Recently in 2010 Category

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.

 

Hurst Performance Vehicles has devoted a ton of time to the new Chevrolet Camaro, and last year they got lots of press coverage for their awesome Hurst Hemi Challengers.  Hurst has a long history of dealing with GMs and Mopars, but they are newer to the Ford world.  Last month, Hurst announced the Hurst Mustang Pace Car Series convertible and yesterday evening I received an email from Hurst's publc relations group with news of a new Hurst Mustang to be unveiled at the 2009 SEMA Show.  While details are limited (and no pictures exist right now) the new Performance Series Hurst Mustang sounds like it takes many of its performance cues from the Pace Car Series Mustang, but puts all of those performance upgrades in the skin of a race car rather than a pace car.

The new Performance Series Hurst Mustang being displayed at SEMA is painted bright white with black and gold Hurst graphics, sitting on 20" black chrome forged wheels wearing BF Goodrich KDW high performance tires.  Inside, the Hurst Mustang wears graphite Hurst/Katzkin leather seats with gold stitching and embroidered Hurst logos on the seats and floormats.  Like the other new Hurst models being displayed at the 2009 SEMA Show, the Hurst Mustangs will feature the Hurst Hard-Shift handle.

Overview

In the 2010 Ford Mustang, everything is new but the roof. And it's all good, all improved over the superb 2004-2009 version of America's pony car.

We found the 2010 Mustangs quieter and more refined than the previous models. More important, the 2010 Mustang GT is an absolute blast to drive, quick off the mark with a brawny sound. The clutch pedal is light and easy to use in heavy traffic and the manual sifts smoothly. The handling is crisp, the suspension feels tight, and the brakes work better in this latest generation.

The Formula Drift Series kicked off the 2009 season with a bang on the sunny streets of Long Beach. As a prelude to the Long Beach Grand Prix, Formula Drift has held their season opener on this historic California street circuit for the past three years. Although the sport of drifting is more commonly associated with Japanese sport compacts, the Ford Mustang is no stranger to the series. Four blue oval representatives entered qualifying with two reaching the top 8, including one brand new 2010 Ford Mustang GT. With such a strong showing, Mustang drivers definitely made their presence known this past weekend.

Exterior
The 2010 Mustang is more of a refresh than it is a new Mustang, and while the 2010 Ford Mustang GT and the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 both clearly reflect those changes, the GT 500 adds an aspect of functionality to the aggressive new look.  The most obvious difference between these two Mustangs is the front fascia.  The 2010 Mustang GT has a front end design similar to the previous generation, with two massive driving lights mounted in the flat black grille, flanking the running pony that was also redesigned for 2010.  Along the bottom of the 2010 Mustang Shelby GT 500's front fascia, there is a large cooling opening also finished in flat black, and that trim wraps around to the wheel openings.  The 2010 Mustang Shelby GT 500 puts function before form, making sure that the 540 horsepower engine is kept as cool as possible. 

The Mustang Shelby GT 500's driving lights have been moved to the lower fascia area directly below the headlights, and in their absence the upper grille area features a shape that helps to funnel cool air into the engine bay.  The only obstruction on the grille of the Ford Mustang GT500 is the silver Cobra badge, as the Shelby model doesn't feature the running pony.  The lower fascia area also has a design to help funnel air through the Mustang GT 500's large front mounted intercooler, and the unique GT 500 hood contains large vents to help channel the hot air out of the engine bay.  Along with channeling the air, the upper grille design offers better aerodynamics than the 2010 Mustang GT, as the Ford Shelby GT 500 grille comes to the top of the front fascia and the hood meets the back of the fascia, where the Mustang GT hood hangs out over the sunken-in grille and driving lights.