Ford Mustang 1978 News

The world’s favourite tyre-shredder is back, but this time Ken has left the block behind and is heading for higher ground.

Waiting for a new car is never easy. It could be a week or it could be a year — even longer — but a delivery hold-up still means delayed satisfaction.

The Ford teams in V8 Supercars racing are hoping a lifeline from the USA will keep them tied to the blue oval brand after the end of the Falcon.

Ford dealers are prepared to put in more than $1 million a year to save one of Australia's greatest sporting rivalries in a move that could see a Mustang take on the Holden Commodore in 2017.

Hoonicorn Mustang makes its video debut in Los Angeles with Ken block's Gymkhana 7.Proving that 1.8-litres was never enough - even bolted to a whopping turbocharger and purpose-built Fiesta gymkhana weapon, Ken Block has returned for his seventh blast to internet stardom.This time set around the crumbling concrete of downtown Los Angeles, Block's latest effort proves that his new 630kW, 6.7-litre all-wheel drive Ford Mustang can be just as spectactular when thrown rearwards with all four wheels spinning forwards, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.Officially named the Hoonicorn RTR, the 1965 Mustang-based mechanical monster made its static debut at SEMA earlier this month.Gymkhana 7 opens in an industrial warehouse with Block introducing the new car by way of his latest trick - doing a burnout whilst the car is chained to a wall.The restraints are released and Block heads off on his tour of Tinseltown.Past the burnt-out shell of a Subaru WRX rotting in the pristine waters of the LA River before indulging in a few doughnuts at the famous Randy's, and into Chinatown.Block also enjoys an unusual traffic-free run down one of the city's freeways, drives circles around and under a bouncing Chevy low-rider before finishing in typical style atop Mount Lee, looking over the City of Angels and its smog-filled sky from the iconic Hollywood sign.The occasional-World Rally Championship driver and part-time shoe salesman's heavily choreographed Gymkhana videos have earned him global praise for his ability to navigate obstacle courses, city centres and the odd movie set with guile and a liberal application of the handbrake.

Ken Block swaps Fiesta for Mustang with his latest gymkhana weapon.Size doesn't matter, they say. Tell that to Ken Block.The US stunt/racing driver/entrepreneur has upgraded his Ford Fiesta with its relatively puny 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine to a 1965 Ford Mustang sporting a 6.7-litre V8.While it might take its design cues from the iconic original Mustang that celebrates its 50th birthday this year, the only original components you'll find on Block's version are the head and tail lights, as well as the pony badge on the front. The rest - much like the recent Project Sandman - is 100 per cent modern race car.This is hands-down the best Gymkhana car I’ve had yetThe naturally-aspirated V8 engine produces 630kW and 975Nm which is put to the road by a bespoke 6-speed sequential transmission that distributes the power to all four wheels. Ford only ever put the power to the back two.The suspension is custom-built, and the 18" wheels are shod with Pirelli tyres in a compound made specifically for Block. Not even a Formula One team gets that sort of attention from the Italian rubber company.Motorsport connections don't stop there as Block says the design of the car has also been influenced by current generation WRC and DTM cars, bringing together the classic Mustang silhouette with all the performance benefits of modern aerodynamics and carbon fibre construction."The attention to detail with the fabrication and bodywork blows my mind," Block said."This is hands-down the best Gymkhana car I’ve had yet."The car is currently on display at the SEMA motor show in Las Vegas, but those unable to get there in person will see it in Block's upcoming ‘Gymkhana SEVEN’ video.Block's previous gymkhana efforts have seen him display immense car control and driving skill in a variety of different locations, including usually busy streets of downtown San Francisco.More recently, Block has been getting around the ski slopes of Canada in a Ford F-150 RaptorTRAX. It can also do burnouts, despite its lack of wheels.

