Ford Shelby GT 2007 - First Drive.

The best Mustang? Perhaps. But paying $10,530 more than for a stock Mustang GT seems all wrong for $2700 worth of bolt-on parts.


Online Videos by Veoh.com

TV Muscle Cars We Love.

Kitt, the well-spoken 1982 Trans Am driven in the TV show Knight Rider, is on sale at a California auto dealership for $149,995, arousing interest from who knows what kind of buyer. In 2006, Kid Rock bought one of the remaining "General Lee" Dodge Chargers used in The Dukes of Hazzard, so we figure maybe Tommy Lee should buy Kitt.




Lee would probably be reckless enough to race Rock for fun, and it might help settle who Pamela Anderson belongs to once and for all. But more importantly, it would help determine whether the General Lee or Kitt deserves the title "Best TV Muscle Car."

The General Lee had supernatural suspension and a preternatural feel for off-road rally driving, while Kitt had flame-throwers, could run 483 mph. . . oh, and he could talk!

But just in case you feel they're not worthy contenders for title - maybe you're a fan of Roger Moore's Volvo from The Saint, or Adam West's old school Batmobile, or Herbie the Love Bug - we considered only two other possibilities, namely:

# Zebra 3, the chromed-out, rear-wheel drive two-door red-and-white Ford Gran Torino in Starsky & Hutch. Bay City rollin' never looked so good.

# Tom Selleck's drop-top red Ferrari 308 GTS in Magnum P.I. - never did the words "beauty and the beast" sit so well together.

Note: An honorable mention goes out to the souped-up black and gray 1983 GMC G-Series van from The A-Team. It was like "The Mystery Machine" from Scooby Doo, only it was real, it was black, and it had wings and gun racks (and a much cooler crew of passengers. Except The Face. He was lame.).

Classic American Muscle Cars

**VIDEO** DVD Review: Jeremy Clarkson's The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
By Amrita Rajan.

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (2006):

Jeremy Clarkson hates America. He hates the junk they call food, the stuff in "Styrofoam buckets" that "passes for coffee", the blindingly shiny perfect teeth, and he finds the natives rather thick - both in the head and around the middle. But what he hates the most about America is what it drives.

Their cars are cheaper and have a bit of power, he notes, but that's because they're under-engineered rubbish, made out of "melted down action men". Worse, if the Americans actually manage to stumble upon a proper bit of (European) car-making, like say a Mercedes SLR McLaren, they ruin it - cut to a shot of a fugly SLR tricked out with broad red panels. It's properly hideous.



But then a funny thing happened. He drove a Corvette C6 and actually liked it. American automakers, it seems, have discovered materials like carbon fiber and devised a method to steer around a corner. Could it be that he was all wrong or is the C6 a fluke? There was only one way to find out - bite the bullet and make the hop over the Atlantic. Jeremy Clarkson: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly is the result.

Corvette C6
It starts out in a style familiar to Top Gear fans around the world - Clarkson ranting on in his inimitable style as the camera pans to take in some stylish shots of America's Wild West. Well, sort of - it's really just California, except for a couple of visits to Las Vegas, but that's close enough for a Brit, what with the ominous rattlesnakes and scuttling scorpions, not to mention people who think Asia is a country in Europe and Scotland is next to Austria.

As an added bonus, he's brought The Stig over despite rumors that "his head would explode if he left the shores of England". As I find myself mourning The Black Stig at odd moments, I am appalled that they would chance The White Stig thus, but he seems to be in fine helmeted form, so that's all right.

First up, the Corvette Z06 - he races it along a track in Death Valley and rather likes it. He thinks it compares favorably to Ferrari's products and for one-third the price, he ups his 'like' to 'fantastic'. If you think this seems a little too good to be true, you're right. He takes it out on the road and everything falls apart. The tyres are too loud, the gearbox feels like it "belongs on a plow" and the radio is useless... "In many ways then, this car is rather like herpes: great fun catching it, but not so much fun to live with every day."

It's also a gas guzzler, which sets up our next car very nicely: the Toyota Prius. Oh, dear. This is going to get ugly real fast, isn't it? He begins by pooh-poohing the vaunted fuel efficiency and admits that he loathes the look of it. "What about speed?" he asks a bit rhetorically. "Nope, it hasn't got any."

All of this introduces us to "Billy Bob", who thinks "Deliverance is a documentary and his top three loves are, in reverse order, his cousin, his collection of guns and, at number one, his pickup truck." Could there be anyone more American? Billy Bob sprays some spittle and then brings out his gun collection (which includes what looks like an anti-aircraft machine gun) and blows the Prius to smithereens. Thanks, Billy Bob.



