Ford Mustang 1966 News

The 2015 Ford Mustang is on track for an auto show debut within the next six months and already many of its details are becoming known. Today, we learned that engineers developing the car have targeted a substantial weight saving for the new model. A source familiar with the car’s development told Edmunds that the 2015 Mustang will be only slightly smaller than the model it replaces but weigh around 180kg less. The 2014 Mustang equipped with a V6 tips the scales at just over 1587kg which means the new 2015 Mustang may be as light as just a bit more than 1400kg. The source said engineers were trying to improve the fuel economy of the car, though no doubt lobbing off around 180kg from the current Mustang will also yield significant gains in virtually every dynamic statistic. Combined with a new independent rear suspension, the lighter weight should see the Mustang turn in new levels of performance at the track. The 2015 Mustang is expected to be about 38cm shorter than the current car and 15cm narrower. Getting the weight down will be done by using lighter materials such as aluminium instead of conventional steel. Improved chassis design will also mean less reinforcement will be needed. www.motorauthority.com  

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James Bond ‘Goldfinger’ Aston Martin was epic, and the $4.62 million that Steve Champagne (yep, a real name) gave American customiser George Barris for the real Batmobile was serious money, then you'd be wrong.Ford as part of an ongoing product placement arrangement with Warner Bros who financed the movie. Ford also offered two big Galaxie 500s for the baddies to drive in the chase scenes but they were rejected and the producers bought two new Dodge Chargers. And so the main players in this iconic car chase were gathered for the fray.David Burrell is the editor of retroautos.com.au

Australian wheelchair tennis champion David Hall's blue 1966 Ford Mustang fastback fits the bill. Hall, who won gold in the men's singles at the Sydney Paralympics and became the first non-American to win the US Open in 1995, fell in love with Mustangs after a trip to the US many years ago. When this particular Mustang became available in 1999 he was quick to snap it up. But life as a Mustang driver came with a shock. "My previous car was a four-cylinder Ford Laser hatchback. It was like the lawn-bowlers' car of choice," says Hall. Getting to grips with the V8 Mustang was a steep learning curve.  "The power was quite a challenge. It took some time to get used to. Particularly out on the open road. It can get away from you." Hall suffered serious injuries through a car accident when he was 16 and needed hand controls fitted to the Mustang to drive it. "I bought it in 1999 and just because I was travelling so much over the next six years with tennis I drove it only one or two times a week. But after I finished with tennis I use it now as a daily driver." The Mustang was imported from California in an ordinary condition. Hall said the car's then-owner Dennis Griggs stripped the car back to bare metal to begin a ground-up restoration that included converting it to right hand drive. A crash repair shop in Sydney that undertaken similiar work on other Mustangs did the work. He says Griggs used many of the original parts and had the car's paint job done in the car's original striking blue colour, officially known as Tahoe Torquoise by Ford. Now it's a striking sight on the streets. "It still blows me away, the reaction it gets on the street. People wave and give me the thumbs up. It is such an icon." Others remind him of the 1960s movie Bullitt, that featured a Mustang and a Charger in what many consider the best film car chase ever. Apart from the hand controls Hall has also been gradually changing the car to give it an even sportier feel. That's included changing the wheels, pipes and mufflers. "I wanted to put my own personality on it." Hall paid $28,00 for the car in 1999 and says it is worth much more now. "I think the fastbacks are a little bit rarer than the coupes. They are getting a little bit harder to find now." He estimates a fastback in excellent condition is worth up to $45,000. Hall played top level wheelchair tennis from 1990 to 2005 and is regarded as one of the game's greatest players. While he rates his gold medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympics as the highlight he also won nine Australian Opens, eight US Opens and seven British Open tournaments. He has been world champion six times and led Australia to the world team cup title four times. He also received the Order of Australia medal back in 2000. After retiring he was approached by Tennis Australia to take on the role as the National Wheelchair Tennis Adviser. This is a combination of coaching, spreading the word about his sport and encouraging others to take up wheelchair tennis. Hall says the game was invaluable in helping him recover from the physical and mental stresses he suffered from his injury. "I think sport can be a great heeler. Tennis ended up being something I could pour all my energies into while I was recovering." And now his great passion is slipping behind the wheel of his immaculate blue Mustang with its 289 cubic inch four-barrel Holley V8 engine.

