Style for The Average Joe, Personal Luxury Cars

The Personal Luxury Car, Part I - The Ford Thunderbird

For the average Joe, the Monte Carlo, the Cordoba, or Thunderbird was an attainable and affordable prize for his hard earned money. Unlike more expensive and exclusive luxury cars, they were cheap to operate, and since they were built using tried and true parts, simple to repair. The auto industry couldn’t have wished for a more lucrative market. A car built with off the shelf parts, on the chassis of the average sedan, all for a hungry market wanting something “special”. The personal luxury car was a profit goldmine. Ford usually gets the credit for creating the niche with the introduction of the Thunderbird in 1955.

Origins
The origins of the Thunderbird are not as clear as some would have you believe. There are stories of Ford executives wanting a sports car after a trip to Europe.

Many assume that Ford was responding to Chevrolet’s Corvette.

It’s known that stylist Frank Hershey was already studying possibilities for a special car on a shortened Ford chassis, with heavy input from Joe Oros and Bill Boyer contributing. Each one a noted Ford designer under chief Ford stylist George Walker at the time. Each one claims to have penned the car entirely on their own. It’s difficult to say, as even Fords archives are not clear. Even the origins of the name of the car are in question, supposedly Thunderbird was chosen from a contest with over 5000 suggestions, the winning name chosen by a Ford employee whose prize was a pair of pants (?). Native American folklore, in contrast, does note a mythical bird, the Thunderbird, born of thunder from the dark night sky that rescued a native tribe from doom.

Concept drawings of the Thunderbird '52-'54, side view proposals

Early conception sketches and drawings show an egg crate grille influenced by Ferrari, identical headlights/tail lights from the ‘55 Ford sedan and twin exhausts inset at the bumper. It was low and sleek, without the usual gaudy chrome that adorned many cars of the time. The car was never planned as a direct rival to the Corvette, it had modern conveniences like roll up windows, A/C, a hardtop and other options the ‘Vette couldn’t offer.

1955 Thunderbirds

It was presented as a sporty personal car, a cruiser, not a sports car. And at under $3000 it beat the fiberglass Corvette soundly in sales. Not to mention the 292 cu in V8 with 198 hp on tap certainly had the power edge over the standard wimpy stove bolt six of the Chevy.

2nd Generation Thunderbird sketch, a two seat concept, not four as the actual model

1958 introduced a bolder restyle and the inclusion of two more seats. Ford market studies revealed an appeal for a four seat T-Bird, as the current configuration couldn’t be considered as a single family car, i.e., Average Joe wanted a sporty ride, but needed a back seat to carry the kids. So the ‘58 T-Bird grew longer and very low, incorporated dual headlights, a larger, lower placed grille surrounded by a massive chrome bumper, (un)inspired body side moldings and larger more pronounced tail fins.

“If you really analyze the 1958 Thunderbird, it had enough design on its side, back and front, for five automobiles.”

The overall look was definitely in step with 1958 styling cues, but the added bits of 50’s styling excess is not as easy on the eye as the ‘55-‘57. Designer Gene Bordinat noted, "If you really analyze the '58 Thunderbird, it had enough design on its side, back and front for five automobiles."

In ‘59 Ford offered a bigger 430 cid V8 borrowed from upscale Lincoln to help motivate the larger car, but even with the jump in power, now nearly 350hp, a 1000 lbs increase in weight and size over the two seater made it no sprinter. Nonetheless, Fords market study was dead on, the sales of the fourseat “Squarebirds” at nearly 38,000 units, was more than double the previous model.

Third Generation, "bullet birds"

'61 T-Bird concept (not a Lincoln). Ford Quicksilver concept.

The ‘61 model had some hurdles to clear before it came to be, as surprisingly, the ‘61 Lincoln Continental was originally supposed to be the ‘61 Thunderbird. In 1958, the development for the next generation T-Bird was not going smoothly and two competing proposals were commissioned. One by Elwood Engel, based on the recent Continental MkII. And the other by Joe Oros, Ford studio head, proposed a sportier car based on the directive of new Ford division chief, Jim Wright, and the Ford Quicksilver concept. Behind the scenes the two opposing concepts were really a result of a power struggle between the design studio and the Ford chief. To save face, the decision was left to Ford's Product Planning Committee. Engle’s proposal was deemed “too pretty to be a T-Bird” and became the ‘61 Continental. Oro’s car (ironically, with heavy development from Engle and his staffs input), became the 1961 T-Bird.

