Mustang Blog Category: Chevrolet

2010 Mustang Takes the Top Spot in ConsumerReports

2010 Mustang Takes the Top Spot in ConsumerReports October 19th, 2009 By Sanjoy Alexander, October 19th, 2009 Sanjoy Alexander 1 Comment

The muscle car battle seems to be headed to new grounds as The Chevrolet Camaro is lapping up orders all the way closely followed by the Ford Mustang with the Challenger making up the rear. But the 2010 Stang has reason to cheer as it emerged victorious over the Camaro and the Challenger in ConsumerReports.

Six new cars - Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Nissan 370Z and Subaru WRZ were put to the test with the judging criteria being reliability, handling, fuel economy and road manners. The pony car amassed all of 78 points which gave it a seating right above the Chevy which compiled 71 points and the...
The muscle car battle seems to be headed to new grounds as The Chevrolet Camaro is lapping up orders all the way closely followed by the Ford Mustang with the Challenger making up the rear. But the 2010 Stang has reason to cheer as it emerged victorious over the Camaro and the Challenger in ConsumerReports. Six new cars - Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Nissan 370Z and Subaru WRZ were put to the test with the judging criteria being reliability, handling, fuel economy and road manners. The pony car amassed all of 78 points which gave it a seating right above the Chevy which compiled 71 points and the Challenger repeated its sales chart position with a 53 point third position, if we rule out the rest of the contenders. So where does the good guy score high? "The Mustang topped this group by delivering strong acceleration, communicative steering, and the most agile handling," David Champion, senior director of ConsumerReport's Auto Test Center. All that refinement comes from the purpose-built chassis which is quite different from those employed in the Camaro and the Challenger. While the Camaro uses Holden G8 underpinnings, the Challenger gets to do with a 300/Charger chassis. The power and efficiency came highly rewarded. The Stangs 4.6L V8 which draws out 315 thoroughbred horses displayed sufficient economy in fuel consumption with a 20miles/gallon figure. Also receiving the pat on the back was the accurate 5-speed manual transmission. The styling, fit and finish levels and build quality received points in abundance. The 34 grand pice tag made it the least expensive muscle car among the three as the Camaro retails at 35 grand and the Challenger is the dearest by 36 grand. Though the pricing of the purposeful rivals can be justified by the bigger engines that they offer the Camaro offers a 428 hp 6.2 L V8 and the Challenger has a 5.7L 370 hp Hemi unit powering it they lag behind in vital areas like handling and braking. Hope the reports help the Stang to reclaim the sales chart top spot as well. For more information, visit www.ConsumerReports.org Read More

Saleen's SMS Twenty Fifth Anniversary Mustang Concept Boasts 720 horsepower

Saleen's SMS Twenty Fifth Anniversary Mustang Concept Boasts 720 horsepower July 9th, 2008 By Matt Rigney, Author, July 9th, 2008 Matt Rigney 2 Comments

Steve Saleen's passion for automotive excellence still shines bright after 25 years with the introduction of the 720 horsepower SMS Twenty Fifth Anniversary Mustang Concept. The SMS 25th Anniversary Mustang concept celebrates his illustrious automotive career starting in the early 70's carrying through the 80's when he formed Saleen Autosport till the present day with his new company SMS Limted.