A Mustang is a wild brumby in the USA but also one of the all-time best muscle cars; the LandCruiser does just what the name says, even if the land is the worst of the Australian outback; and the Enzo is a tribute to the man who founded the world's best-know supercar company, Ferrari.But the name game can go badly wrong.  The Nissan Cedric was never going to be a hit in Australia with a name that creates a picture of an aging uncle Arthur in a cardigan, Taurus is tough in the USA but was always going to flop against the Falcon, and the Skoda Roomster has just been dumped after failing to find a home down under.Holden was careful to avoid the VD in its Commodore line, but why did it start with the VB and not the VA? And what about the Statesman, which went well as the WB but was never updated into the WC?  Just this week I was following a Citroen Jumpy delivery fan in Portugal, and wondering if the name was a reflection of the driver's behaviour or the way it runs on the road.The craziness goes on and on, like the Citroen Picasso people mover which is anything but an oil painting.  Today's showrooms also have cars whose names have more numbers and letters than a cryptic crossword, with just as much meaning. Who really knows the difference between an A7 and a C350?But head back in history and there are some absolute clangers.  Henry Ford named the 1950s Edsel after his son, but is now recorded as one of the biggest flops in blue-oval history.  Japan has given us everything from the Daihatsu Rocky and Rugger to the Honda Ascot and Acty Crawler and on through the Isuzu Big Horn to the Subaru Justy.Nissan created the Tiida name from nothing, even though it claims it has something to do with waves breaking on a beach, and Lexus is even a made-up brand name, in contrast to Mercedes which was named after an early Daimler customer's daughter.  Over in America, the AMC Gremlin was a flop, the Dodge Neon never went up in lights, Plymouth Reliant never lived up to its promise, and the Lincoln Town Car was so big it needed its own postcode.Even some of the names which have worked create more questions than answers about their creation.  The Kia Mentor is more likely to need one, the Honda Jazz is not much of a music machine and the Suzuki Cappucino was too frothy to sell in Australia.Some names also paint a picture because of their history.  Mention Celica and lots of people in Australia think hairdresser.  Ask about the Nissan GT-R and you'll hear about Godzilla.Camry is shorthand for fridge-on-wheels, Kingswood is classic sixties kitsch, and then there is the Goggomobil.  So, what's causing a Rukus today? The Toyota Rukus, for a start.We could also get the Nissan Cube, which is as boxy as its name, although Nissan Australia is also pushing for a return of the Pulsar badge which worked so well before the silly switch to Tiida.  Right now we have the Skoda Superb in Australian showrooms. If that's not a name which creates a serious expectation then we don't know our Falcodores.When Toyota was looking for a new name for a mid-sized car alongside the Camry it thought it had the ideal choice. It settled on Centaur - the mythical man-horse - because it sounded tough.  But no-one at Toyota Australia had taken into account a nasty incident in World War II during the battle for the Pacific.A hospital ship called the Centaur was sailing towards Brisbane when it was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. The idea of a Toyota Centaur sunk even faster.  The Centaur badges were crushed, all the paperwork was changed and so was the advertising. The Centaur quickly became the Avalon for Australia.  How do we know? Carsguide made the call to Toyota to warn about the problem. Japanese cars have always led the way in the silly-names race.  How about the Mazda Bongy Brawny? No, not the name for an off-road tough SUV, it was the badge on the back of a city delivery van with a 1.3-litre engine.Everyone has heard the story about the Mitsubishi Starion, and whether the company's sales team actually meant to call the turbo coupe the Stallion.  And then there is the Pajero. It's called the Montero in Spain, because Pajero is the word for something usually done alone in private.