That settled, we go to a car that Clarkson likes much better - the Ford Mustang. A true piece of Americana that gets beaten by a real, live mustang in a race. Seriously, horse: 38 seconds; car: 40 seconds. "Yes, I've seen faster cows than this!" he yells.

Roush Mustang
Mustang fans should wait before putting on their KKK outfits and setting out in search of a good ol' lynching however, because that was just the set up. The Mustang by itself might be a good looking piece of garbage, he says, but the idea is to build up the basic model into something "brilliant" and "fantastic" (even if still unable to negotiate a corner). He offers two examples - the Roush Mustang and the Shelby Mustang. Souped up racing versions of the original, it's the Roush that wins him over, mainly because they actually re-engineered the car rather than jazzing it up on the surface like Shelby.

So of course, he sets up it up against the Lotus Exige S. In a race between the "American Eagle" and the "British Mosquito", the "plastic toaster from Norfolk" wins because ... it can steer around the corners. Can you see a theme here?

Well, okay, but what happens if you pit an Escalade against a Hummer H2 on a race up a steep mountain? The answer is that you're likely to win - as long as you're in a Range Rover. He steers with his feet on the steepest part of the mountain, stops to pick up litter, gets briefly lost, chats with his producers and still makes it to the top first. Clarkson can't contain his giggles as he examines the Escalade and H2 sitting stuck halfway up the slope. "Rotten bit of luck for them."

He's so taken aback by the sheer crumminess of the Escalade in partcular, which literally disintegrated during the challenge, that he sets up a fishtank test between a Lincoln Town Car and a Jaguar XJ6, a car he describes as one made by a bunch of "Communists in the Midlands", so badly made is it. The quest here is to see which shoddily made car can retain the most liquid if you drilled a hole on top and filled it full of water. The Lincoln refuses the contest point-blank - everything leaks out faster than they can put it in.

So, "America is losing everything", and even the heart of Jeremy Clarkson is wrung. He decides to hand them a break: "Let's look at straight line speed." The candidate is a Chrysler 300C SRT8. "It's a modern, road burning muscle car," he notes. Alas, none of its muscle kept it from keening over in front of a... BMW M5?

Hell, the Americans can't even get the sound of the engine right. The Europeans don't just make racing sounds - they have a bloody symphony going. Picture Jeremy 'Petrolhead' Clarkson in ecstasy, strumming an imaginary engine as a random European car races around a track.

Whatever. Now comes the most expensive sports car America has ever made - the Cadillac XLR-V. It's stunning looking, fast and powerful. It's also "fairly sophisticated" and a bit of a bargain compared to similar models put out by the likes of Mercedes Benz. "On paper it looks amazing... and it is. Amazingly awful." He hates everything about it, even the European stuff they put on it. Now that is bad. "It is foul," Clarkson corrects, because he must always have the last word.

He's so depressed, he has to cheer himself up by tearing a 1994 Buick Park Avenue ("I would rather go on a bus than drive a car like this") apart with a pair of giant secateurs wielded by a seemingly bovine American and his friends. They slowly and methodically chew their way through some indistinguishable food just as the machine chews up the Buick. And no, I didn't mind that anvil dropping on my head. Not at all.

But all this is merely leading up to the ultimate horror - pickup trucks. "It's a Dodge Ram and it looks good - if you're nine." It's not even a car, as classified by the American government, he says, and has apparently achieved about the same level of engineering as an early 19th century covered wagon. But that's all right, he tells us, because when the time comes for you to marry your sister you can just load a leaf blower, a cement mixer and a barbecue set in the back and you'll be set. "What?" he drawls. "She's awful purty and comes from good stock." Oh, shut up.

Then there is a brief cameo by a Harley Davidson that he blows up. I didn't exactly get why, except he now gets to smirk, "Now that is what I call a hog roast."



Dodge Viper
But really, who cares about a bike going boom when the Dodge Viper is up next? Despite all the warnings by various governmental agencies warning him that to get in the Viper and drive is to die (literally), he jumps in anyway. And nearly dies. "A big red V10 axe murderer," he calls it, spinning crazily out of control. "I do like it though," he says, his eyes alight with that manic gleam that shines from them whenever he's having fun. Alas, he doesn't love it enough to not compare it to the BMW Z4, which he describes as a "bit rubbish". I might not know much about cars, but I do know an insult when I see one.

But wait! What's this? It's a Ford GT. Of course, it's about as American as "America's national anthem, which was written by a Brit", what with all the Europeans that worked on it. But like the American Navy, he says, which was also engineered by a Brit before the Americans finessed it, the GTX1 is much more American in character and a complete dream.



Ford GTX1
Look! It makes lovely sounds, goes really fast, isn't as expensive as its European counterparts and... are you ready? Steers around corners! Yes! He loves it so much he actually bought it.

