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]

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 »

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 »

In-car user interface systems run the gamut in terms of usability. BMW’s iDrive (which we’ve found to be alternately wonderful and maddening) and Audi’s slicker, easier-to-use MMI are two of the most well-known. Devising an interface that makes it easy to control multiple systems is no easy task, but Ford thinks it’s found a sweet spot with the HMI (Human Machine Interface) that’s included in some versions of the all-new Mondeo.

The system is used to control the car’s phone, cruise control, audio, and tire pressure monitoring systems. It’s operated via a set of buttons on the steering wheel that emulates the primary input device used on mobile phones: buttons at each of the four compass points, and an “OK’ button in the middle of them.

The reasoning, according Dr. Stevan Becker (right), who supervised the HMI project, is that around 95% of people use a mobile phone already and are familiar with that kind of control setup. The HMI’s GUI is displayed on both the 5″ info screen in the center stack as well as in the instrument cluster itself. Read more »

We still remember being extremely excited about the 200 HP, 2.5L V6 in the SVT Contour, so every time the think of FWD family sedans approaching 300 HP, we shake our heads in amazement. And if an Altima can have 275hp, then what the heck do automakers do with exotic sports cars? Easy, crank up the juice until drivers are able to break the sound barrier on the Interstate track. Somewhere around 600-650hp, OEMs start to get nervous, and the aftermarket takes over.

The tuning specialists over at 9ff took an “ordinary” 911 turbo cabrio and kicked up the power into the 910 HP stratosphere. Since the standard 911 turbo can hit 60 MPH in under four seconds, we can’t imagine what would happen if you doubled the grunt on a car that weighs only 3,200 lbs. Since 60 will come and go well before you kick it into second gear, perhaps top speed is most relevant here, and achieving speeds that pass 240 MPH has already been done by 9ff while using only 850 HP. 9ff has already done a coupe and Carerra GT versions with identical power numbers, so the drop-top was easy.

At some point we fully expect the horsepower war to taper off, but you won’t hear us calling for a truce. We hope this monster comes with a standard helmet and a four-point safety harness.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Earlier this month we brought you a rumor that BMW was in talks with Ford to buy Volvo. Then just this week the rumor popped up again, in a Swedish newspaper. Now Ford comes out to officially quash the story, saying, “Ford Motor Company is not in discussions with BMW or any other company regarding an interest in the Volvo Car Corporation.”

That should take care of it, right? Well, not with everyone. Reuters quotes several industry analysts saying such a sell wouldn’t surprise them. Ford could make a load of much-needed money by getting rid of Volvo, and one analyst said he would expect Ford to look at all serious offers.

A Merrill Lynch analyst told Reuters Ford might get as much as $8 billion for Volvo, if, of course, it were for sale.

We’ve already stated our thoughts on BMW buying Volvo, but with the sale of Chrysler to a private equity group, could Volvo be the next Cerberus target? A Chrysler/Volvo team could be the halo marque the automaker needs, and Chrysler could also benefit from Volvo’s safety first image.

Such a matchup might also mean a Magnum-based Volvo wagon. Interesting.

Thanks for the tip, SobeSVT!

[Source: Reuters via Yahoo]