While Ford has revealed the new Mustang coupe and convertible we'll see here in 2015, they've been holding back a few details for the car's official showcase at Detroit motor show. However, yesterday reports started to surface about Ford hinting at a 'secret feature' in the Mustang. Today we have confirmation via Motor Authority that the secret technology is an electronic system to help the driver perform a perfect, smokescreen-creating burnout. The report doesn't have details of how the technology works, but suggests that it could either put a line-lock on the front brakes while disabling traction control. And there's no indication of whether this would be a standard feature, or an option -- and perhaps only offered on the V8 models. But you can bet there will be some grumbling if a burnout feature arrives on the cars headed for Australian showrooms. Much of the complaint will be from anti-hoon crusaders who will see the function as encouraging hooniganism. And the rest of it will likely be from purists, who prefer to execute their burnouts while relying solely on their own skills. There's more new technology on the way with the Mustang, and you can get all the lastest news at our dedicated Mustang mini-site.   This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott      

This is not a misprint: Ford’s new muscle-car hero car will be available with four-cylinder or V8 power when it arrives in Australian showrooms by the end of 2015, priced from about $45,000.Photos of the sixth-generation Mustang have been released ahead of the official, simultaneous unveiling at five global events this evening (11.30pm AEST) in the US, China, Spain and Sydney, where months earlier Ford surprised fans by flying global CEO Alan Mulally to Australia to announce in person that the Mustang was heading Down Under.The Mustang is due to arrive in Ford showrooms in the months before the last ever Falcon rolls off the Broadmeadows production line, ending what will be more than 90 years of Ford’s manufacturing history in Australia.Watch the desktop version of the 2015 Ford Mustang video here. But Ford insists the Mustang is not intended to fill the void left by the iconic Falcon GT, which bows out at the end of 2014. “The Mustang is not intended to replace Falcon, it’s bringing the Mustang back to Australia,” says Raj Nair, the Ford group vice president, global product development.A four-cylinder Mustang may seem like sacrilege to Ford fans, but times have changed. With 227kW of power, Ford’s latest four-cylinder turbo engine has more grunt than many V8s. It will also be much more fuel-efficient.Ford built four-cylinder Mustangs from 1978 to 1993 but they were discontinued because the technology wasn’t as advanced then as it is today.The V8 version will likely be the most popular choice (Australia misses out on the US-only V6); the option of a four-cylinder engine is intended to broaden the Mustang’s appeal, especially in Europe as the Mustang goes global for the first time.Also watch: the 2015 Ford Mustang exterior design video here. The new Mustang, whose design pays homage to the iconic 1968 version, will be the first to be built in right-hand drive on a Ford production line. The Mustangs sold in Australia in the 1960s and early 2000s were built at Flat Rock Michigan in left-hand-drive and then converted locally.After declaring for almost half a century that it was too expensive to engineer a right-hand-drive Mustang -- especially given that left-hand-drive new cars can be legally registered in other key right-hand-drive markets, the UK and Japan -- Ford is boldly going global with the new model. “The Mustang is the heart and soul of the company and part of American culture,” says Nair. “Of all our models, it’s top of the list for brand perception and recognition.”The company claims the Mustang is the world’s most “liked” car on Facebook, with more than 5.5 million fans at last count. The Mustang has also appeared in more than 3000 movies, including James Bond’s Goldfinger (1964), Steve McQueen’s Bullitt (1968), and Gone in 60 Seconds (2000).The new model is the most advanced Mustang ever made. While enthusiasts are in a lather about the Mustang finally adopting independent rear suspension and getting an onboard “track app” for weekend warriors, it will also gain creature comforts found in most luxury cars, such as radar cruise control, blind spot warning and a sensor key.The new Mustang is also available with a “Shaker”, but that’s the name of the premium sound system, not a modern version of the “shaker” hood ornament made famous by the Australian Ford Falcon GTHO from the 1970s.Also watch: the 2015 Ford Mustang ad here. Ford has not said how many Mustangs it expects to sell in Australia, but sales of coupes and convertibles (a drop-top will eventually follow) typically fade after an initial burst in the first couple of years. Although not officially confirmed, Ford plans to introduce special editions -- including a high-powered supercharged V8 version -- later in the Mustang’s life to help maintain sales momentum. “The differences between us (Australian and the US) aren’t that big,” says Nair. “Australia has a very strong car culture and we think the Mustang is a great fit.”Ford executives in Detroit told News Corp Australia during a special briefing earlier this year that the company’s headquarters had been “inundated” with letters and emails from Australian Ford fans “for years” demanding Mustang be built in right-hand-drive. Of the 400 Mustang car clubs globally, more than half of them are outside the US, including more than half a dozen in Australia.Mustang four-cylinderPrice: From $45,000 (estimated)On sale: Late 2015Engine: 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinderPower: 227kW and 407NmTransmission: Six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, rear-wheel-driveFuel economy: Not yet released by Ford0 to 100km/h: Not yet released by FordMustang V8Price: From $55,000 (estimated)On sale: Late 2015Engine: 5.0-litre V8Power: 313kW and 529NmTransmission: Six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, rear-wheel-driveFuel economy: Not yet released by Ford0 to 100km/h: Not yet released by Ford  

