August 2009 Archives

The 2005 S197 Ford Mustang Concept debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in 2004 to a commotion the American Automotive market had not seen in decades. Throughout the late 1990's and early 2000's, Ford Motor Company added various "cues" to the Mustang that were taken from the original, but those cues proved vague at best. Starting with the 1994-2004 SN95 Ford Mustangs, talks of a "retro Mustang" kept enthusiasts hoping for a sort of rounded, futuristic pony car, but little things like the 'pony in the corral' and the stripes packages just were not accomplishing what they intended. However, this new model was truly retro in just about every respect, from the 1964-like front end, to the trim design along the sides, to the classic styled badge on the rear end. In the eyes of both vintage car enthusiasts and Mustang fans alike there was a feeling that finally, Ford had got it right. Instantly, people could not wait to get their hands on this new Mustang.

After 15 years of the incredibly famous Fox Body Ford Mustang, some enthusiasts were happy to hear about an intended redesign, the 4th full redesign of the model's existence. The Fox Body Mustang brought the model line back up from near ruin, caused by the 4 cylinder, low performance Mustang II, and emissions standards that hurt the performance of the classic Mustangs. Though some hoped for a redesign through several years of the Fox Body, the look should be credited with putting the Mustang back atop the pony car market once again, right where it belonged.

The Cobra logo appeared for the first time ever on the 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby G.T 350, right in the middle of the steering wheel. Carroll Shelby, who designed the G.T 350, gained automotive popularity thanks in part to his Ford-Powered AC Shelby Cobras; it made sense when he put a hint of those AC Cobras on his newly designed performance Mustangs. The first time the Cobra name appeared on the exterior was on the 1968 G.T. 350 and G.T 500, where the snake and cobra name were on the front fenders, in front of the door. The rear emblem bore the name "Shelby Cobra". The early Cobras were all 'Shelby Mustangs', but they put "Cobra" on the high performance map with an exclamation point.

Starting with the 1965 Ford Mustang, the Ford Motor Company released a trim line identified by only two letters: GT. Thanks in part to the Mustang, those two letters have become associated with performance throughout the United States after having been predominantly a European suffix attached to the end of fine Italian sports cars, such as the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT (Gran Turismo). Since Ford Motor Company popularized the use of "GT", it has been used by many other models both in the US and around the world.

The 1964 Ford Mustang was introduced as an instant success, though few trim lines or options were offered. By 1969, however, Ford recognized the desire for faster and more powerful Mustangs, shown by the vast interest in the factory backed and modified Shelby Mustangs. In accordance with their theme of "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday", they released a collection of new Mustang trim lines; a move that conceived the Boss Mustang, thought up by the head of Ford's Special Design Center, Larry Shinoda.