The SMS Anniversary Mustang packs a 720 hp Supercharged 5.0L aluminum block V8 engine with CNC ported Saleen supercharger and CNC aluminum heads. Other options not found on Steve's previous cars include a patented SMS Red Butterfly induction... Steve Saleen's passion for automotive excellence still shines bright after 25 years with the introduction of the 720 horsepower SMS Twenty Fifth Anniversary Mustang Concept. The SMS 25th Anniversary Mustang concept celebrates his illustrious automotive career starting in the early 70's carrying through the 80's when he formed Saleen Autosport till the present day with his new company SMS Limted. The SMS Anniversary Mustang packs a 720 hp Supercharged 5.0L aluminum block V8 engine with CNC ported Saleen supercharger and CNC aluminum heads. Other options not found on Steve's previous cars include a patented SMS Red Butterfly induction system and SMS Light Blade led taillights system give the car a unique look. This is SMS Limited's first working concept vehicle with plans to makeover a Challenger and Camaro in the future. More photos, specs and information after the jump... Press Release: July 6, 2008 - Orange County, California. Twenty five years focused on performance automobiles takes a great deal of commitment and passion. From his early automotive days spent race preparing his personal cars, to his inevitable entrance into the professional racing world, and finally into the domain of the automotive business, automotive icon Steve Saleen has done it all. Steve set the course for his automotive future in his first race on August 19th, 1973 at Riverside International Raceway, where he took his GT350 to the winners' circle, and he never looked back. Steve Saleen moved up through the amateur and then professional ranks of closed and open-wheel racing during the 70's and 80's, racing and winning against drivers such as Bobby Rahal, Gilles Villeneuve, Danny Sullivan etc. His racing career eventually intertwined with his USC business degree when, in 1983, he formed Saleen Autosport and produced his first vehicle, a 1984 white and blue high performance Saleen Mustang, the first of thousands of vehicles that would eventually be built based on his innovative niche manufacturing, certification and racing business model. Steve and his vehicles have dominated the competition wherever they raced around the world, having won nine championships, countless races and set track records from Daytona to Le Mans and every track in between. And Steve is still racing, he is currently testing one of the two European Le Mans Series Championship winning S7R's in preparation for his return to competition in the American Le Mans Series later this year. For 25 years, Steve Saleen has been the leading pioneer in lifestyle performance automobiles, with his companies building an amazing array of high performance, sports, race and collector cars that are coveted by enthusiasts and celebrities alike from Tim Allen to Tom Cruise. His companies have created everything from the world's fastest production Mustang, the S302 Extreme, to the Saleen S7 and S7R the most victorious supercar based racing vehicle ever, bar none, with 171 Top Tens, 118 Podiums, 84 Pole Positions, 76 Fastest Laps, 72 Wins and 9 GT Championships. Amazing cars are not the only thing associated with Steve Saleen's name and ingenuity, his companies are also credited with an impressive array of patented automotive technological innovations. As an entrepreneur, his endeavors encompass more than simply delivering the performance hardware. In 2006 he was the driving force behind the opening of his company's first automotive retail experience. With as much visual impact and excitement as one of his supercars, Maxim Magazine awarded it "Best Automotive Retail Store". To celebrate his illustrious automotive career, Steve Saleen and his new company SMS have developed a truly innovative and exceptional celebratory vehicle - the 2008 SMS Twenty Fifth Anniversary Mustang Concept. To find out more about the 720 hp SMS concept car, we talked to its creator, Mr. Steve Saleen. Comments by Steve Saleen, Chairman and CEO of SMS "In celebration of my 25 years in the niche manufacturing business I wanted to create a personal car for myself that appropriately marks this very special Anniversary. The functional aesthetic innovations that we have developed are truly exceptional in every way. Though this car is not going to be for sale, it nevertheless demonstrates the technological advances present at SMS." "With the SSC, SA-10, SA-15 and SA-20, I used those platforms to introduce new technology to the automotive market. In keeping with that tradition, this concept car incorporates many important advances developed by SMS. In particular our patented SMS Red Butterfly™ Induction System and SMS Light Blade™ LED Taillight System are definitely the coolest things that any Anniversary car has ever had! When those butterflies crack open under throttle, people stop and stare, you can be sure you will see those on our future products. And when you are passed by this car and the full width sequential turn signals come on, you will be just as awestruck!" "Along with the main features, the supporting cast of innovation developed by SMS is just as deep, including; SMS Side Splitters and Diffuser Fences in carbon fiber, SMS billet aluminum signature elements, a beautiful SMS Two Tone Leather interior and the unique SMS "Chromosome Silver" paint with the signature anniversary yellow, white and black graphic accents. "My Anniversary cars were always the most powerful of the breed and this car continues that tradition, as this engine produces 720 Horsepower at the crank and 612 Horsepower at the rear wheels! And the exhaust note truly is something else. Topped with 670ft lbs of Torque it is quite a steed to tame, thus it is equipped with SMS Cross Drilled 15" 6-Piston Front Brakes and a completely new SMS Billet Aluminum Watts Link System that is robust, durable and attractive." "The performance is astounding; the SMS Twenty Fifth Anniversary Mustang has reached nearly the same levels of performance as was previously achieved in the S7 Twin Turbo! It is not everyday that the word Supercar is associated with a Mustang, but in this case it is appropriate. The team and I are very excited about the vehicle as it incorporates an entirely new platform of technological advances by SMS, and it is a testament to what our company is capable of. We look forward to it touring the show circuit this summer to show that we are in the business of power!" "I look forward to the next twenty five years!" Concept features: SMS 720 HP Supercharged 5.0L Aluminum Block V8 SMS CNC Ported Saleen Supercharger SMS CNC Aluminum Heads SMS Red Butterfly™ Induction System SMS Light Blade™ LED Tail Light System SMS Billet Aluminum Watts Link System SMS Cross Drilled 15" 6-Piston Front Brakes SMS Cross Drilled 12" Rear Brakes SMS Two Piece Billet Aluminum Hood Vents SMS Carbon Fiber Side Splitters SMS Carbon Fiber Diffuser Fences SMS Red Butterfly™ Quarter Intakes SMS Chromosome™ Silver Paint SMS Leather Grip Billet Aluminum Shifter and Shifter Bezel SMS Leather Dash SMS Leather Two Tone Door Inserts SMS Leather Two Tone Seats 6-Speed Transmission Source: SMS Limited Read More

