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It's pretty clear that Ford Motor Company is very proud of the 2010 refresh of the Ford Mustang - even though the Mustang has not yet received the "big motor news".  Since launching the 2010 Mustang at the LA Auto Show last year, Ford has been showing off their proud new baby like any good doting parent and the 2009 SEMA Show was virtually an alter to the fabled pony car.

 

This is nothing new, as the gigantic Ford display at SEMA is never without a nice spread of modified Mustangs, and models like the new Cobra Jet and the RTR-C Mustang fit the SEMA mold nicely.  However, this year featured the first for Ford as they debuted the first ever Ford Mustang stock car for NASCAR along with a pair of beautiful Shelby Mustangs being raffled off to help with veterans charities.  Also, Ford offered up a handful of production 2010 Mustangs showing off the latest and greatest 'aftermarket' additions available from Ford Racing.

 

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.

Few changes were made for the 2002 Ford Mustang aside from the addition of new color options and a new steering wheel wrap for standard Mustangs. Ford did upgrade the sound system in the 2002 Mustang GT with a powerful new Visteon Mach 1000. In the US, the standard Cobra was left off the slate again due to the release of another special addition Cobra, Ford's 2003 SVT Cobra. One Hundred 2002 Mustang Cobras, all manufactured with right hand drive, were shipped to Australia and were identical to the 2001 Mustang Cobra, with the exception of a crude extra set of fog lights between the head lights and the normal fog lights. The 2002 Saleen Mustang lineup remained steady, introducing the S-281 Extreme , which was a 425 horsepower beast. The 2002 Roush Mustang remained relatively unchanged from the previous year excluding the 360R, a Roush Stage 3 with custom graphics. Of note, sales figures dropped once again, this time to around 142,000 units.

The 2000 Ford Mustang was the second year of the New Edge Mustang. People were surprised to see the lack of a Cobra option that year, an absence perhaps due to the power output issue of the 1999 Mustang Cobra.  There were no changes to the exterior of the 2000 standard or Mustang GT, with the exception of the 35th Anniversary logo. The Mustang GT also sported dual exhaust cutouts and the GT badging.  Ford also released a special edition 2000 Mustang GT called the Spring Feature Mustang; all 3,091 units received the same side ducts and hood scoop as the 35th Anniversary Limited Edition GT, as well as black Mustang bumper inserts, dual black stripes on the hood with GT on them, and 17" by 8" bright finish wheels.  The 2000 Spring Feature Mustang was the only one offered in Zinc Yellow, a feature that would return to all 2001 Ford Mustangs.  Another special edition Mustang was the only Cobra Ford sold in 2000; the Mustang Cobra R was revived for a limited production of 300. Like the 1995 Mustang Cobra R, the 2000 Mustang Cobra R was basically a street legal race car: no back seat, no sound deadening material, no heaters, and no A/C. What the Cobra R did have was a new DOHC 5.4L engine building 385 horsepower, a new front clip, side exit exhaust, a huge rear wing, and an almost $55,000 price tag. The 2000 Saleen Mustang and 2000 Roush Mustang lineups remained the same that year. The changes in 2000 were comparably minimal, yet sales boomed and over 215,000 units found drivers.

The 1999 Ford Mustang officially marked the 35th anniversary of the classic muscle car and the beginning of a new era with yet another redesign.  While the prior generation, the SN95, put the Mustang back atop the pony car market, the rest of the performance car market swelled up around the Mustang's success with entries from not only domestic automakers but Japan as well. Because of this, when the 1999 Ford Mustang debuted as the "New Edge", the automaker put an emphasis on improved styling alongside improved performance. The sharp new lines and increased horsepower did just that.