Ford Mustang 2015 News

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

No city does over-the-top better than the world's gambling capital of Las Vegas, and no more so than when it turns into the world's extreme car focal point for the annual SEMA show. The Specialty Equipment Market Association event is where the major car companies join with custom, modification and tuning brands to show what a car can become when unfettered by legal restrictions, functionality or the laws or logic. Highlights this year included a Chevy SS (exported to the US as the first wave from Holden) prepped by racer Jeff Gordon, hot Hyundais, music-powered Kia Souls and plenty more. There were also some incredible Ford Mustangs, including the evil-looking Bad Penny Mustang and the Hollywood Hot Rods aluminum-bodied Mustang. The strong showing from the Ford pony car gave the Mustang a double-down to win the SEMA show's Hottest Car award for the second year running. The award is judged on which car is the most accessory-friendly -- with the show cars already likely giving inspiration to Australian aftermarket fans for when the car arrives here as the Ford halo vehicle after the Falcon exits in 2016. Ford also won the Hottest Truck award with its F-Series pick-ups, while Jeep picked up the Hottest 4x4-SUV title for the Wrangler. Toyota took the Hottest Sport-Compact for its second year in a row with the Scion FR-S (known as the 86 rear-wheel drive sports hero here) with modded cars including a 560kW racing prototype. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

The 59-year-old, one of the last senior executives from the tumultuous Jacques Nasser era, started as Ford's vice president of design in 1997 after working with BMW, Audi and Volkswagen.

Ford Mustang fans won't have to wait until January's Detroit motor show to see the car. The pony car -- which is headed to Australia in 2016 -- is reportedly being prepared for an earlier unveiling in December, according to news service Reuters.Leading up to that debut, a small group of journalists is in Detroit right now getting a sneak preview, with details to be kept firmly under wraps of course.As we've reported previously, the retro styling of the new Mustang has been subdued and the design is picking up cues from the Evos Concept and the rest of the latest Ford models.We've already been given some clear hints about the styling, with spy shots earlier this year showing the face, and computer renderings -- allegedly based on the official CAD plotting -- appearing this week.Engineers have targeted fuel-saving weight reduction for the car, which is said to tip the scales about 180kg lower than the current 'Stang, and could also see significant dynamic improvement as a result. It's also about 38cm shorter and 15cm narrower, riding on a new platform that includes the model's first independent rear suspension set-up.  

Is this computer-generated rendering from Mustang 6G a close representative of the final design for the 2015 Ford Mustang? Possibly. The lines do align nicely with what we've seen in previous Ford Mustang spy shots, suggesting that the 2015 Mustang will maintain the current model's classic design cues but morph them into a sleeker, more modern shape with influences from the Evos Concept car.From the previous spy shots, we know the 2015 Mustang will be roughly the same size as the current car, but with a lower roofline. There will also be a clear family resemblance with other Ford Motor Company products; the shapes for the headlights and grille seen on prototypes are very similar to those found on the latest Taurus and Fusion models sold in the US.The 2015 Mustang will be built on a brand new platform complete with an independent rear suspension instead of the live axle that's been traditionally fitted to the Mustang. Curb weight should be down on the current car, possibly around 180kg less, and fuel consumption further cut by the introduction of a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, with other variants powered by V6 and V8 units.There's be a range-topping SVT model to succeed the Shelby GT500, but it may no longer carry the Shelby name or even come with a supercharger. Reports claim Ford will dig into its long list of storied nameplates for the new top dog, with Cobra looking a likely prospect.Ford has confirmed the Mustang for Australia but is yet to detail which versions we'll get here, however the base price is expected to be close to $50,000 than the current $30,000 entry price in the US.We'll know more closer to the global debut of the 2015 Mustang, tipped to be at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show in January.www.motorauthority.com  

Ford is seeing yellow for this year's SEMA show. The annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas is always a temple for excessive modification, but Ford has kept the cosmetic custom weirdness to a minimum for their Project Yellow Jacket Mustang.However, the real beauty -- and brawn -- lies under the yellow skin. Created by Ford and Vortech Superchargers, the car is powered by a 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine that was treated to one of Vortech's V-3 Si blowers. The result is 451 kilowatts and 640 Newton metres of torque with 7.5 psi of boost. That's a big improvement over the 313 kilowatts and 528 Newton metres the Coyote makes in a stock 2014 Ford Mustang GT.However, it's not quite enough to outdo the Shelby GT500's 5.8-litre supercharged V-8, which chucks out 494 kilowatts and 855 Newton metres. Ford has to maintain its Mustang hierarchy, after all.The Yellow Jacket sports a carbon fibre cowl-induction hood and 3D Carbon Boy Racer body kit for a bit of added visual muscle, and rolls on iForged Icon wheels (20- x 9-inch front, 20- x 11-inch rear) and Falken Azenis FK453 tires (275/40/20 front, 315/35/20 rear). Other modifications include Baer brakes with six-piston calipers, a tuned suspension, and a Webasto sunroof.www.motorauthority.com 