Now, lest you think this is a documentary by a sniffy Brit about how much America sucks, let me hasten to tell you that you're only half right. Sniffy Brit he might be, but Clarkson seems genuinely baffled about the quality of American cars. After all, he points out, Americans make the fastest airplane in the world (the Blackbird SR-71), put the first man on the moon, and engineered a city that never runs out of water in the middle of a desert (Las Vegas). Clearly, this is a country that can do better.

Clarkson being Clarkson, he obviously has a couple of theories to offer, chief amongst them his hypothesis that Americans don't build their cars to last because they're a society used to the disposable. As his pet example is the '94 Buick, I found it a little hard to argue but you might have better luck.

As a person who knows nothing about cars and couldn't care less about any of the models featured, I enjoyed myself watching this. There was a point wherein I found myself getting a little tired of watching all the American cars get humiliated by all the failed cars of Europe, but then Clarkson would snark another comment, finding a new way to drive home his already obvious point and I would forget my irritation. Of course, it also helps that I'm not an American and am more or less inured to his ways as a loyal Top Gear fan.

Like all of Jeremy Clarkson's various efforts, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly is enormous fun. If you're a sensitive soul, however, you'd be well advised to leave this film alone because he still remains the unchallenged "hero of political incorrectness".

RED HOT CARS AND RED HOT CHICKS! Does it get any better than this guys?


If you are of a nervous disposition or a minor, then please look away now. These pictures are illegal in some countries ;->














Look out for Red Hot Cars And Red Hot Girls Part 2 coming soon!

American muscle meets Italian style
December 11, 2006




Los Angeles, California – When Ford debuted its first purpose-built muscle car in more than 30 years the 2005 Mustang caught the eyes of two of the world's leading automotive stylists.
Italdesign's Fabrizio Giugiaro said: "When we saw the new Mustang, we knew two things: it was the best we'd seen since the original and we had to get our hands on one."'

So Giugaro approached Ford's chief creative officer J Mays early in 2005 with a proposal to do an Italian job on the new Mustang.

The result: Mustang by Giugiaro – a one-of-a-kind concept powered by Ford Racing technologies, styled by Giugaro and his father, design icon Giorgetto Giugiaro, and shown for the first time at the 2006 Los Angeles auto show.

Mays said: "It seemed only fitting; this design study reinforces the global appeal of Mustang, yet it's right at home in Los Angeles, America's most enthusiastic performance-car market."



The senior Giugiaro's portfolio includes concept and production designs for nearly every automaker in the world – from Fiat, Alfa Romeo and VW to Mazda, Lotus and Bugatti.

Fabrizio Giugiaro has helped deliver key global designs as well since joining family firm Italdesign in 1990 but American automotive icons have long captured his attention.

He led the design process on the Mustang by Giugiaro concept and delivered a complete exterior model from the family studio in Turin, Italy in only four months

The doors are hinged at the base of the upright A-pillar and open vertically at the touch of a button

.

The Giugiaro Mustang looks more compact than the production car; it has less rear overhang and the lines have been tapered to the limit of of its mechanical outlines.

The car looks more like a fastback from the side with its longer bonnet and barely visible bootline – but it's wider than the standard version; the Giugiaros added 30mm in front, gradually expanding the width by 80mm toward the rear, which is typical of Italian design.

The interior features a dramatic instrument panel that sweeps across the width of the car, circular gauges that project from behind the steering wheel and mottled dark brown horsehide upholstery with mustang logos on the head restraints.

There's a single, curved glass panel replacing the windscreen, roof and rear window; it was made by Solutia of Detroit from a special type of crystal that filters out 100 percent of UVA rays.



The doors are hinged at the base of the upright A-pillar and open vertically at the touch of a button, and special taillights echo the three separate elements of the original 1964 Mustang - but arrow-shaped to link to the louver panels that replace the rear side windows.

There's even a definite curl sweeping into the crest of the concept's carbon-fibre bumpers, hinting at the tail fins that defined American cars of the 1950s.

Performance credentials

But this is no show mock-up – it's a driveable car with serious performance credentials, on a chassis built by Ford's racing department.

Ford Racing added an intercooled twin-screw supercharger to the all-aluminium 4.6-litre, three-valve V8 of the stock Mustang, with a larger 95mm mass air meter and a conical air filter, fuel injectors from the GT racing version, a crossover exhaust system and Ford Racing tailpipes (it would be libellous to call them silencers) and a new engine mapping that takes power output from the standard 225kW to an estimated 375kW with the boost running at 0.8 bar.

A Ford Racing aluminium radiator provides cooling capacity to match the extra 150kW.



The chassis has been set up using a tailored Ford Racing handling pack – available as a kit for the standard car – with stiffer dampers, lowered springs and anti-sway bars to sharpen the car's responses and lower its stance about 40mm compared to the standard car.