The bullet nosed birds, were much cleaner in the design than the previous model. Body moldings and fenders with a high bright bladed “beltline” were incorporated as a theme for the entire car, starting at the front cowl, and flowed down the body, ending in slightly canted fins at the rear over two pod-like, turbine-shaped taillights. The ‘61 introduced many innovations like a swing away steering wheel and the ’62 Sports Roadster version (credited to designer Bud Kaufman ) incorporating a racing style tonneau top covering the rear two seats to create, in effect, a “two-seater” again. Of the early 1960’s the bullet birds are probably the most attractive and most representative of car design of the era.

For 1964 the T-Bird was redesigned again, this time the theme retreated to a more purposeful design. Now the T-Bird had a longer rear with much larger taillights (sequential ones in ’65) the body tapering off to a flat tail and a more formal hood and body side styling. The look was not as flowing, but had a stronger looking front “face”.
Obviously Ford had the right idea as this model sold nearly 93,000 units, a record and up nearly half over the 1963 ‘bird. ’65 offered the famed sequential taillights and a 429 V8 w/345 hp. Finally after years of changing engines to keep up with the weight gain of the car, the new T-Bird was capable of some quick motivation and speeds over 120mph. But even with these welcome additions, sales dropped off to just over 70,000 units for ’65.

Why? Mustang.
Ford’s own, much cheaper, and in many ways, more attractively styled new four seat youthmobile was taking a big bite out of the T-Birds signature market. A moderately optioned Thunderbird cost nearly twice as much as a fully optioned Mustang. The market savvy decision to make the T-Bird a four seater back in ’58 was coming back to haunt Ford with the introduction of the pony car. The T-Bird was at a cross roads, Ford debated relinquishing the car completely to the luxury market as a 4 door sedan. By 1965 with the Mustang assuming the young sporty image the T-Bird once had, Ford believed the T-Bird no longer needed to portray a sporting image and could be focused directly at the personal luxury market.

1967 Ford Thunderbird Landau 4-door sedan.

Following that marketing concept, in 1967 Ford introduced a completely redesigned Thunderbird, as a large luxury coupe, and an equally large four door luxury sedan incorporating suicide type doors, a large open mouth grill and heavily styled fenders. As the 3rd & 4th generation convertible had fallen to less than 10% of T-Bird sales, for the first time in its history, no convertible model was offered. The ‘67 T-Bird was a major change in focus for the model, abandoning the Thunderbirds original concept completely. Sadly for the next ten years the Thunderbird grew into an overweight, gas guzzling (8 mpg!), bland, ugly joke...

The Big and even Bigger 'birds.
In 1970 the T-Bird changed into a huge luxury barge (albeit with a large, almost humorous “beak” front end grille treatment) and the four door sedan was dropped. In 1972 the ‘bird expanded again to the largest size of its history gaining nearly 1500 lbs over the already huge ‘71. The Thunderbird was now, basically a re-skinned, lower cost Lincoln Continental, riding on the Continentals chassis and mechanicals. The gargantuan bird went on for 4 years with minor trim changes. The only major changes were the constant increase in engine size (up to 460 ci, 7.5 liters!) to help motivate the behemoth. Even with one of the largest engines on the market, EPA standards strangled the output to just over 200hp, not enough to get out of its own way.
Ironically Ford had hit on something, or the public just didn’t care as the sales for the supersized bird was up to almost 87,000 units in ‘73. A very neat feat considering Ford was asking almost $8,000 for a 5,000 lb, gas guzzling, mediocre looking, underpowered clone of a Lincoln Mark IV.

Still the writing was on the wall, the Arab Oil embargo, inflation and rising gas prices ate away at sales and demanded the T-Bird go on a diet and refocus its market identity. Luckily for Ford, the Elite, which had taken over the T-Birds former market, was selling nearly three times as much as the current bird. It was an easy plan to have the next Elite redesigned as the new, downsized Thunderbird.

