ˆ Gestation of a GT500: Lead designer shares early sketches

tags : 2010 ford shelby gt500 , 2010 shelby gt500 , 2010fordshelbygt500 , 2010shelbygt500 , ford , gt500 , mustang , mustang gt500 , mustanggt500 , rob jensen , robjensen , shelby , shelby gt500 , shelbygt500

One of Ford's biggest buzz vehicles this auto show season has been the Mustang. From the debut of the redesigned 2010 model at the LA Auto Show last November to the reveal of the 2010 Shelby GT500 at the Detroit Auto Show last month, Ford has managed to steal back much of the muscle car spot light that's been occupied by the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro for the last couple of years. The 540-hp Shelby GT500 is the new reigning king of production Mustangs, and one person more than any other is responsible for its visual transformation from family friendly Mustang GT to I'll-eat-your-children-without-chewing Shelby GT500. His name is Rob Jensen, and he earns points from this peanut gallery for keeping his own blog at RobJensenDesign.com. Jensen recently sat down with our friends at idsketching.com for an interview and revealed some salient details about the Mustang's design process, as well as offered advice for budding industrial designers. He also handed over a digital stack of early GT500 sketches that shows the design's gestation from a unique perspective.

posted : 4/23/2009 @5:03:44 AM

ˆ Ford Racing Invitational '08: Waiting on the rain

tags : ford racing invitational , fordracinginvitational , mustang gt500 , mustanggt500

We're here at Milan Dragway for the 2nd annual Ford Racing invitational and just like the guys at Indy, drag racers don't run in the rain. Ford invites the a bunch of Michigan-based media out to Milan during NMRA weekend so that we can try out our quarter-mile skills in a bunch of Mustangs. Since this is bracket racing, where the goal is to be consistent from run to run rather than just fast, we have 17 different Mustangs here including GT500s, GT500KRs, Roush machines and others with assorted Ford Racing parts. We were all assigned cars randomly and I drew this GT500 that serves as the Pace Car at the Homestead, FL track. After rains yesterday morning and early afternoon it finally let up just before 3:00 PM when practice sessions were due to start. When it was finally our turn to hit the track, we headed out to the staging lanes and waited. Before we got to the line, though, it started raining again and it didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon. The weather is supposed to be clear today, so hopefully I'll get my chance to defend the honor of Autoblog.

posted : 6/16/2008 @9:31:40 PM

ˆ Ford Mustang GT500KR priced at $79,995

tags : ford , ford mustang gt500kr , ford mustang gt500kr price , ford mustang gt500kr pricing , fordmustanggt500kr , fordmustanggt500krprice , fordmustanggt500krpricing , gt500kr , mustang , price , pricing

Ford will be producing 1,000 GT500KR Mustangs this year, with another 700 in 2009, so FoMoCo is pricing the ultimate 'Stang accordingly. For $79,995 (including destination and gas-guzzler tax), you get everything included in the "standard" GT500, plus Ford Racing's Power Upgrade Package, which includes a new exhaust and a recalibrated ECU to push out 540 hp and 510 lb.-ft. of torque from the supercharged 5.4-liter V8. The only options on the ordering form are a Shaker 1000 stereo, Sirius satellite radio and a navigation system. Ford hasn't disclosed fuel economy numbers yet, but we doubt anyone willing to drop $80k on a blown V8 is troubled by topping off their own KR with $4.00-a-gallon premium. Get your orders in now; sales begin later this month.
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posted : 5/2/2008 @2:48:19 PM