Fabrizio Giugiaro confirmed: "It drives as good as it looks – I took it to the limit on the open road near Turin and I can honestly say this car is worth the 30 000 hours of blood, sweat and tears we put into it."

Is This The 2009 Ford Mustang?

With the muscle car wars already beginning to heat up this summer, speculators have been doing there level best at speculating on what direction FoMoCo will be boldly moving towards for the 2009 model year of it's hard-charging pony car.

Some claim it'll look similar to the Giugiaro Mustang from this year's LA show, with others claiming it'll get a shooting brake re-make. All the rumors do seem to suggest at the very least it'll receive a bit of a front face lift to tighten the skin over the sagging Sid Ramnarace and J Mays "retro-futurism" exterior in an attempt make it look more like the PYT it wants to be when compared with the new-to-the-block Camaro and Challenger.

In addition to the collagen implant in front, there are mumblings of a retractable hardtop in the offing. Under the hood, there's rumors the GT version will be tweaked with output going up to...

...the 350-horsepower range -- and maybe more. Well, at least more in the fervent hopes and dreams of Mustang-lovers everywhere. Though no spy shots have yet been snapped of this horse in the wild, Autobytel has an illustration, courtesy of Priddy & Co., of the direction they think it's going to take. – Ray Wert

Ford Mustang Convertible - Most Wanted

The 2007 Ford Mustang has been named Most Wanted Convertible Under $35,000 by Edmunds.com editors -- the second time Mustang has won the designation.

"These are the vehicles our editorial team would chose to have in our own driveways," said Edmunds.com editor-in-chief Karl Brauer. Edmunds.com praised the Mustang's performance, retro styling and affordable price.

The Edmunds' honor is just the latest in a string of critical accolades for Mustang that, along with consumer popularity, have spurred competitors to revive their muscle cars, primarily the new Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger.

"Without the uncanny success of the Mustang, with its retro styling cues, V8 rumble, brash manner and affordable price, GM and DaimlerChrysler would surely not have bothered replaying these oldies," said Kevin Smith of Edmunds.com.

If this sounds familiar it's because automakers are reliving a scene originally played out some 40 years ago. In what auto writers dubbed the "Pony Car Wars," domestic automakers battled each other in the 1960s and early 1970s to see which company could create the most popular American muscle car.

"We embrace the Pony wars," said James Owens, Mustang marketing manager. "Mustang is the authentic American muscle car. In fact, Mustang is the only one of the original pony cars from the 1960s to live on into the 21 st century with no interruption in production."

In the wake of the Mustang's success in 1964, competing automakers set about developing products to challenge Ford's pony car – the Plymouth Barracuda, the Camaro and Firebird, the American Motors Javelin and the Dodge Challenger.

Times changed, however, and growing concerns over safety, fuel efficiency, environmental issues and insurance costs in the 1970s and 1980s diminished interest in muscle cars.

By 2002, when production of the Camaro ceased, all Mustang rivals had disappeared from the marketplace. Then, in 2004, Ford introduced a Mustang redesign embraced by auto writers and consumers.

"The 2007 Ford Mustang represents a deft blend of classic American muscle car styling cues and modern design," wrote the editors of Edmunds.com "Whether you choose a V6 or V8, a coupe or convertible, this is one of the best values on the market for consumers seeking traditional rear-wheel-drive performance."

One reason for Mustang's longevity is the car's appeal to a wide range of car buyers.

"Mustang has two kinds of buyers," Owens said. "People under 40 and people over 40. That sounds like a joke, but its true. Our target customer "Drew" is a younger person who likes the Mustang because its basically cool. But our consumption customer is the baby boomer, who no longer needs a mini van or SUV and who fondly remembers the Mustang of their youth."

While neither competitor is in production yet, the Chevy Camaro concept made a stir at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. The production model is expected to be a coupe and reach showrooms during the first quarter of 2009. Specific details are unknown at this point, but GM indicates the Camaro will be offered in a variety of models with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions and V-6 and V-8 engines.

Daimler/Chrysler will debut its new Dodge Challenger in 2009. Details are even scarcer than for Camaro, but a Hemi engine is a good bet.

In another flashback, Ford announced it is reviving the legendary 5.0-liter 302 cubic inch V-8 engine for the aftermarket with a new line of BOSS 302 crate engines, which will go on sale in early 2007. Making its debut in 1969, the original BOSS 302 powered a limited production Mustang model sold for two years, which was known as the BOSS 302. The new line of BOSS crate engines will deliver up to 500 horsepower.