2010 Mustang Will Be Leaner By Design

2010 Mustang Will Be Leaner By Design June 3rd, 2008 By Matt Rigney, Author, June 3rd, 2008 Matt Rigney 6 Comments

Another tidbit of news has come out about the 2010 Mustang via Design Chief of FoMoCo Peter Horbury who in an interview with Automotive News said the redesigned Mustang will look smaller by design but retain the same dimensions as previous years. With this type of design Ford is hoping the leaner look of the Mustang compared to the Challenger which is 10.1 inches longer and 1.8 inches wider along with over 500lbs more wieght will entice buyers to think smaller is better.

"We have a car which I think is more suitable for the times than the Challenger and the Camaro," Horbury told Automotive News. "Especially the Challenger--it is a huge car... Another tidbit of news has come out about the 2010 Mustang via Design Chief of FoMoCo Peter Horbury who in an interview with Automotive News said the redesigned Mustang will look smaller by design but retain the same dimensions as previous years. With this type of design Ford is hoping the leaner look of the Mustang compared to the Challenger which is 10.1 inches longer and 1.8 inches wider along with over 500lbs more wieght will entice buyers to think smaller is better. "We have a car which I think is more suitable for the times than the Challenger and the Camaro," Horbury told Automotive News. "Especially the Challenger--it is a huge car when you see it on the road." "By cleverness in design, we've been able to make it look like the wheels are further out, further forward and further rearward," Horbury said. "The center line is the longest part" of the next Mustang, he said, "and the widest part of the car is the middle. From there on, you can tuck it in and bring the apparent size down." Read More

Unique Performance Files For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Unique Performance Files For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy November 30th, 2007 By Matt Rigney, Author, November 30th, 2007 Matt Rigney 1 Comment

This is really no surprise to anybody who has been following the saga that is Unique Performance. On November 12th Unique Performance filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy ending a company that was flying high for about 5 years with partnerships involving some of the biggest names in the automotive world.

The Timeline goes like this, Lawsuits were filed by disgruntal customers who were not getting thier cars on time, Shelby Autos terminated their licensing agreement on the continuation Shelby GT500E and GT350SR's, Farmers Branch Police raided Unique's facility on November 2nd for an alleged title washing scam and seized 61 vehicles, Foose... This is really no surprise to anybody who has been following the saga that is Unique Performance. On November 12th Unique Performance filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy ending a company that was flying high for about 5 years with partnerships involving some of the biggest names in the automotive world. The Timeline goes like this, Lawsuits were filed by disgruntal customers who were not getting thier cars on time, Shelby Autos terminated their licensing agreement on the continuation Shelby GT500E and GT350SR's, Farmers Branch Police raided Unique's facility on November 2nd for an alleged title washing scam and seized 61 vehicles, Foose terminated his licensing agreements for all models including the Foose Mustang, Foose Camaro and Foose Challenger, Unique Performance files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. According to Autoweek.com, the terms of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy include Unique Performance ending it's business operations immediately. In the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas, Unique listed no assests of any kind. A Dallas legal publication listed Unique's debts at $1 million to $100 million, but did not list the major creditors. Check back for more details as we get them. Source: AutoWeek.com Read More

Ex-Employee of Unique Performance Tells All

Ex-Employee of Unique Performance Tells All November 14th, 2007 By Matt Rigney, Author, November 14th, 2007 Matt Rigney 57 Comments

A former employee of Unique Performance posted up his thoughts or shall I say his rant on a previous post of "Shelby Severing Ties" to let everybody know the real story through his eyes on why the company is where it is. Usually comments to any specific post get pushed under the covers so to speak but I thought this comment was quite interesting so I decided to post it up to share with everybody. The former employee does make some rather engaging talking points with his bold accusations about Doug Hasty and the company he founded. Give it a read after the jump, it's quite lengthy...