1977 Thunderbird

So in 1977, like both GM and Chrysler were implementing, a new downsized version of the car was planned, and a smaller, redesigned Thunderbird was released. The new ‘bird had a sharper, more defined look with razor edged fender tops, split opera/landau windows and hidden headlights. Many of the T-Bird cues from the late 60’s returned including a egg crate grille and full length wall to wall tail lights, a basket handle split top was also featured. Realistically, the new ‘bird was not much more than a re-skinned Elite, which was built on a Torino/LTD II chassis, under the skin there wasn’t any innovation mechanically. Its laughable to call the ’77 T-Bird a mid sized car today, its huge by today’s standards, but with almost a half ton reduction in weight and 11 inches in length over the previous ‘bird and a $3000 price cut, the new T-Bird was taking a step (down-market) in the right direction. Sales surged to over 300,000 units, the highest figure in the history of the Thunderbird, and triple its previous sales record. The public snapped them up in large numbers, with little styling changes for the next three years.

1980 Ford Thunderbird

Under veteran stylist Gene Bordinat 1980 brought the emergence of the “Box” ‘birds. The car was based on the Fox chassis (shared with the plain-Jane Ford Fairmont and new Mustang). Transferring the bigger T-Bird styling cues to this smaller platform proved unsuccessful if not outright boring. It’s obvious the design was a cost cutting measure, to eliminate size, weight and production costs, as their seems to be have been no design inspiration at all. Ford did reduce weight by 900 lbs, but the combination of uninspired styling, a weak standard V6, and a brief recession kept the buying public away in droves, and sales tanked. At the end of the box bird model run in ’82, sales had fallen to just 47,000 units, less than 16% of the previous model run.

Ford Probe Concepts I & II

The Thunderbird was in trouble, but even before the disastrous box-‘bird was released Ford had considered new directions for their prestige car to follow. Jack Telnack, Fords new VP of Design and his studio team, had the answer. Fords designers for years prior had championed more aerodynamic shapes in the form of their series of concept “Probe” cars of the ‘70’s. And now was the time to put their design ideas into practice.

1983 Thunderbird

1983 and the new, aero-Thunderbird was as smooth and slick as the previous ‘bird was boxy and boring. The new design was a complete departure from all Thunderbirds and for modern cars as well. European in looks, it was aerodynamically smooth and clean, a confident design without a right angle or straight line to be found. The car featured limousine type doors and flush drip wells. In the rear a small notchback with a slight lipped trunk and full with tail lights. It’s difficult to state the impact of this car in the mid 80’s, and fully take into effect it had on changing the look of both the Thunderbird and the car industry as a whole. The success of this new Thunderbird paved the way for more aerodynamic cars, like the Taurus that would revolutionize car appearance and styling forever. In addition to the Aero-birds new slick lines, a new model, the TuboCoupe with a turbocharged 2.3 L 4 cyl engine w/5sp manual was introduced. For the first time in many years a sporting image and style was brought back to the nameplate. Sales were strong and the car added a V8 and trim options, a slight tweaking of the shape was updated in ’87, but few other changes.

1989 (MN12) Thunderbird

The 10th generation, code named MN12 (Mid-Size North American Project 12), Thunderbird was redesigned in 1989 on a longer wheelbase (but shorter overall length). It was lower, shorter and distinctively more European in its flavor. It’s easy to see reflections of BMW in its shape. The new design and look was a result of new program to reduce weight and focus the car towards a younger performance oriented buyer. In that respect the Turbo Coupe was dropped in favor of the Super Coupe with a supercharged, 210hp V6 engine. Unfortunately the car, while a confident looking design and much more efficient in fuel usage wasn’t exactly what Ford had hoped for, and the car missed specific design targets in its development. Most prominent was the cars heavy 3500 lb weight and cost overruns which greatly exceeded program and budget forecasts. To add insult to injury the public’s interest in rear drive personal coupes was waning in the atmosphere of minivans, luxury sedans and SUV’s, sales for the car started a steep decline. The MN12 cars continued on with minor changes, mostly cost cutting measures eliminating options and removing features to help keep costs down on the expensive to produce car. Finally in 1997, with sales in the basement, and costs in the sky, Ford pulled the plug and after 42 years of production, the Thunderbird was over.