Despite challenges, Mustang's production streak looks destined to continue with sales up more than 30 percent in September 2006 compared with the same period in 2005. Mark Fields, executive vice president and president-The Americas, announced in September that at least one new Mustang variation would be introduced every year.

Lotto makes '70 Chevelle dream come true

By NICOLE YOUNG



Since he's been able to drive, Nick Browning has been working to get his 1970 Chevelle fixed up and on the road.

But with three years passing, it seemed like a distant dream until he walked into a Mayo liquor store last week for a bottle of root beer and a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Now, the 19-year-old Edgewater resident is $100,000 richer and his Chevelle is on track to become the ultimate muscle car.

After putting $10 in the lottery machine at Lou's Liquors Sunday afternoon, Nick realized the light was out on the Holiday Magic ticket he wanted. But he pushed the button anyway, hoping to produce a winning ticket.

"When the light is out, it's usually sold out and there are none left," he said. "All they had left were $2 and $3 scratch-offs so I said, 'What the hell,' and bought it anyway. I didn't want to have to buy five $2 scratch-offs."

The machine managed to spit out one more ticket and Nick and his girlfriend, Abbye Lucas, took the ticket back to her house where they scratched it off together using his lucky 1899 half-dollar.

The coin was a gift from his father when he became an Eagle Scout and has been the lucky coin he carries in his wallet ever since.

"Honestly, I didn't believe it," he said. "Her reaction was the same as mine - couldn't believe it. The most I had won before was $100."

The disbelief soon turned to excitement when Nick realized what he could do with the cash.

Although his options were pretty wide with his newfound fortune, he managed to narrow them down to three things: pay off bills, put some money away toward buying a house and fix up his blue 1970 Chevelle.

The car was a gift from his father for the South River High School alum's good attendance and grades.

Nick has yet to drive the Chevelle he's had since he was 16, but already has plans for its pending makeover - a 454 big block engine and a four-speed manual transmission, among other things.

"It's been his dream to fix it up," said his father, Don Browning.. "He's the type of kid that has never been in trouble and it couldn't have happened to a nicer kid - he deserved it."

Nick called his parents to deliver the good news and even took the winning ticket back to the store to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

"I was at home and got a phone call from my son," Mr. Browning said. "He asked me where I was at and if I was sitting down. I go 'Oh my God, he's wrecked the car.' "

When Nick told his father he had hit it big, Mr. Browning assumed it was $400, $500 at the most.

"I told him I didn't care where he was, but that he needed to get that ticket here and not let it out of his sight," Mr. Browning said. "This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to us. It was just one of those things. We play and never win more than $4 or $5 and it's a fantastic experience."

Nick said he used to buy at least one lottery ticket a day and stopped for about two months before purchasing Sunday's winning ticket.

A third-year apprentice electrician at Dawson Electric by day and a student at night, Nick said friends didn't believe him either.

"I would consider him pretty lucky," Mr. Browning said. "He doesn't fall into things, but he makes his own luck. Nothing's handed to him, anything he does or gets or wins he gets on his own."

The guys at his work aren't making things any easier for him either, he said, teasing him about the cash and asking where their portion is.

"They know it's for real they are all excited for me," he said.

- No Jumps-

**VIDEO** Criminal Mustang Driver Goes For A Spin With The Law.

Check out this guy's driving skills. The Police must have thought he was never going down. But he eventually gets what's coming to him. It almost looks like he slows down so the cops can spin him. Have alook and see what you think.

Pete

American MuscleShow caters to carmakers' customizers
Larry Edsall

This 2007 Mustang GT convertible stands out with its California Special body kit, 18-inch wheels and Shelby rear spoiler. See full image

About the SEMA show
What it is: The Specialty Equipment Market Association's annual trade show for custom and performance parts makers
Where: Las Vegas
When: Today through Friday
Information: Check out SEMA at www.sema.org. The show's Web site is www.semashow.com.

SEMA highlights
Throughout the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association trade show this week Detroit's automakers will gladly discuss the history of American Muscle, this year's theme to the show.
While reveling in the past, they won't overlook the future, here are a few of their contributions for the upcoming show.

DaimlierChrysler AG
Will debut its Challenger SS concept Tuesday.
5. 7-liter Hemi powered Dodge Nitro: This "blackberry" colored Nitro packs 360 horses and 360-foot-pounds of torque, 22-inch wheels and second row bucket seats straight from a Dodge Viper.
Chrysler Sebring: Ralph Gilles personal favorite, this Sebring has a custom body kit, new grill, custom hood and 4-liter V6 and an all black interior with aluminum trimmed gauges.
Dodge Nitro Panel Truck: Back to the drag strip for this retro looking panel truck - loosely based on the old Chevy Nomad.
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: A souped up four-door Wrangler adds a diesel engine and even more rugged exterior.

