eek: :p

If they make it over here though, I'm certainly seriously considering one.... I'm holding off the TT until I can sort out my own place to buy (waiting for the housing market crash!! heheh!!) but if the TT and Mustang are in the same ballpark... well, it'd be rude not too wouldn't it! :eek: :D

When I drove from San-Francisco up to Seattle a few years ago I was going to hire out the current Mustang convertible, but Alamo in SF had run out of them, so I ended up with a V6 Intrigue... something that miffed me alittle... (wanting to live out those Bullitt fantasies and all), and that's when I discovered the Great American secret... yanky cars go like stink in a straight line, but throw in a few twisty corners on your fav piece of the black stuff, and they wallow and bounce and understeer... almost off the edge of highway 1 on several occasions! heheh!

But yeah, going back to me visitng next year, (I forgot to answer your question in another thread from a week or so ago, and can't remember which one it is now)... :rolleyes:

The idea is to fly out (not sure whether to go North to South or South to North.... so say fly out to New Orleans (corrupt eye over absinthe and moonshine!! heheh), then drive to Florida to see relatives and hopefully (if the planets come into alignment... catch a shuttle launch!!)

Then drive up/down the East Coast... (I have this urge to do the Carolina's as they look pretty stunning in books) and then up/down to wherever takes my fancy.... (it could also be the reverse of this etc etc....) *grins*

Not sure for how long or even when yet... when it comes to things like this, I'm very spontaneous,when I flew out to SF to drive up to Seattle I booked my flight 2 and half days before, with no hotel or hire car arranged, and no idea of what my budget was either.... :eek: :p but it was much more fun because of the spontaneity !

One thing I am looking forward to though is that I've got people to visit now and hook up with, so that's going to be cool, knowing that when I get somewhere, I'm going to be able to go out for a beer or 3 with someone and get a locals view point on things etc etc (and maybe have a game of Ultimate thrown in, in D.C. too.... heheh!!), but there's a few people on here who'll I'll hopefully be meeting up with!

It's likely to be late summertime/early Autumn (I do want to miss Hurricane season if poss), and probably be 3-4ish weeks in duration depending on who I'm working for at that time!

It'll also be on my own, although there's a chance that a friend is going to fly out from the UK to meet me in Florida so we can do DisneyWorld, as she feels it's very important to do this before she's 30... :p

Either way.... it'll likely be like a bad road movie.... cheap motels, cheap champagne and cheap girls.... hopefully!! :eek: :p

[Counterfit]

Make sure you visit Boston! Just, uhh, don't drive in here, it's still a mess. What with the Big Drain, err, Big Dig still going strong.

[iGav]

Originally posted by Counterfit
Make sure you visit Boston! Just, uhh, don't drive in here, it's still a mess. What with the Big Drain, err, Big Dig still going strong.

Boston is on my list.... :D big DIG?? so does this mean I'll need an SUV then?? heheh!

[Counterfit]

NO! The last thing this city needs is another damned SUV.

[G4scott]

I love this car, but the thing that really caught my eye were the gauges. They don't use typical needles any more. I thought it was way cool...

[Phil Of Mac]

What we need is digital gauges! Yeah! Like in the early 90's, when instead of a needle or something moving back and forth, you had numbers counting up and down! That was sweet!

[shadowfax]

i love the new design as well. the TT is still cooler IMHO, but this one is a step 10000 times better than the crap they've been putting out in the last few years. this is actually a sporty sports car, where the old ones really looked like a cheapass sports car. i love how they're figuring out that after all this time, none of their designs have topped the overall style of the original mustang.


on a sidenote, i was rear-ended by a black 2003 mustang just about 3 weeks ago...

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
What we need is digital gauges! Yeah! Like in the early 90's, when instead of a needle or something moving back and forth, you had numbers counting up and down! That was sweet! no way, man, i think the manual gauges look a lot cooler. i remember those digital gauges, they always had this huge number that made me feel like they thought i was blind or something.... i like these gauges on this car, and think that rather than what you suggest, they should spend their time making the gauges look cooler (like a sweet light show cf. recent VW interiors). it would be nice to maybe add a digital display somewhere on the gauge, but taking the pins away looks TACKY!

[Phil Of Mac]

No freaking way. Digital gauges told you exactly what you needed to know with just a glance. No need to look at the tick marks or whatever. OK, you can make it smaller, but needles are *so* analog, and analog is *so* twentieth-century.

[Counterfit]

Originally posted by shadowfax
where the old ones really looked like a cheapass sports car. What, perchance, do you think they are/were?

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by Counterfit
What, perchance, do you think they are/were? eh, but there's a difference between being one and looking like one.

[Phil Of Mac]

"This above all: to thine own self be true."

[Counterfit]

Right, but in the case of any Mustang with a V6 and/or an automatic transmission, they're one and the same :P

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by Counterfit
Right, but in the case of any Mustang with a V6 and/or an automatic transmission, they're one and the same :P i was talking about the cobra, man. the V6 mustang isn't even a sports car. it has 16 inch rims for god's sake! even the cobras just lack a sporty style that this concept totally embodies.

[Counterfit]

Oh, well yeah, those too. Heavy mofo's, that's why I'd rather have a late model Camaro like my friends '96 Z28. Drooling just thinking about it, T-top, 6 speed, biggest motor available, black with silver stripes, tan leather and upholstery. Oh man, I want one. That is, after I get better at driving stick. I wonder if my brother will mind having to change his clutch a little early :rolleyes:

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by Counterfit
Oh, well yeah, those too. Heavy mofo's, that's why I'd rather have a late model Camaro like my friends '96 Z28. Drooling just thinking about it, T-top, 6 speed, biggest motor available, black with silver stripes, tan leather and upholstery. Oh man, I want one. That is, after I get better at driving stick. I wonder if my brother will mind having to change his clutch a little early :rolleyes: nah, i like the 98 or newer corvettes best, heh. much, much nicer than camaros.

[Counterfit]

Right, but you can't get those for $12k, yet.

[CMillerERAU]

Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
What we need is digital gauges! Yeah! Like in the early 90's, when instead of a needle or something moving back and forth, you had numbers counting up and down! That was sweet!

Boy that's funny. Just the other day we had a discussion about gauges in my cockpit resource class (I'm training to be an airline pilot). Basically what they've determined is that digital gauges are good for measuring relatively constant stuff like oil temperature or fuel. As for things you need to read trends, analog is the best. Its very easy to see how fast you're going at cruise with a digital speedometer. Though if you're accelerating (and that's a big part of the time in a sports car) its very difficult to interperate a digital gauge counting up. So I guess I'd have to go with the analog speedometer for cars. On the other hand, a perfect compromise would have both, have the analog gauge with a digital readout inside.

[Counterfit]

Or analog gauges and a digital HUD.

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by Counterfit
Or analog gauges and a digital HUD. yeah, like on the more recent 'vettes, heh. that HUD is tight!

[Counterfit]

I wish I had a HUD. I wish I had a 'vette too. Hell, while I'm wishing, I might as well get a McLaren and a Stanley Steamer.

[Phil Of Mac]

You put the HUD display on the helmet.

IIRC, the late-model Camaros were actually Japanese-made models that were sold by Chevrolet under the same partnership that brought us the Geo make.

[Counterfit]

No, they were built at a plant in Quebec. I don't remember the name, but there was a HUGE stink over them ceasing F-body car (Camaro and Trans-Am) production there.

[shadowfax]

don't the camaros have the same basic engine as the corvette, only on a heavier body and with a more restricted exhaust system?

[Counterfit]

I think that was an option, possibly on the SS (?)