Ford Racing is continuing to launch its assault on all forms of motorsport with the upcoming launch of the 2010 Boss 302R Mustang to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original Boss 302's 1970 Trans-Am championship. No photos of the car have been released quite yet, but we do have plenty of information thanks to a leaked letter to Ford dealers. Like the FR500S, FR500C, FR500CJ and other Mustangs available from the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog, the Boss 302R is for off-road use only and will be built in very limited quantities. Just 50 are planned for production at a starting cost of $79,000.
Two versions of the 302R will be available, with the base package designed to compete in various SCCA and NASA classes and the upgraded version built to Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series specifications. The base Boss 302R includes a 5.0-liter four-valve V8 pushing out an estimated 400 horsepower as well as a six-speed transmission, race-spec suspension, brakes and tires, and safety equipment including a roll cage and race seats with safety harnesses. The Grand-Am spec version also gets a sealed high-output race engine, seam-welded body, racing fuel cell, a data acquisition system and more for a cost of $129,000.
Ford Racing is currently taking orders, and judging by sales of their other competition Mustangs you will need to order immediately if you want to get your hands on one. Follow the jump for more information and detailed specifications of the 2010 Ford Racing Boss 302R.
H. B. Halicki was a used car salesman who wanted to make a movie. With a little money, one big idea, and a 1971 Mustang Mach 1, he made Gone in 60 Seconds. And in that particular way that movies, especially '70s movies, can be, it wasn't all that good, but it was awesome. Fast forward to Michael Bay's remake in 2000, and the Mach 1 was replaced by a 1967 Shelby GT500. When we got a call offering us the actual car from that movie for the weekend, we felt obliged to say yes... and then drive it like we stole it. The verdict: Eleanor is the hottest piece of car we've spent a weekend with in quite some time.
There's no doubt about which automaker leads the hybrid vehicle race. Toyota – and particularly the Japanese automaker's Prius hybrid – outsells all other manufacturers combined. In total, Automotive News calculates that Toyota sold 144,351 hybrid vehicles in the first nine months of 2009, which actually represents a 28-percent drop from the previous year.
So far this year, Honda has come in second with its new Insight, but that position is currently in jeopardy. The 26,016 hybrid vehicles sold by Ford in the first nine months of the year represents an impressive 73-percent gain from last year. Honda has sold 29,958 hybrids so far in '09, representing a much smaller eight-percent increase. In both July and September, Ford actually sold more hybrids than Honda.
In other words, Ford, led by its Escape Hybrid and new-for-2010 Fusion Hybrid, is gaining on Honda at a very rapid pace. Moving on down the line, General Motors slots in at number four with 12,556 total hybrid so far this year and Nissan's 7,713 units make it the number five hybrid seller in the U.S.
Hold on to your butts, people. Ford Racing and Roush Fenway Racing have unveiled their new stock car based on the poniest of pony cars. Prior to this, Ford teams in NASCAR have driven Fusions. Well, all right, none of them were actual Fusions or will be actual Mustangs. Rather, they'll be normal stock cars like everyone else in NASCAR drives that are covered with enough stickers and fake grilles to make you think that you might be looking at a Mustang from the stands. Man, "stock car" has really become a contradiction in terms.
Now you won't see Mustangs turning left next week in Charlotte at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The new car will compete in four races next year and only in the Nationwide Series, not the Sprint Cup. As such, it won't be based on the Car of Tomorrow platform that the Sprint Cup series uses, but rather the newer, different Car of Tomorrow platform designed specifically for the Nationwide Series. This first new Mustang to race in the Nationwide Series will be the No. 16 Con-way Freight Mustang driven by Colin Braun for Roush Fenway Racing. Is it enough to make us love NASCAR? Not quite, but if we had to race a bathtub on wheels, we'd pick this one.
With various racing series coming to a close this month, the Mustang has proven its worth on track by bringing home two major road racing championships. This past weekend Brandon Davis secured the 2009 SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT title in only his second season with a fourth place finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Davis, who was racing in the new 2010 ACS Mustang that debuted a few weeks earlier at Road Atlanta, only needed to finish in eighth place to guarantee the championship and beat out Porsche driver James Sofronas.
In the Grand-Am Koni Challenge series, the Mustang FR500C also captured not only the driver title, but also the team and manufacturers' championships for the second straight year. Rehagen Racing sat atop the driver and team points lead with a sixth place finish at Virginia International Raceway, and the win by JBS Motorsports helped put Ford just one point ahead of BMW in the manufacturers' standings. Mustangs won five races during the 2009 season and finished on the podium eight out of eleven races.