Ford Motor Co.
Will announce the return of its BOSS engine.
Ford Mustang: Expect lots of Mustangs at SEMA and this customized GT convertible will certainly stand out in its California Special body kit, 18-inch wheels, Shelby rear spoiler. Inside and under the hood, its is even better, with its Lycoming supercharger, Hurst shifter and custom leather interior.
Lincoln MKZ: A six-piece body kit by 3dCarbon gives the MKZ a longer, lower look. A similar kit will be shown on the MKX. The MKZ, as well as number of other Ford vehicles, will feature headrest mounted DVD players.
Ford F-150 FX2: Straight from Ford's accessory and parts catalogue, anyone could order the pieces necessary to build this beast, which uses an inter-cooled supercharger to create 450-horsepower. The roughly $13,000 price tag for parts doesn't include labor.
Ford Edge by H&R Special Strings: Dropped two inches, this low rider includes a Camtec custom composite front-bumper light pod and Hella Celis lamps.

Flexing American automotive muscle may have lost its appeal to some when gas prices soared, but not to true power aficionados. And they'll get a supercharged dose of it this week in Las Vegas.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association's annual trade show, opening today at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will cater to America's first customizers, who raced Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers long before tuners was a noun.

"Power is universal," said Jamie Allison, program manager for Ford Motor Co.'s racing technology performance group, "and people always want more."

They'll have plenty to see at this year's show, jointly sponsored for the first time by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG, which includes Chrysler. All three Detroit automakers have managed to cram big V-8s into some surprising sheet metal that will be on display at the show.

SEMA will not overlook the rest of the $34 billion custom and performance parts market, of course. The four-day event, which is not open to the public, will offer a 1-million-square-foot venue for 14 automakers and 2,000 custom and performance parts makers to show their wares and seek potential business partners.

Hundreds of refitted, decked out, totally made-over cars and trucks will be on display and about 120,000 people are expected to attend, said SEMA spokesman Peter MacGillivray. Think of it as "Pimp My Ride" meets "American Chopper" meets Steve Saleen.

The theme will be American muscle.

Back in the mid-1960s, the original muscle cars were family-style, midsize, hard-topped and two-door sedans into which some creative product planners and enterprising engineers planted huge and powerful V-8 engines. Thus was born the Pontiac GTO and Olds 4-4-2, Hemi-powered Dodge Chargers and Plymouth 'Cudas.

"In some ways, the original muscle car drivers were a lot like the tuners of today," MacGillivray said.

"They were working on improving the performance and looks of their vehicles."

For a modern look at muscle, Chrysler will have more than 60 vehicles at SEMA this year, including a 5.7-liter Hemi-powered Dodge Nitro, producing 360-horses, at the stand for its Mopar parts and accessories unit. Mopar will also unveil a Dodge Challenger SS concept car.

There will be eight vehicles from Chrysler's in-house Skunkworks team, a group of designers, engineers and others who work after-hours on projects coordinated by Ralph Gilles. Gilles designed the popular Chrysler 300 and now heads up truck design.

"These are like our children," Gilles said Friday while looking at the vehicles, which were still at Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills.

Concepts could see road

Gilles said while all of the vehicles are concepts, most are built with an eye toward eventually making it to the streets, either as a production model or through Mopar.

"These are the kinds of things we'd build in our garage if we had the chance," said product stylist Vince Galante. Galante designed the interior of a brawny 2007 Chrysler Sebring for display at SEMA that comes with a complete body kit, 20-inch tires and a Boston Acoustics stereo system that could make your ears bleed.

Not to be outdone, Ford will display a group of specially prepared Shelby GT500 Mustangs, as well as a supercharged Mustang GT in a California Special body kit.

Ford shows off kit

Ford will also showcase 3dCarbon body kits for the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans and the Lincoln MKX crossover, as well as a highly modified version of the Ford Edge crossover.

For a more complete power package, Ford will display a customized F-150 FX2 Sport Extreme pickup, which boasts a 450-horsepower 5.4-liter V-8 with an inter-cooled supercharger. The only thing more powerful than the engine on this truck is its high performance brakes.

GM's spin on American Muscle will focus on trucks, including a Chevrolet Silverado off-road concept designed with NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jr., and a low-riding hauler concept done with the Teutul family, known for designing motorcycles on "American Chopper" TV show.

Yet another muscular pickup on the Chevy stand will be the Silverado 427. The historic 427 designation comes from the 427-cubic-inch, LS7 small-block V-8 engine under the hood that was borrowed from the Corvette Z06.

Some aftermarket designs for GM vehicles, such as a Cadillac Escalade EXT designed by DUB magazine, don't come from the automaker.