The Bonhams & Butterfields auction featured actor McQueen's 1949 Chevy pick-up truck offered for sale for the first time by his widow Barbara Minty McQueen. It sold for $37,570.McQueen died in 1980 and left a legacy of films, many of which included car and bike stunts performed, in large part, by the ruggedly handsome actor. They include the motorcycle chase scene in the 1963 war movie The Great Escape and the car chase through the streets of San Francisco in the 1968 movie, Bullitt, which is considered by critics to the best of all time.The auction included a first special edition Mustang Bullitt presented by Ford to McQueen's son Chad who is a professional race driver. Number 1 in the series and dubbed ‘McQueen 1’, the Mustang is in factory original and unmodified condition and has only 2012 miles (3238km) on the odometer. It was not sold but was estimated to go for up to $85,000.McQueen not only performed many of his own film driving and riding stunts, but also raced cars and bikes and represented America in the International Six-Day Enduro motorcycle event. His 1940 Indian Chief motorcycle used as his ‘Hollywood bike’ and featured on the cover of the book Steve McQueen: The Last Mile sold for $106,450 while his 1919 Indian Daytona twin with FLXI sidecar did not sell but was estimated to be worth as much as $135,000. It may not be a car or bike, but its McQueen motoring credentials are bona fide: a Heuer-mounted stopwatch set, used in the film Le Mans, starring McQueen was sold for an undisclosed price.A spokesman for Bonhams & Butterfields said they could not comment on post-sale negotiations, nor publicise the last bid price on unsold items. "But I'm sure Bonhams would certainly entertain offers from interested buyers," he said.Other celebrity vehicles in the auction included a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz formerly owned by Frank Sinatra which was bought for $131,000 and motoring enthusiast Sam Garrett's collection of 28 American and European cars.Garrett invented the mascara brush by taking a brush used in the maintenance of camera equipment and, together with Max Factor, applying the concept to make-up.His collection includes a 1927 BNC type 110 Roadster, 1935 Brewster Town Car, 1937 Rolls-Royce 25/30 Limousine, 1948 Packard Custom 8 Wagon, 1950 Morgan SS and 1967 Mercedes-Benz 600 SWB. 

The original pony car from the 1960s became a 2010 model today at the opening of the Los Angeles Motor Show with everything you would expect of a Mustang. It has all the familiar keys expected in a Mustang, from the basic shape to a V8 under the bonnet, but has been tweaked and primped for a new edition. It runs on bigger wheels, with a smaller-looking body that is softer around the edges, and also has a new-generation V8 promising more go from less fuel. And to meet a growing band of rivals led by the Aussie-made Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro and Dodge Challenger have been brought back from the dead, after also starting their lives in the muscle car era of the 1960s, as more and more Americans look for the car they could never afford in their youth. In the case of the Mustang, there are high hopes for a car which is now celebrating its 45th birthday and is the halo car for the whole blue oval brand. "We wanted to take it to the next level. Aggressive, muscular and athletic," says the Mustang's chief engineer, Paul Randle. The Mustang has shared top billing at Ford alongside the F150 truck but, with the recent downturn in demand for pickups and SUVs, the muscle car now sits alone. And Ford knows it has to fire. Chief designer J Mays says the 2010 Mustang is right-sized and done right for the 21st century. "We managed to make it look smaller than Camaro and Challenger," Mays says. The mechanical package includes wheels as big as 19-inch alloys, standard stability control, an optional 4.6-litre V8 and - best of all for Mustang fans - the potential for major upgrades by tuner companies including Shelby. But the basic mechanical package is as basic as always - trailing well behind the FG Falcon in its chassis design and tuning - and there is no chance of the car becoming an official model in Australia. The last Mustang move Down Under was a disaster, once enthusiasts had claimed the first cars, and so the only 2010s likely to hit Australian roads will be private imports which have been converted to right-hand drive by local specialists.  