2000 & The Retro-'bird
But not so fast, no sooner than the last MN12 T-Bird rolled off the plant floor was Jay Mays, Fords new VP of design, speculating and putting together a studio team for a new Thunderbird. The next T-Bird would be a low sleek two seat personal luxury car, a “retro” design. Bringing back the Thunderbird to its origins. J Mays and his design staff made sure the new retro T-Bird was true to the cars legacy. The new car would have all the classic cues of a Thunderbird, including the egg crate grille, porthole windows and a V8, all built on the Lincoln LS chassis. The car was introduced in 2002 to strong interest and 1000 pre-orders. Styling wise, Ford had hit the mark, the car had all the goods the original had plus a bit more. Initial sales were strong, but leveled off after the first year. Quickly though it came to be seen that a $40,000 two seater with only a 280hp V8, and sloppy handling had a limited appeal, and was not hugely popular with the 21st century buyer, despite its good looks. It had been suggested, jokingly that a second row of seats added to the car would help make it more attractive, much like the ’58 did. But Ford wasn’t laughing. So, one again, in 2005 with marginal sales, and only three years of production, sadly, the retro-‘bird too was discontinued. So far, there has been no word or future plans to raise the mark again.

1955 & 2002 Thunderbirds

In all, over a 50 year span, some 4.5 million Thunderbirds were produced.

Next time, part II, and GM and Chrysler’s personal luxury cars.
-gumbypiz

2008 Cobra Jet Mustang Drag Racer at SEMA

Despite the problems Ford is experiencing right now, such as the utter and complete meltdown of its domestic market, it's still making the Ford Mustang just a fun car.

Ford Racing has released a slate of race-ready Mustangs and this latest is what Ford calls the FR500CJ, and what we, who prefer names rather than soul-less numbers to describe things, will know as the Cobra Jet.

This latest Cobra Jet harkens back to a better time for Ford -- a time when it held a considerable lock on its share of the US market. More specifically 1968, when Ford won the NHRA Winternationals with its then Cobra Jet and helped solidify the Mustang as a legendary American sports car. Only 50 of those original Cobra Jets were built and if you happen to have one in your garage right now, then you won't have to worry about the current global recession hitting your local economy.

Also, you can order one of these at your local Ford dealer. Which, at least, means that Ford is serious about putting these cars out there and not just up for show at SEMA.

Oddly, Ford Racing doesn't yet provide any (real) numbers on performance. But you can guess it comes with some tweaked variation on the 4.6L V8 found in the Mustang GT, which produces about 325 hp.

Supercharger for Mustang GT goes up to 700hp

Roush have announced the new TVS2300 ROUSHcharger, giving all owners of the 2005-2009 Mustang GT the possibility to pump up the power up to 700 horsepower. The new supercharger was first presented to us at the SEMA show last year in the P-51A Mustang, the model had a limited production run of just 100 units but this release shows the American tuning house is looking to offer it to the wider market.

The kit includes a cold air intake system, unique fuel rail with 52 lb.-hr. injectors, a dual 60 mm electronic throttle body, all hardware, brackets and instructions. On its own it will only boost the power output to 510hp but with a little help from custom tuners, consumers can look forward to nearly 200 extra horsepower flowing through to the wheels of the Mustang GT

"The gloves are off for the specialty tuners to get really creative with a ROUSHcharger® now," said Joe Thompson, general manager of ROUSH® Performance. "We’re excited to see what some of these guys can do with the new TVS2300 ROUSHcharger® and really explore the type of performance that this new unit is capable of. We’ve heard some numbers from a couple of exploratory installs already and I must say that they are very impressive."

The new TVS2300 ROUSHcharger is available for $5,899, owners of the existing ROUSHcharger system looking to upgrade can get it slightly cheaper at $4,999.

Veilside and Valvoline Unique Mustang

The Valvoline Mustang GT-V is an American pony at its climax, designed by renowned tuner RJ de Vera, built by Roush with VeilSide body kit and given-away by Valvoline! This USD 60,000 car can be yours if you just enter the sweepstakes at a Nightshift event or at www.valvolinechallenge.com until 21 October 2008.

“The overall theme developed for the Mustang GT-V was ‘Modern yet Classic’. Since we were hoping to bridge the gap between different car enthusiasts we decide to create a fusion between the young tuner performance oriented and aggressive ethos with that of classic American muscle feel. I believe we succeeded in producing an automobile that any car nut would love to have in his garage.” said RJ de Vera.

The Valvoline Roush Mustang GT-V comes with VeilSide's D1GT body kit, Roush 427R engine package, H&R springs, Volk Racing wheels, Diamond audio system and custom suede interior by Street Concepts amongst others.

Ford Mustang 2008

Ford Mustang charges into 2008 as the one and only pony car on the streets, and looks to stretch its segment leadership with new features for that personalized look and feel that Mustang enthusiasts love.