****************

"Hasty is full of it. Only a handful... A former employee of Unique Performance posted up his thoughts or shall I say his rant on a previous post of "Shelby Severing Ties" to let everybody know the real story through his eyes on why the company is where it is. Usually comments to any specific post get pushed under the covers so to speak but I thought this comment was quite interesting so I decided to post it up to share with everybody. The former employee does make some rather engaging talking points with his bold accusations about Doug Hasty and the company he founded. Give it a read after the jump, it's quite lengthy... **************** "Hasty is full of it. Only a handful of the cars produced were equipped with 427FE’s supplied by Shelby. We had these engines built by other, cheaper sources. I will not give there names because they still run reputable businesses and have nothing to do with this. Engine failures stemmed from poor engineering, not faulty engines. Many customers will be more than pissed to know that Unique’s production was managed by Brent Fenimore, who is famed for running Shelby’s operation into the ground years ago. No efforts were ever made to iron out the bugs in the system. The only issues ever fixed were done by the employees who had nothing but idle time, due to waiting nearly 6 months for long needed parts and materials. If you are waiting on a Foose Camaro, forget it. Foose hasn’t received payment for any of the handful of cars sold under his name. And the reason they stopped production here is because Chip was trying to find out why. They just didn’t want to owe him anymore money. Hasty is a crook, bottom line, and a dumb one at that. The man is like a 16 year old girl with a credit card he doesn’t pay for. YOU DO!!! and the employees did. They stole 401K contributions and health insurance premiums from us for nearly a year. Not to mention the employees who ran into legal issues because the company was taking child support deductions and not sending the payments. They closed the doors and still owe us two weeks salary. All you people want to know what happened to your money? Go look in Hasty’s garage. The only thing I saw grow in nearly 2 years of employment was this mans car collection. He spent money on lavish hotels, women, and first class flights, everywhere he went. These people scammed everybody. Shelby is no saint either, but didn’t have anything to do with this. I feel terrible for those who paid for their dream car’s only to be what can only be described as “ROBBED”, and for the employees who put there blood, sweet, and tears, into what turned out to be a scam and unemployment. We can only hope that Doug Hasty and Co. pays for these crimes behind bars." ************** Read More

Foose Design Says Adios To Unique Performance

Foose Design Says Adios To Unique Performance November 13th, 2007 By Matt Rigney, Author, November 13th, 2007 Matt Rigney 0 Comments

It seems like the world is crumbling around Texas-based Unique Performance with yet another big name jumping ship. Foose Design has announced they are cutting all business ties and terminating all licensing activites with Unique Performance. This means the partnership with Foose on the Foose Mustang, Foose Camaro, Foose Challenger and Foose Motorcycle along with the sales and marketing of the Hemisfear have been cancelled. This news adds to Shelby severing ties and Unique getting raided last week by the local police for an alleged title-washing scheme. Foose Design wants to let it's customers know they now have no affiliation with... It seems like the world is crumbling around Texas-based Unique Performance with yet another big name jumping ship. Foose Design has announced they are cutting all business ties and terminating all licensing activites with Unique Performance. This means the partnership with Foose on the Foose Mustang, Foose Camaro, Foose Challenger and Foose Motorcycle along with the sales and marketing of the Hemisfear have been cancelled. This news adds to Shelby severing ties and Unique getting raided last week by the local police for an alleged title-washing scheme. Foose Design wants to let it's customers know they now have no affiliation with Unique Performance whatsoever. For more on this check out the press release after the jump. Press Release: Foose Design announced today that effective immediately it has terminated all licensing and all business activities with Texas-based Unique Performance, Unique Performance Concepts and related companies. This termination includes the limited production of all vehicles formerly licensed to Unique including but not limited to, the Foose Mustang Stallion, Foose Camaro, Foose Challenger, Foose Motorcycle and the sales and marketing of the "Hemisfear", also known as the "Foose Coupe", manufactured by Metalcrafters. Foose Design has clearly stated that it no longer has any affiliation with Unique, and encourages customers to understand that Unique no longer has any rights to Foose intellectual property, the Foose name, image, likeness, logos or designs regarding any project. Chip Foose, the winner of an unrivaled three "Ridler" Awards, and the Foose Design team have worked for more than eight months to resolve issues relative to Unique's problems but ultimately found it necessary to sever their relationship with Unique Performance. Foose Design does not manufacture production vehicles rather it specializes in designing and fabricating custom built, one-of-a-kind custom cars. Foose Design created the concept for a prototype vehicle to be built under its license to Unique. Chip Foose builds a special bond with every Foose vehicle owner and it causes him great stress to see this situation occur. Chip has worked tirelessly through the years to build his company, brand and image, which it works diligently to protect, both for itself and Chip's collectors and fans. Foose Design is working with its legal staff to consider possible action against Unique Performance. Read More