“When I saw the first one come into the workshop I sat in it all day. My boss had to come get me out to do some work,” he says. Monk had fallen for the American muscle cars, in particular the Ford Mustangs. While he was used to heavy and underpowered British cars such as the Hillman his father drove, Monk says the new American thoroughbred was a welcome breath of fresh air. More than 40 years on and Monk's garage features not just one but three shiny Mustangs. His pride and joy is the 1967 Fastback he paid $30,000 for six years ago. “I had a 1965 but I always wanted a Fastback. I preferred the shape and when this one came up I bought it,” the 59-year-old says. Monk has since sold his 1965 model, but his wife, who shares his Mustang passion, has a 1967 convertible and he's also got a more modern version with a 1994 convertible. Monk says the 1967 Fastback was in good condition when he bought it, but he has carried out some work on the engine and the trim, and lowered it. “It was a little bit too high, they used to call it the four-wheel-drive Mustang because it was so high off the ground,” he says. The Mustangs weren't officially released in Australia in the 1960s and '70s, but some enthusiasts did import them into the country. Monk says Ford imported some models for sale. But in America, they instantly became a hit. “There were countdowns to when the Mustang was released,” Monk says. “When they were released people queued up to buy them, they slept in dealerships. That was in America.” Ford didn't build any right-hand-drive versions of the Mustangs, so the ones that came into Australia had to be converted. “Up until 1998, you couldn't drive a left-hand-drive car in Australia, so you had the added cost of conversion,” Monk says. “You could in South Australia and Canberra but not NSW.” This made them quite expensive for the average Australian, making it much cheaper to opt for a locally manufactured car. The cars originally sold in the US for about $US2500, but according to Monk, they were more expensive here because of the conversion costs. Monk says when these cars were first released, they were ahead of their time, offering a five-page list of options such as cruise control. “It's automatic. The rear seat folds up and down giving access to the boot. It's a lovely car, it's just unusual and it's candy apple red in colour, it's a known fact that red Mustangs go faster,” he says. Monk says there are now a lot of them in Australia as many people have imported them over the years. The Mustang Owners Club of NSW alone has 600 members with about 800 cars. Monk's 1967 Fastback spent most of its life in the US, coming to settle Down Under at the beginning of this century. “It was born on August 1, 1967, that's the day it was manufactured, all this has been verified by Ford and the compliance plate on the car,” he says. “It came into Australia in 2000 when a father and son brought it in and did it up. They sold it to the guy I bought it off, who had it for a while. But he needed some money so he sold it to me and it will be a dark day before I sell it.” The classic Mustangs are now selling for about $50,000 for an average model. But many Mustang fans are happy just to get a look. Last year, Monk and 24 fellow Mustang owners took their vehicles more than 3000km on a club trip to Tasmania. One local found out about the team of Mustangs hitting town, so frantically rang all the motels in the area to find out where they were staying, in a hope of getting some happy snaps. But this sort of attention isn't new to Monk. “When you stop at traffic lights people offer to swap Commodores for the Mustang,” he laughs. “We meet a lot of people. At a car show this bloke came up to me and said he was the bloke who brought it into Australia, he used to own it.” Many people in particular have come to recognise the Mustang muscle car from its role in the hit film Gone In 60 Seconds, which introduced a new generation to the classic. Monk says his model is the same shape and same kind of Mustang as Eleanor, the one Nicolas Cage drove, but is just a different variant. While Monk is satisfied with his current Mustang collection, like most car enthusiasts he would like to see it grow in size. “There are always plans for more Mustangs, it's only the bank account that prohibits any more,” he says. “I'd like to get a current model, but I'd have to sell the house and live in a caravan to do that.” Although he likes the new modernised version, Monk says his true passion lies with the classic Mustang models. But in his books, you can have any Mustang to be considered a real car owner. “There's only one car, a Mustang, all Fords come second ... then there's the rest,” he says laughing. “If you don't own a Mustang we say you've gone to the dark side.”   Snapshot 1967 FORD MUSTANG FASTBACK Value when new: $US2500, about $5000 in Australia after conversion Value six years ago: $30,000 Value now: Between $50,000 and $75,000 Verdict: It's not hard to fall in love with the classic shape and looks of this American muscle car, well-known for its role in the action film Gone In 60 Seconds.  

The two Fastback coupes, a 1967 right-hand-drive GT500 and a 1968 left-hand-drive GT350H will be up for grabs in the Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour on the last day of the show, November 5.The auctioneers, Shannons, say the GT500 (build number 500) is one of just 2048 Shelbys built with Ford's big block Police Interceptor 428 V8 engine in 1967. It has a fully documented history.The Le Mans Blue GT500 up for auction was delivered new in California in March 1967 and has a four-speed manual gearbox. It came to Australia in 1969 and was totally restored in 1999.The left-hand-drive red 1968 GT350H (build number 01140) was originally delivered to the Hertz Car Rental Company in Detroit in 1968.It came to Australia in the late 1990s.Shannons expect the Shelby GT500 to attract bids in the $170,000-$200,000 range and the GT350H to sell for $150,000-plus.