Mustang remains one of the greatest automotive sales success stories of all time. Nearly one out of every two sports cars sold in America is a Mustang, and Mustang remains one of the hottest-selling cars in America. It’s also America’s best-selling convertible.

The 2008 Mustang intends to hold on to that sales leadership with new available features that will add personal appeal, including High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps, 18-inch wheels on the V-6 coupe, and an interior ambient lighting system.

Three new colors enhance Mustang’s bold, American style while safety improves with the addition of standard side air bags.

Two new Shelby Mustangs are available for 2008 – the 2008 Mustang Shelby GT and Shelby GT500KR. The 2008 Mustang Shelby GT offers consumers a new Vista Blue exterior color with silver stripe, and the choice of two body styles, coupe or convertible. Under the hood, the Shelby GT’s 4.6-liter V-8 engine is modified with Ford Racing Performance Parts and generates 319 horsepower. Coil springs drop the overall ride height by an inch-and-a-half and stiffer dampers and a front swaybar further enhance cornering feel and body control.

To mark the 40th Anniversary of the original “King of the Road” Mustang, 2008 sees the return of the Shelby GT500KR. Hailed as the most powerful production Ford Mustang ever produced, the 2008 Shelby GT500KR features an estimated 540-horsepower 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 with a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack, 3.73:1 rear axle ratio, short-throw shifter, and unique suspension tuning. Available in spring 2008, the exterior design draws inspiration from the classic Shelby KR Mustangs and features unique carbon composite hood, Shelby-designed 18-inch wheels, and special 40th Anniversary badging and unique striping.

Also new for 2008 is a limited-edition Warriors in Pink Mustang – designed exclusively in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. Produced in celebration of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s 25th Anniversary, the vehicle features unique pink exterior and interior design accents. Sales from the Warriors in Pink edition will help raise funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Highlights include:

• Pink ribbon and Pony fender badge.
• Pink ‘Mustang’ rocker tape stripe.
• Charcoal leather seats and Charcoal floor mats with Pink contrast stitching.
• Leather-wrapped aluminum spoke steering wheel with Pink contrast stitching.
• Unique Pony grille with chrome bezel and fog lamps.

Mustang comes in both coupe and convertible body styles, V-6 Deluxe, V-6 Premium, GT Deluxe and GT Premium. All Mustangs are built in Flat Rock, Mich., with final assembly of the Shelby GT and GT500KR taking place at the Shelby Automobiles facility in Las Vegas.

Design and Equipment
Mustang epitomizes pure American muscle. The signature long hood and short rear deck capitalize on more than 40 years of Mustang heritage, as do classic design cues that have defined Mustangs since the 1960s: C-scoops in the sides, three-element taillamps, and a galloping horse badge in the center of the grille.

The Mustang’s menacing shark-like nose imparts an attitude not seen since the 1967 model, while jeweled, round headlamps in trapezoidal housings are part of its modern architecture. The car’s aggressive rake gives the design visual motion, while the short overhangs and up to 18-inch wheels and tires anchor the design visually and physically to the road.

Mustang continues to offer unique packages for 2008.

The Pony Package, available on the V-6 model, first launched in 2006. It features a GT-handling package that includes a larger front stabilizer bar, the addition of a rear stabilizer bar and

P235/55ZR17 tires on painted cast-aluminum wheels. Also included are bright, machined rims and unique tri-bar Pony center caps. Further touches include fog lights, Pony front fender badges, lower door tape stripe, carpeted front floor mats with special brushed chrome “Mustang” logos and a rear spoiler.

The Mustang GT California Special is available on GT Premium models and includes 18-inch wheels, side scoops, unique tape stripes, rolled bright exhaust tips, black leather trimmed seats with unique “Cal Special” contrasting Dove or Parchment leather inserts, a larger air intake, a chin spoiler (1.5 inches lower than GT), and unique front and rear fascias.

An appearance package is available for the Mustang GT featuring rolled exhaust tips, an engine cover with a Pony emblem and a hood scoop.

The California Special and GT appearance packages can be ordered separately or combined to give Mustang enthusiasts one of the most expressive Mustang GTs ever offered.

Customizable interior to fit any mood
Inside, Mustang’s industry-first MyColor™ color-configurable instrument panel offers the ultimate in personalization. Mustang owners can mix and match lighting at the touch of a button to create more than 125 color backgrounds to suit their personalities, moods, outfits or whims.