But Bob Walczyk, marketing and product manager for Chevrolet, said that isn't always a bad thing because the aftermarket can bring new life to production vehicles. "SEMA is where the aftermarket takes our product and extends our product. The vehicle is a canvas from an artist's perspective."

Automakers join show

Automakers have become big players at SEMA, essentially turning it into another auto show, because they see profit potential. A typical consumer spends up to $1,000 personalizing and customizing a car, said Christine Feuell, director of vehicle personalization and accessories at Ford. Truck buyers typically spend $1,500.

Detroit News Staff Writer Scott Burgess contributed to this report. Larry Edsall is a Phoenix-based freelance writer.

A while back, the three-headed Jalopnik asked readers which Mustang variants from the past they'd most like to see come back. I voted Mercury Cougar, but then almost immediately realized how wrong I was when I ran into a bright-green 1971 Mustang Mach 1 at the liquor store. Well, never mind the past; here's one from the present: The 2007 Mustang

Building on the retrotastic good looks of the mostly beloved new 'Stang, the CS (for California Special) package adds the following: blingy 18" polished aluminum wheels (as opposed to matte 17s on the GT), faux side scoops, CS-specific striping, a much slicker and sportier looking front fascia and an honest to goodness rear diffuser, complete with flashier pipes. Short of the upcoming Shelby GT, this is the best looking new Mustang burning up the space between stoplights.

Your $3,000 over the base GT's MSRP also nets a "Parchment" interior and black leather seats with "GT Leather" inserts. And... that's it.

While mechanically identical to the common Mustang GTs prowling the boulevards of America, the CS offers one very noticeable performance difference: dramatically improved handling via the 18" wheels. It's to the point where I wonder why Ford even bothers with stock 17s. While it's cute (for about five minutes) that the base-level GT can hang its rear around any corner, the CS is a much more serious performance proposition. If you really give it some in a bend, the CS will happily wag its tail - and that's with the traction control on.

Obviously, what pistonheads love most about the Mustang is its engine. Sure it's a 9,000-year-old design, made from pig-iron and memories of cheap gas, but this bad mutha idles at 8 rpm. Not eight hundred, eight. At 80 mph you've barely broken 2,000 rpm. There's so much torque on tap (320 lbs-ft. at 4,500 rpm) it hardly matters what gear you're in. Just kick a little harder and it's a guarantee you'll be going much faster than the guy next to you.

Case in point. Finding myself traveling at a considerable clip in third gear with the engine purring along at 4,000 rpm -- just 500 revolutions from the three-valve 4.6-liter's sweet spot -- I goosed the throttle to pass slower traffic, and the mill started hurling thunder and lightning. Unlike most cars, which would be contemplating the end of the world in similar circumstances, the Mustang just shrugs then gets back to its nap.

Nonetheless, all of the usual Mustang (and by that I mean Ford) drawbacks are present: pathetic brakes, sloppy clutch, crappy shifter, underdone interior, pint-sized sway bars and frightening drive-line clunk. But these negatives should surprise no one and, most important, are forgivable due to the California Special's righteous on-road personality. Mustangs make men smile. If bona fide American grunt in relative comfort is your thing, you'd be hard pressed to find a better mistress than this latest Mustang derivative.

Exterior Design: *****
You either love the new Mustang, or you're European. Actually, that's not fair. Most Euros I've talked to fall into the love camp (there's this one prick in Dublin...). So, you either love it, or you're blind. The California Special edition increases the hotness with a blacked out front air dam that makes the Mustang look less bulky. A similarly dark diffuser surrounding the pipes does the same trick out back. The side profile is the least attractive aspect of the GT/CS, as there was nowhere to add black. Furthermore, the chrome GT badge has been dumped in favor of a stripe surrounding the painted-on GT/CS lettering. But no matter. There are only a handful of cars on the road better looking than this guy.

Interior Design: ***
The Mustang's interior is bi-polar. There's a horizontal line running across the center of it. Everything above that line is great: nice-looking aluminum plastic, custom vents and a gauge cluster that not only looks the part, it also changes color to suit your mood (I chose pink). Everything below this line, however, is craptacular Ford binnage. Much of what makes the CS's interior different from lesser 'Stangs was underneath my wide ass, so I didn't notice. Speaking of wide, check the transmission tunnel. This is one of the very worst cars on the market today for making out in. And the back seat is just as useless.

Acceleration: ****
This is a compared-to-what? proposition. Hitting sixty in five and a half seconds is fast, no matter you slice it. Unfortunately for the GT/CS's fifth star, I'd just driven the Shelby GT. And $30,000 will also net an EVO or an STI, both of which will do the deed a second quicker.

Braking: **
Recently, I downed three Churchill-style gin martinis and loudly inquired to a FoMoCoBro, "Why it is that Ford can't finish a product." My example? The Shelby GT's brakes, which are the same fade-a-rific, not-ready-for-prime-time stoppers found on the GT, and also found here on the GT/CS. Come on, Ford.