We didn't make it out to VIR for the Koni Challenge race, but we were on hand at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to watch the SPEED World Challenge race with cameras at the ready. Check out the high-res gallery below, or tune into SPEED TV on November 3 at 2:00 pm EST to watch the race yourself. If you're down with spoilers.
It looks like the top-shelf, one-off 550-hp engine upgrade for that new Iacocca Mustang is worth about $362,000, at least to one buyer. The fifth of just 45 2009 12 Iacocca 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustangs to be made crossed the block on Saturday at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas with a winning bid of $320,000. After fees, the car's final selling price was a whopping $352,000. That's well above the $89,950 MSRP of the other 44 limited-edition, coachbuilt specials. We just wrote about the Iacocca 'Stang and said that the car's exclusive dealer, Galpin Motors of California, would offer engine upgrades for an undisclosed premium. We seriously doubt that the actual surcharge will come anywhere close to the premium secured on the Barrett-Jackson car.
So what made this particular Iacocca attractive enough to bring such a lofty price? Well, for one, it had that upgraded, supercharged 550-horsepower engine. Another reason this one sold for a price nearly four times higher than the base model was that it was sold at auction, with the bidders getting whipped into a typical Barrett-Jackson feeding frenzy. Finally, it was in Las Vegas, a city where fiscal responsibility takes a backseat to, well, pretty much everything. While we love the custom composite coachwork on this special fastback Mustang, and acknowledge that this one is unique with its supercharged engine, that price just seems completely insane. The Iacocca topped many impressive other rides that were up for grabs; follow the jump to read more results. Apparently, everything that happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas.
Los Angeles will be a busy show for the Blue Oval boys. In addition to the official introduction of the U.S. Ford Fiesta, the rumormill regarding what's powering the 2011 Ford Mustang range figures to stop spinning once and for all.
We, along with green cars maven John Voelcker, were guests with Ford's global product development chief, Derrick Kuzak, on FoxNews.com's Fox Car Report yesterday. Kuzak didn't divulge any specifics regarding the Mustang during the broadcast, but as we all headed out following the appearance, he did let us know that our Mustang questions would be answered in Los Angeles this December. Earlier published reports have indicated that a new, more powerful, 300+ horsepower base V6 is in the offing, along with the widely-expected 400-horsepower 5.0-liter V8.
The other juicy rumor floating around that we want to see come true is that of an aluminum-block version of the 5.4-liter supercharged V8 for the 2011 Shelby GT500. To that end, we simply asked Kuzak, "How about an aluminum-block GT500?" He just smiled and replied, "That's a good thought." We'll cross our fingers while we wait and see.
Newly formed Saleen Performance Vehicles released their first 2010-based Mustang, the 435S, this past summer, but the lack of any significant design upgrades left us wanting something a little more. We knew an S281 model was soon to follow, and thanks to Saleen's Flickr page, we now know the car will make its debut at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The three photos posted on the site actually provide a decent look at the front and rear of the car, and we especially like what's been done to the 2010 Stang's controversial rear with the elongated tail and the diffuser-style rear valence. Check back for full details and plenty of photos when we cover the 2010 Saleen S281 Mustang's live unveiling early next month.
When the phone rings and the guy on the other end asks if we want to drive a new Ford Mustang, we have to take a moment before answering. While we always enjoy the chance to pilot a new vehicle, we have to carefully consider whether we want to subject you to yet another pony car review. As we've chronicled in the past, there have been dozens of Mustang variants over the past decade and we've covered just about all of them. But we know that just mentioning another Mustang can elicit apathy – if not downright scorn – from our readers. Sure, it's an iconic American vehicle, attainable and tunable, fast and fun, but does the world really need yet another special edition Mustang?
The answer to that question is 'yes,' as long as there's something new in the mix. So when the call came to drive a 2009 12 Iacocca 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang, the invitation was irresistible. Built as a tribute to the Father of the Mustang, it's been a long time coming. The real question is whether this limited edition 'Stang will be distinctive enough to stand out among the hundreds of other variants since its birth in 1964. We stopped by the car's builder, Metalcrafters, in Fountain Valley, California to find out. Read on to find out what we think about Lido's tribute.
Testing is well underway on the 2010 version of the Cobra Jet Mustang, and from the looks of this new video released by Ford Racing, things are going very well. During a recent test of a development model with the new 2010 powertrain, the FR500CJ pulled a huge wheelie off the line in a perfect display of massive torque and traction. The ability to launch the front wheels off the ground is no doubt helped by the new aluminum-block motor underhood, which weighs far less than its iron counterpart. Will a version of this new lightweight motor make it into the 2011 Shelby GT500? We sure hope so.
