by Chris RoseAmerican Muscle A few weeks back, we took a trip to Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, KY with the 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords Magazine crew to give them a taste of our Procharged 2011 V6–which currently holds the record for the fastest 2011 V6 Mustang in the world. Steve Turner, chief […] More »

Ricardo Topete

2010 introduced a thorough redesign of the S197 Mustang platform that we have become so fond of. Ford did a terrific job in updating the car inside and out.

A complete facelift gives the Mustang a fresh, new look, while the interior received a more upscale feel. Mechanically, the suspension and chassis were further refined to make an even more nimble, better handling ’Stang.

The drivetrain is basically a carryover from the 2005-2009 Mustang GT. Under the hood, tweaks to the intake tract and computer tuning bumped horsepower output to 315 horsepower and 325 lbs-ft torque, up from 300 horsepower and 320 lbs-ft torque. A nice improvement, but many feel that Ford should have introduced the 2010 GT with the sought-after 5.0L motor. As a result, sales for the 2010 model were soft as many buyers opted to wait for the soon-to-be legendary 2011 Mustang GT.

This month, we give some love to 2010 GT owners. Our friends at GTR High Performance (Rancho Cucamonga, California) teamed up with BBK Performance and Magnaflow Exhaust to demonstrate three easy ways to feed the 2010 pony some more oats. GTR corralled a stock 2010 GT outfitted with an automatic transmission belonging to Alfred Baca of California. A baseline dyno revealed peaks of 268 rwhp and 270 rwtq.

From experience, we have learned that Mustangs respond well to free-flowing induction systems. Since the 2010 GT is factory equipped with a “cold air” induction that contributes to its increase in output, we weren’t sure if there was room for improvement. BBK Performance answered the challenge and provided its new cold air intake for the 2010 GT. BBK designed its kit to eliminate the need to re-flash the computer, which saves considerable cash in the installation process. Installation is elementary, requiring little more than a screwdriver. In a few minutes, GTR had the BBK intake in place and ready to rock the dyno.

GTR let our tester rip to 6,000 rpm and reviewed the results. The GT now rested at peak figures of 275 rwhp and 280 rwtq, which netted peak-to-peak gains of 7 rwhp and 10 rwtq. More impressive were the largest overall gains of 10 rwhp and 12 rwtq, both at 4,000 rpm. Considering the healthy power gains and ease of installation, the BBK cold air kit should be first on your shopping list.

Next on the agenda was to upgrade the exhaust system. Magnaflow set us up with its Tru X-pipe (Part # 16457), which is a simple cut-and-clamp affair. Magnaflow’s crosspipe retains the stock catalytic converters, making it 100-percent smog legal. Magnaflow also provided us with its axle-back muffler kit (Part # 16573) which complements the crosspipe nicely and yields a smooth, authoritative exhaust bark. An hour later, GTR had fitted both pieces onto the ’Stang, and it was ready for action.

When the dyno roller stopped, the Mustang had upped its peak values to 278 rwhp and 283 rwtq. Despite the moderate 3 horsepower and 3 lbs-ft of torque gain, we now had a strong foundation upon which to continue in our quest for more power. Knowing that Alfred was going to continue to modify his pony, the Magnaflow exhaust will pay bigger dividends in the future.

The last piece of the horsepower puzzle was BBK’s Underdrive Power Pulley kit (Part # 1563). Historically, power pulleys always do well in dyno tests because they show noticeable gains from the moment the loud pedal is buried. Power and torque gains across the entire rpm range are a trademark of power pulleys. Our test car yielded respectable peak-to-peak gains of 6 rwhp, but the largest gains came in at 5,000 rpm, which revealed 7 extra rwhp and 8 extra rwtq.

The pulleys are probably the most technically challenging item to install that we tested. They’re not difficult to install by any means, but some special tools are required to accomplish this task. A harmonic balancer puller and a torque wrench are required. Air tools help, but the job can be done without them. The average do-it-yourselfer will want to allow about an hour and a half, while pros like GTR’s crew can get-r-done in about 45 minutes. Factoring in the reasonable price of the pulleys (expect to pay around $250) and the solid results, BBK’s pulleys should be on everyone’s “to-do” list.

