StangNet.com is putting the finishing touches on its latest project car, and it’s a doozy. Of course it’s a Mustang, a modified GT500 to be exact. Teaming up with Classic Design Concepts, a mini-automaker all its own, takes the StangNet GT500 to a place average tuners would usually fear to tread.

For starters, the StangNet GT500 sports CDC’s Glassback roof, which looks like a painted piece of sheetmetal from a distance, but upon closer inspection reveals itself as perforated metal that allows occupants inside the car to see right through the roof. The car also sports a custom made ducktail spoiler, new lower front grille/spoiler, body-colored mirrors, MY2008 HID headlamps, louvered scoops over the quarter windows and a hand-painted pair of blue racing stripes.

The car’s performance has been enhanced with a new suspension from Steeda, functional brake ducts in place of the standard GT500’s foglamps, CCW SP20 19-inch wheels (deep dish in the rear) wrapped in BFGs, and a Magnaflow catback exhaust coupled to an MRT H-pipe. The interior is largely unaltered so far, save for the addition of a Ford GT push button start system.

The car will be present at the Mid-America Ford Performance and Shelby Meet in Tulsa, OK around mid-June. Come November it will also appear at the SEMA show in Las Vegas where we’ll likely see additional modifications made for the big show.

[Source: StangNet.com]

The addition of GM’s 5.3L V8 to the HUMMER H3 Alpha for 2008 has resulted in some trickle-down goodness for the SUV’s pickup truck platform-mate, the Chevy Colorado. PickupTruck.com is reporting that the smaller Chevy truck will indeed receive the same infusion of V8 power in 2008. We’ve driven both the Silverado and the GMC Sierra with that engine, and we liked it a lot in the big trucks. Imagining it in the Colorado has grins spreading across our faces, as it will certainly add a good amount of pop, and with the 5.3’s cylinder deactivation system, it should also be respectable at the pump, considering it’ll have a lot less truck to move around than with the GMT900.

The addition of the 295-horse V8 will catapult the Colorado to the top of the heap in the midsize pickup segment in terms of power, edging the new Dodge Dakota (290 hp), and putting it well beyond the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger (numbers 1 & 2 respectively on the sales charts). GM’s been teasing everyone with V8-powered small concept pickups for a while now, and though it won’t officially confirm or deny the report (a spokesman only says, “stay tuned”), it sure looks like the General’s finally decided to give us the real thing. Good.

[Source: PickupTruck.com]

Amy Boylan, President of Shelby Automobiles, Inc., has released the first official details on her company’s latest Mustang iteration, the Super Snake GT500. First, you’ll need a Shelby GT 500, the base price of which is $40,930 according to Ford. Now, you’re probably going to want to option that up, and we’re betting no dealer will let you out the door without paying a significant mark up. On top of that, turning your GT500 into a Super Snake will cost at least an additional $28,000.

Sure, that price could buy you a second Mustang, but instead your Super Snake will be boasting 600 horsepower. You can order up to a 725-horsepower Super Snake as well, but the cost will be significantly more and you can kiss that factory warranty goodbye if you go all the way. In addition to the Shelby Supercharger that produces the extra ponies, you’ll also get a cold air intake, Shelby/Baer 6-piston caliper brakes, a Shelby short throw shifter, an Eibach coil-over suspension, sway bars, and a Borla cat-back exhaust. Unfortunately, the Super Snake doesn’t address the Mustang’s weight problem, instead trying to reign it in with a beefier suspension, more power and better stoppers.

More info and the complete specs are after the jump.

[Source: Mustang Evolution] Read more »

When the topic of conversation at the Autoblog bunker shifts to the R8, it’s simply a matter of time before one of us brings up the idea of a diesel version of Audi’s new supercar. With the recent success of the TDI R10, Audi has both the technological prowess and the racing creds to make a serious play towards being the first automaker to offer an oilburner in an exotic. According to Car and Driver, it’s not only plausible, it’s undergoing development.