In August 1962 when Ford executives were reviewing the twelve styling proposals for what would become the Mustang they gave each a different name. One design really stood out. It was a white prototype designed under the guidance of Joe Oros, boss of the Ford styling studio.The actual shape had been penned by Gale Halderman and his proposal was called Cougar. The grille featured a stylised big-cat contained by a chrome surround. As time went on there was considerable debate about which direction the Cougar should face. Should it be left or should it be left or right? Various design models during 1962-1964 can be found with logos pointing in either direction.Meanwhile, Ford had prepared two concept cars for the auto show circuit which were called the Mustang I and Mustang II, and they used a galloping pony logo. The designer was Phil Clarke and he had the pony running to the left. But just as with the Cougar logos debate went on about which way the pony ought to face.As the deadline for releasing the new car drew closer some in Ford started to favour dropping the Cougar name, replacing it with "Mustang". They asked Ford's adverting agency to conduct research. The results were very clear. The name Mustang was top of the comparison list because, as agency personnel said, " it had the excitement of the wide open spaces and was American as all hell."So it was back to the design studio to create a new version of the pony for the grille of the production car. But should it go right or left? The right hand supporters claimed that was the way horses raced in the USA. The left facing folk stressed that it represented a horse galloping out into the wild west, corresponding to that direction on a typical map.Others suggested a compromise of a horse's head and as late as January 1963, a mere eight weeks from the start of actual production, they even mock ed up one on the grille of a pre-production car. However, Ford boss Lee Iacocca cut to the chase and made the decision in typical blunt fashion: "the Mustang is a wild horse, not a domesticated racer, it goes left". And so it has for 50 years.David Burrell is the editor of www.retroautos.com.au 

With the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang closing in fast, does the name Stanley Tucker mean anything to you? No? Well, for Mustang fans it's the name of the Canadian airline captain who purchased the first pre-production Mustang convertible. Yep, that's right -- numero uno. And just how did this most valuable of cars escape the corral and get sold in Canada?The story goes that by the time the Ford Mustang officially went on sale on April 17, 1964, it had been rolling off the assembly lines for about five weeks. Thousands of Mustangs had been shipped to dealers throughout North America so they would be available in showrooms on opening day. However, not all of the cars on display were actually meant to be sold to customers.Among those was a Wimbledon White convertible with serial number 5F08F100001 that rolled off the line on March 4th, 1964 and was shipped to the George Parsons Ford dealership St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. That car, along with about 180 other early examples, was not meant to be sold to customers. These preproduction models were supposed to be used for internal testing and promotional purposes only.The next day, however, Eastern Airlines pilot Capt. Stanley Tucker saw the sleek new convertible and knew he just had to have it. Tucker convinced Parsons to sell it to him. As more than 22,000 orders and sales had poured in opening weekend, no one back at Ford world headquarters in Dearborn at first realised the significance of that particular sale.Once it became known a couple of weeks later that Mustang number 1 had been inadvertently sold, Ford officials got on the phone to Tucker. Their mission was simple: we want it back!  But Tucker was having so much fun with his new car that he initially declined to sell it back to the company. For a long time he had the only Mustang in St John, and the car attracted enormous attention.Eventually, Ford found a way to entice Tucker out of Mustang number 1. On March 2, 1966, less than two years after Mustang production began, Tucker drove the first Mustang back to Detroit and handed over the keys. In return he was given a brand-new example which just happened to be the 1-millionth Mustang produced - another white convertible.Ford Motor Company donated Mustang number 1 to the nearby Henry Ford Museum where it went into storage as is. Why? Get this! It was the Museum's policy was to not display anything less than 20 years old? In 1983 it was restored and you can see it at the Henry Ford today.David Burrell is the editor of www.retroautos.com.au