Ford will not be lost to V8 Supercars — at least for another year — with the manufacturing giant set to extend its sponsorship of the Ford Performance Racing team for a further 12 months. In a move that will keep the fierce Holden versus Ford war alive, Ford is on the verge of handing a new set of keys to FPR.Ford has been in deep negotiations with the team and V8 Supercars for the past month with the manufacturer considering options in a tough car market. The decision to axe the Falcon and cease Australian operations at the end of 2016 led to widespread speculation Ford would end its association with the sport when its contract with FPR expired at the end of the year.But Ford is likely to sign on for another year with FPR and V8 Supercars, presenting a strong case for the manufacturer to stick around and take the fight to Holden, as well as new comers Nissan, Mercedes and soon Volvo. “A 12-month deal is looking likely,’’ a well-placed V8 source said.  “Negotiations look -encouraging and as of last week a new deal was looking imminent.”The new deal will leave Ford fans rejoicing and give the sport another year to convince the manufacturer there is a long-term future in V8s. The “Car of the Future’’ platform has enabled manufacturers easily to adapt many models for racing in the series, with Nissan this year bringing in the mid-size Altima and Volvo to unleash the S-60 on famous tracks such as Mount Panorama and Phillip Island.V8 officials have shown Ford their long-term plans and confirmed it would be able to race with a mid-size entry, with the sport aware of a shift towards smaller cars in the current economy. Depending on Ford’s plans, the Mustang may also be revived and is the preference of Ford drivers Mark Winterbottom and David Reynolds.Winterbottom yesterday said he hoped to see Ford remain in the sport for a long time, saying it was vital to the success of the category. “It is important for the sport that they stay,’” Winterbottom said yesterday. “Ford has such a long history in the sport and they have so many fans that would be shattered if they left.” 

Up to 300 Ford workers in Geelong may still have work after they are made redundant when the company stops making cars in Australia in 2016, after a small Melbourne company yesterday announced it was planning to recruit them. Power Systems Australia is looking to make gas-fired generators to export to markets in Asia and the Pacific. It currently employs 22 people in the Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield, but is planning to start a new factory in Geelong. The company currently makes electrical and electronic switchboards, and repairs and recalibrates power supply systems, but has also been researching the development and manufacture of power generation and supply systems. Ford announced earlier this year it would cease building cars in Australia, and in a special Ford event in August -- attended by global CEO Alan Mulally -- confirmed that we would see the next Ford Mustang here as a hero car in place of the Falcon.  

Rumours and reports about what to expect of the 2015 Ford Mustang -- the one we'll see here in Australia -- have flown around the web in a flurry for months, if not years, and whatever the hype may lack in accuracy, it makes up for in spirit. Today, we have our most revealing spy shots of the upcoming muscle car.They show the sixth-generation Mustang, or the S550 as it’s referred to internally, hitting a race track in prototype form devoid of the heavy camouflage seen on earlier prototypes -- and revealing the face of the 2015 Mustang for the first time.The prototype is far from complete, so many of the details may change before production. However, we can clearly see a family resemblance with other Ford overseas products. The shape of the headlights and grille, in particular, are very similar to those found on the latest Ford Taurus.The look is aggressive and shares traits with both the modern Evos concept of 2011 and the current Mustang. Though the rest of the prototype remains camouflaged, the shots confirm, at least, that the 2015 Mustang will feature familiar pony car proportions. The prototype has a sleeker and more planted stance, however, and both its roof and shoulder line appear to sit lower than they do on the current car.As has been reported in the past, the car's styling should maintain distinct Mustang cues but with some influences from the Evos. Losing the retro flavour is a key strategy in widening the car’s global appeal. Yes, Ford has confirmed the 2015 Mustang will be sold globally in accordance with its 'One Ford' policy, and for Australia backed that up with the recent announcement in Sydney that it would definitely arrive in Aussie showrooms.Under the sheet metal lies a brand new platform with an independent suspension setup in the rear instead of the live axle that’s been traditionally fitted to the Mustang. Combine this with an expected lighter curb weight, possibly to the tune of 181kg less, and the 2015 Mustang promises to improve on the current model’s performance and handling substantially.As for the 2015 Mustang’s model lineup, we expect the Mustang GT to remain, still with a 5.0-litre V-8 under the hood, while the base Mustang with a V-6 should also carry over. A new turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder model is also expected, possibly to fill the gap between the base Mustang and Mustang GT and provide an option for buyers in markets (read Europe) where fuel prices are significantly high.A range-topping SVT model to succeed the Shelby GT500 is a given, but it may no longer carry the Shelby name or even come with a supercharger. Reports claim Ford will dig into its long list of storied nameplates for the new top dog, with Cobra looking most likely at the moment.Dates for the 2015 Mustang, like the details, are still far from certain. We expect it to hit dealerships sometime between spring and summer, 2014, with a reveal most likely taking place in the lead up to the Mustang nameplate's 50th anniversary on April 17 of that year. The 2014 Detroit Auto Show in January looks like a prime setting.www.motorauthority.com  

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