Ride: ***
At low speeds, the massive torque thrust of a firmly kicked pedal seems to overload both the driveline and the rear wheels, resulting in lots and lots of sick-sounding clunk. It feels bad, too. I'm blaming a not-up-to-snuff driveshaft and the archaic live rear axle. The Mustang is no pothole lover, either. However, once you get your motor running and head out on the highway, the 18" plates make the car a joy. A real joy. Like, if I woke up tomorrow and found the car fairy had stolen my WRX and replaced it a GT/CS, it would be cool.

Handling: ****
While still not a viable track-day implement, the GT/CS is not far off. The Kansas-flat torque curve and manual transmission means even if the Mustang prefers slopping into a corner, you can Saturn V your way out. And the GT/CS is not all that sloppy. The larger wheels add stability, and the rear's fine if the road's good. At speed, steering is responsive and meaty. If you take time to set up a corner the right way, you'll be rewarded. And while the car is too heavy for snap-oversteer, throttle-induced oversteer is a cop-attracting certainty. (Plus, as all cops are pistonheads at heart.)

Gearbox: *
Boo. First of all, $30,000 rides get six speeds; that's how it works. Second, I've driven both the Shelby GT with its short huckin' Hurst and the GT500 with its six-speed Tremec, and the Tremec is the best answer. Third, and most important, the shifter in the GT/CS sucks it. Fourth - the go-to gear -- is hard to get into and easy to miss. Moreover, shifting into any gear is a two-stage affair. You think it is going to go, then you reach the halfway point and it puts up a fight.

Audio/Video: *****
There's no video, but so what? Our tester came optioned with the awesome Shaker 1000 stereo. Two 500-watt subwoofers take up a quarter of the trunk. Simply epic sounds. I recommend the final four minutes of Opeth's Deliverance. Wendy Buggati's cover of Killdozer's A Man's Got To Be A Man from the tribute record "We Will Bury You" also rocks the light fantastic.

Toys: ***
All you get is the ability to dial up various RGB colors with which to light the instrument cluster. But that is seriously, fantastically cool.

Trunk: **
A fourth of the space is taken up by the Shaker's shakers. And the trunk is not very large to begin with.

Value: ****
Our tester came in just shy of $30,000, which is a hell of a lot of car for a modest amount of scratch. Still, all you really get for $5,000 over the standard GT is larger wheels, a better looking front and a diffuser out back. All that should be standard fare, anyhow.

Overall: ****
Like its own interior, the Mustang GT/CS is half crap, half totally fantastic. Kill the tranny, the brakes, the interior and the live rear-end, and Ford has a bona fide winner. I can't stress this last part enough; off the top of my head, I can think of three, maybe four times I've experienced motoring nirvana in modern cars. Two times were in V8 Mustangs, one of which was in this blue beauty. Ford: Sweat the small stuff. You're so close.

Why you should buy this car: You like American cars -- big, fast and sloppy at the limit. (If they weren't, what would Euro snobs have to brag about, soccer?) To your mind, dumping the clutch never died, it just faded away. You consider the Shaker 1000 stereo to be what the Infiniti G35's Studio on Wheels by Bose is to audiophiles. You don't mind the cops pulling you over to ask questions about your car.

Why you shouldn't buy this car: You're an Asiaphile who's aware that, for the same money, you can get a faster, better handling and possibly more fuel-efficient EVO/STI. You lament that the gearbox, interior and brakes are all not built Ford tough. You enjoy autocrossing and in-car sex.

Suitability Parameters:
· Speed Merchants: Yes
· Fashion Victims: Yes
· Treehuggers: No
· Mack Daddies: Yes
· Tuner Crowd: Yes
· Hairdressers: No
· Penny Pinchers: No
· Euro Snobs: No
· Working Stiffs: No
· Technogeeks: No
· Poseurs: No
· Soccer Moms: No
· Nascar Dads: Yes
· Golfing Grandparents: No

Vitals:
· Manufacturer: Ford
· Model tested: Ford Mustang GT California Special
· Model year: 2007
· Price as Tested: $29,985
· Engine type: 4.6L OHV V8
· Horsepower: 300 hp @ 5750 rpm
· Torque: 320lbs. ft. @ 4500
· Redline: 6250 rpm
· Wheels and Tires: 18" Polished Aluminum wheels w/ performance tires
· Drive type: rear-wheel drive
· 0 - 60: 5.5 seconds
· 1/4 mile: 14.1seconds
· Fuel economy city/highway: 17/25
· NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: 4/na/5


Classic American muscle cars USA Ford Mustang GT
– Jonny Lieberman