For 2008, Ford also lets Mustang owners color outside the lines with an available interior ambient lighting package. This unique feature offers the option of illuminating the front and rear footwells and front cupholders with any one of seven colors. The driver or front passenger can choose from red, orange, blue, indigo, violet, green and yellow.

Additional modern interior touches mix with Mustang history and heritage. Chrome-ringed air vents are aligned vertically across the dash, precisely in line with the gauges, and the steering wheel has three spokes with a center hub marked by the horse and tricolor bars logo, echoing the design of the 1967 Mustang.

Numerous standard features include an auxiliary audio input jack, one-touch up-down power windows, power mirrors, keyless entry and power locks, a heated rear window, interval wipers, air conditioning, speed control and a CD player. Available interior options include SIRIUS® Satellite Radio, heated front seats, voice-activated navigation and a Shaker 1000 premium audio system.

Power and Performance
Muscular engines infuse Mustang with tire-smoking performance. The 4.6-liter aluminum V-8 has three valve heads and cranks out 300 horsepower. That’s more than 50 percent more power than the small-block, 289-cubic-inch V-8 found in the classic 1964.5 model.

The standard engine – a 60-degree, 4.0-liter, single-overhead-cam V-6 – produces 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque.

Both engines are paired with a standard 5-speed manual transmission or an available 5-speed automatic, which provides a unique combination of off-the-line jump and good highway fuel economy.

At the front suspension, MacPherson struts with reverse “L” lower control arms deliver comfort. The three-link rear suspension has a lightweight, tubular Panhard rod that provides precise control of the rear axle. This technology stabilizes the rear axle as the wheels move, particularly during hard cornering.

The standard four-wheel disc brakes have the biggest rotors and stiffest calipers ever fitted to a mainstream Mustang. Twin-piston aluminum calipers clamp down on 12.4-inch ventilated front brake discs on GT models. In the rear, the brake rotors are 11.8 inches in diameter.

A four-channel anti-lock brake system (ABS) with traction control is standard on GT models and available on V-6 models. It uses electronic sensors to constantly monitor road conditions and feed the information to a dedicated control computer that’s capable of determining within milliseconds whether the vehicle is on dry pavement or negotiating a slippery surface. When traction control isn’t desired, drivers can deactivate the system with a button on the instrument panel.

Safety and Security
The 2008 Mustang adds standard side air bags to an already comprehensive safety package. Along with the addition of seat-mounted thorax side air bags, safety features also include dual-stage driver and front passenger air bags, safety belt pretensioners, seat weight sensing system for the passenger seat and crash severity sensing.

An optional active anti-theft package offers customers an added level of security. It includes a sensing module to guard against tow-away thefts, an interior motion sensor to detect smash-and-grab break-ins, a separate alarm sounder — in addition to the vehicle horn — to thwart thieves trying to disable the horn, and a high-capacity, 60-ampere-hour battery that sounds the alarm longer.

Major Features and Options
V-6 Deluxe: Auxiliary audio input jack; One-touch up-down power windows; Power mirrors and door locks; Keyless entry; air conditioning; AM/FM audio system with single CD; Tilt steering wheel; Speed control; Rear window defroster; Stainless steel exhaust; 16-inch wheels; Four-wheel power disc brakes; Cloth bucket seats with 50/50 split-fold rear on coupe models; Seat-mounted side air bags; LATCH; Personal Safety System®; SecuriLock®; and Tire Pressure Monitoring System.

V-6 Premium adds: 16-inch, painted bright machined-aluminum wheels with chrome spinner; Shaker 500 audio system with six-disc CD changer and MP3 capability; Six-way power-adjustable driver seat.

GT Deluxe adds: 4.6-liter, 3-valve, V-8 engine; ABS with traction control; Stainless steel dual exhaust; Front fog lamps in grille; Complex reflector halogen headlamps with integral turn signals; Rear spoiler; Performance tires with 17-inch, painted cast-aluminum wheels; and AM/FM audio system with single CD.

GT Premium adds: Shaker 500 audio system with six-disc CD player; and Aberdeen leather-trimmed, Embossed sport bucket seats.