C & D breaks down the engine choices into ” the good, the bad and the ugly,” with the good going to the 4.2-liter TDI (326 HP and 561 lb.-ft. of torque), the bad being the 3-liter V6 (233 HP and 369 lb-ft. of twist) and the ugly as the twin-turbo V12 found in the R10 racecar. The latter is making close to 500 HP and a kidney-punishing 738 pound-feet of torque, which because of its high weight and intricacies would make it a poor choice.

Notable absent from the mag’s lineup is the 5-liter V10 found in the Touareg that produces 308 HP and 550 lb-ft. of stump-destroying torque, but considering that the 4.2-liter TDI makes more power and more low-end grunt, we understand why it was left out of the mix.

If Car and Driver’s sources are to be believed, expect the TDI R8 to come to market in 2009. That, along with a rumored Targa version supposedly due that same year, would cause the R8 line to swell beyond feasibility. Time will tell, but we like what we hear so far.

[Source: Car and Driver via the German Car Blog]

While the recent success of the Wrangler Unlimited bodes well for Jeep and its continued domination of all things off-road, NHTSA is in the midst of investigating a series of complaints claiming that the iconic Jeep is stalling at highway speeds, and in some cases, losing electrical power.

All Wrangler models are under the agency’s watchful eye, both the two- and four-door models, regardless if they’re equipped with four-wheel drive or the standard two-wheel drive. NHTSA says that only 53 complaints have been filed, with 12 reporting a loss of lighting and electrical power.

NHTSA’s investigation will include approximately 35,000 vehicles total, and at this point, no crashes or fatalities have been attributed to the issue.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

Apparently tough and muscular are favored by truck and SUV buyers. Who knew? In a Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch poll, active car shoppers picked the look of Ford’s trucks and non-luxury SUVs over the competition.

Though the poll was done in April, current sales numbers seem to prove it, with some of Ford’s pickups seeing more than 50% sales increases over last year despite rising gas prices. Ford recently increased its sales predictions of the Edge, and says its new Expedition had its eighth consecutive month of higher sales in April. Ford’s May sales overall were down 10.4%, a drop the company blamed on a cutback in fleet purchases.

The KBB report is good news for Ford, of course, but KBB says it should be very interesting to other carmakers.

“As vehicle reliability reaches near-parity in the market, we predict that exterior styling will play an even bigger role in building new-vehicle sales and brand equity,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst, Kelley Blue Book. “The results of the Brand Watch study demonstrate that the industry is, and should be, placing great emphasis on what their vehicles look like.” Read more »

Hot on the heels of the 2007 Strategic Vision Total Quality Awards, J.D. Power and Associates has released its 2007 Initial Quality Study. You’ll no doubt be hearing about how well Ford has done in this year’s IQS, as J.D. Power reports the Blue Oval has garnered five top model segment awards, more than any other automaker. Those models include the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan and the Mazda MX-5.

Indeed, Ford did very well this year, with the Lincoln brand improving from 12th place to 3rd, Mercury from 17th to 8th and Ford jumping from 16th to 10th. We take umbrage, however, with J.D. Power choosing to include the Mazda MX-5 in Ford’s list of segment leaders. Ford owns a controlling 33% stake in Mazda, but doesn’t include the Japanese brand’s sales among its own at the end of the month, and neither does the Japanese-built MX-5 share its plaform with any other Ford models. And, while rattling off how well each Ford brand ranked, J.D. Power doesn’t mention that Mazda ranked 35th, second to last ahead of Land Rover, another Ford brand. Still, even without including the MX-5, Ford’s four segment leaders is still more than any other automaker. Mercedes-Benz and Toyota each had three.

J.D. Power also gives out Assembly Plant Awards, and in a surprising twist of fate, Ford’s Wixom assembly plant that shut its doors forever this past week became the first North American assembly plant to earn the Platinum Plant Quality award for producing vehicles with the fewest defects. We suppose that means 2007 Lincoln Town Car owners are in for some trouble-free times with their cars.

You can check out the complete rankings in the gallery below and read the official press release from J.D. Power and Associates after the jump.

[Source: J.D. Power & Associates] Read more »