In a few hours, GTR had managed to bump up the power to 284 rwhp and 285 rwtq with the addition of a few basic and proven modifications. Overall peak-to-peak gains realized were 16 rwhp and 15 rwtq, but more impressive were the largest overall gains of 25 rwhp and 25 rwtq seen at 5,400 rpm! That is power that will allow our 2010 GT to stand proud among its peers on the streets.

by John CoyleMustang Forums Halloween is almost here, and since I’m over costumes and candy, for me, that means only one thing–it’s almost time for SEMA! I’ve been covering the show since 2006, and this year I’m more excited than ever to hop on the plane to Sin City! Because this annual Vegas blowout is–by […] More »

Ford Motor Company

When Ford Designer Melvin Betancourt created a one-of-a-kind 2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca for auction at an upcoming charity event to benefit cardiovascular care, research and education at Henry Ford Health System, he says it was a labor of love that came straight from the heart.
Betancourt, 49, suffered a serious heart problem 11 years ago, and he credits the doctors at Henry Ford with saving his life.
“I went to the doctor thinking I had a bad cold and the specialists at Henry Ford told me I had what is called an aortic dissection – a tear in the major blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the body,” recalled Betancourt. “As a result, my aorta had grown to the size of a softball, and I needed immediate open-heart surgery.”
The high-risk surgery that Betancourt needed to repair his damaged aorta was performed successfully by cardiovascular surgeons at Henry Ford Hospital.
Betancourt says creating the distinctive Mustang for auction at the “Get Your Heart Racing” event – which was held Oct. 15, at Ford Motor Company – is his way of using the gifts he’s been given to give something back to the doctors and staff at Henry Ford.
“We’re all here for a purpose, and maybe my purpose is to help people through my skills,” said Betancourt. “One of the things I do very well is vehicle customization – taking a car that already exists and enhancing it to make it one of a kind.”
Betancourt says his goal in customizing the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca was to create a vehicle that would attract the highest bids from car collectors and ultimately the most money for heart research and education at Henry Ford Health System.
“Everybody knows the School Bus Yellow Boss 302 that Parnelli Jones drove to victory in the 1970 Trans-Am Championship, so we decided to pay homage to that vehicle and do a modern version of the 1970 Mustang that he drove,” said Betancourt.
The 2012 Boss 302 was painted the iconic yellow color at the AutoAlliance International (AAI) plant in Flat Rock, Mich., where all of Ford’s Mustangs are built.
“The fact that the car was built and painted at the AAI plant gives it more credibility as a one-off Ford vehicle,” explained Betancourt.
Instead of using decals like they did in 1970, Betancourt painted all of the black Laguna Seca graphics on the car, which include “hockey-stick” stripes along the sides, Parnelli Jones’ No. 15 on the doors and Jones’ name on the side rails.
“I approached the project from a car collector’s perspective,” said Betancourt. “I asked myself what would happen if they took me from today, put me back in 1970 and asked me to design a car for Parnelli Jones.”
Parnelli Jones signed the car at the “Get Your Heart Racing” event, enhancing its value even more as a collector’s item.

by John CoyleMustang Forums The seller claims this is an original 1967 Shelby Mustang, and if he’s correct, it seems a little silly to have turned it into a restomod. Sure, the interior and drivetrain have been pulled from a 2009 Shelby, so there’s an attempt to maintain the pedigree… But seriously? How high is […] More »

by John CoyleMustangForums Obviously, the people who shot this didn’t drink the drift video Kool-Aid. Because if they had, they’d know that all Formula D videos are required to feature acres of slow-motion footage and a horrible techno music score. But this video isn’t like that! It’s done with high-speed film, and it’s set to […] More »

by Patrick RallMustangForums Since the Blue Oval began installing their EcoBoost engines into various vehicles across the its lineup, there have been rumors that one of these high tech turbocharged engines will find its way into the Ford Mustang. Those rumors have been somewhat confirmed in off-the-cuff comments by Ford boss Bill Ford Jr., but […] More »