Options include: Ambient interior lighting; GT California Special Package; GT Appearance Package; Comfort Group; Shaker 1000 premium audio system; SIRIUS® Satellite Radio; Touch-screen navigation system; V-6 Pony Package; Interior Upgrade Package with satin-aluminum trim or dark aluminum trim and MyColor custom instrument panel; Sport Interior Appearance Package; Premier Trim with Color Accent Package, Sport Exterior Appearance Package; Five-speed automatic transmission; Two styles of 18-inch, cast-aluminum wheels; Active anti-theft system.

2008 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR

Shelby GT500KR is such a hit that more examples are to find their way into enthusiasts’ garages in the next year or so. This after the demand began to outstrip supply to dangerous levels, such that Ford and partner on the project Shelby Automobiles decided to produce an additional 746 units for the 2009 model. US buyers will receive 571 units for their top dollar. Production of the car began the day Carroll Shelby celebrated 85 years of his own birth back on January 11, 2008.

GT500KR fits a 5.4-litre supercharged V8 on its bones to make a hefty 540 bhp, working with a short-throw shifter and racing suspension tuning. “This car is really special to me and demonstrates that when Shelby Automobiles gets together with Ford SVT and Ford Racing, we can deliver a Mustang that will compete with the best in the world,” is what Shelby himself was heard to say.

The cars arrive at Shelby Automotive in Las Vegas as standard Mustang GT500 cars where they undergo an extensive metamorphosis of chassis tuning, performance kit installation and exterior mods to come out the way they are. Such is the interest in GT500KR that at a recent charity auction a unique one – glass roof and all – went for a shivering USD550,000! Curiosity will only heighten when it debuts as K.I.T.T. in the next installment of Knight Rider.

Saleen Dan Gurney Signature Edition Mustang

Dan Gurney said that he only had one request before agreeing to endorse a special-edition Saleen Mustang designed in his honor: it had to be "faster than Parnelli's." Saleen was happy to comply, and the Dan Gurney Signature Edition was born. Like the Parnelli Jones Signature limited edition, the Dan Gurney Signature Edition Mustang features graphics inspired by classic Trans Am race series cars, an extremely limited production run and of course some serious performance parts.

The Dan Gurney Signature Edition Mustang is set apart by a special body kit, duckbill rear spoiler and a "stinger"style hood scoop. Inside, a signature plate is personally signed by Gurney, and the two-tone seats have blue or red Alcantara inserts that are color-matched to the exterior. Saleen will build 100 Dan Gurney Signature Editions in each available color: Torch Red, Performance White and Vista Blue. Like the Parnelli Jones edition, the racing stripes and number stickers will be available so owners can create a road-going race replica if they desire. It's a tasteful package that will appeal to fans of vintage racers without looking too garish.

To ensure that Gurney's performance wishes were fulfilled, Saleen installed a supercharged 465-horsepower 281 cubic-inch V8 under the hood and connected it to a short-throw shifter. A 3.73 limited-slip Max Grip rear end helps to get the power to the road. Handling is improved with a Racecraft suspension, a second-generation Watts-Link rear end and Pirelli Corsa tires. The suspension setup was approved by Gurney himself.

It's a cool package; all we can hope is that someone will arrange a track-day shootout of each Saleen special edition, with its namesake at the wheel.

Roush P-51A Mustang

The extremely limited run of 151 Roush P-51A Mustangs sold out within 24 hours of its introduction, but you've got one last chance to pick up the most powerful ponycar that Roush has ever produced. Roush Performance plans to auction car number 151, the last of the 2008 production run, at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event in West Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday, March 29. The auction will take place live on the SPEED Channel, and proceeds will go to the Salute to Education Scholarship charity.

In case you missed it the first time, the P-51A is a monster modified Mustang that takes its inspiration in part from the World War II P-51 fighter plane. Major modifications to the completely rebuilt 4.6 liter V8 include a forged eight-bolt crank, forged aluminum pistons that lower compression from 9:8 to 8:6, a custom upper and lower intake manifold, custom Roush fuel rail with high-flow fuel injectors, a dual electronic throttle body, and the latest ROUSHcharger supercharger with intercooler. It's all good for 510 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque, and all of that even comes with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty, something many tuner cars don't boast.

The P-51A's paint scheme is inspired by the WWII fighter, with steel gray panels accented with the yellow and red colors used by the 357th Fighters Group, Eighth Air Force ETO (European Theater Operations), one of the most successful American aerial combat groups.