It was 40 years ago that the original Shelby GT350 went out of production.  A mint version of one of these cars is pretty much priceless today.  Well let’s say they are out of our range for sure.  The GT350 began its life back in 1964 when Ford Motor Company approached Carroll Shelby with a proposition.  Mr. Shelby was to create a Mustang that could win races and sell like hot cakes to the car buying public.  And he did just that as the GT350 won a ton of races and sold a lot of cars.  Ford now had a true muscle car that would strike fear into the hearts of Dodge and Chevrolet owners everywhere.

In the year 1970, production of the GT350 ceased and since then Mustang enthusiasts have wondered just when this car would return.  There have been many off-shoots of the Shelby in the last few years with such renditions as the Mustang Shelby GT500, but alas no GT350!

Unlike the GT350 of former years, the 2011 version will be available as a post title car.  Meaning you have to first buy a regular model 2011 Ford Mustang GT then drop the car off or have it sent to Shelby Autos in Las Vegas to have the transformation completed.  The cost of the upgrade is a hefty $34,000 and when added to the GT model’s price ($28k) the total tally will be about $62,000.  But as an enthusiast, this is the car you want to have.

Really, what was causing the delay of the reemergence of the GT350 was the engine size.  The original car had a 5.0 liter engine but the Mustang’s of late were limited to 4.6 liters.  It was only for the 2011 model year did Ford decided to bring back the “Coyote” 5-liter engine.  This was the foundation that Shelby was looking for and now we have the GT350 in all its 5 liter glory.  This new engine will feature a supercharger sitting atop the V-8 engine.  Horsepower and torque numbers are still a closely kept secret but you can bet they will be well above the 500 mark.  Of course a 6-speed manual transmission will be on hand to put that power to the ground.

The styling of the car holds true to the original with a traditional white paint job with accompanying blue sports stripes.  Other features include huge 14-inch Baer brakes with 6-piston calipers, a Ford racing suspension complete with upgraded springs, shocks, and sway bars.  The car will also get a myriad of body parts including a sweet hood, rocker panels, a front splitter, and rear wing just to name a few.   And of course 19” Cragar rims wrapped in Goodyear rubber will be standard.

Be on the lookout for these Blasts from the Past!  The 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 is one car that people have been waiting on for over 40 years.

source:http://www.shelbyautos.com/vehicles/2011GT350.asp

PACKAGE PRICE: $33,995

Standard Features
#Shelby/Ford Racing/Whipple Supercharger
# Shelby/Ford Racing Suspension
# Caster Camber Plate Kit
# Shelby/Baer 6 Piston Front Brake Kit
# Shelby Rear ERADISPEED Rear Rotor Upgrade
# Front and Rear Brake Duct and Cooling Kit
# Shelby/Borla Unique Center Exit Exhaust
# Shelby/Cragar 19” Alloy Wheels
# Goodyear Performance Tires
# Front Fascia including Grille & Shelby GT350 Signature Badging
# Rear Fascia including exclusive GT350 45th Anniversary Badging
# Unique Taillight Trim
# Rear Deck Lid Filler Panel
# Side Rockers with functional integrated brake cooling ducts
# Exclusive GT350 Guardsman Blue vinyl over-the-top and side stripes
# Unique Shelby GT350 fender mounted badging
# Serialized Engine Plate
# Shelby Engine Cap Set
# Serialized Dash Plate with Shelby GT350 sequential serial number
# A-Pillar Mounted Gauge Package including Fuel Pressure, Oil Pressure and Boost
# Embroidered Carroll Shelby Signature headrests
# Exclusive GT350 45th Anniversary embroidered front floormats
# Shelby GT350 45th Anniversary windbreaker jacket
# Jerry Titus race sticker package
# Carroll Shelby signed passenger airbag cover**

Options

FUNCTIONAL
# Shelby/Baer 6 piston rear brake upgrade
# Watts link rear suspension
# Goodyear street race tire package
# Shelby high performance cooling system (late availability)

APPEARANCE AND INTERIOR
# Painted over the top and side stripe kit
# Custom interior upgrade
# Shelby/Kicker premium sound system
# Premium exclusive interior:
-Leather seating surfaces with
contrasting stitching and red/white/blue
insert on front seats
-Tone on tone embroidered GT350 on
seat backs
-Console cover and shift boot
# MUSEUM DELIVERY

At first glance the new Ford Fiesta appears to be a distant relative to the June bug, especially when wearing its exclusive “Lime Squeeze Metallic” exterior color.  The teardrop body shape is lower in the front and higher in the back making the Fiesta appear as if it’s about to launch into flight.   When it is coming straight toward you, the Dragon’s-eye headlamps complete its insect-like appearance.  If you don’t like bugs, Ford is offering six additional colors which make the Fiesta look more like a car.  These include; Oxford White and lots of metallics in hues of: Yellow Blaze, Bright Magenta, Monterey Gray, Blue Flame, Tuxedo Black, Red Candy and Ingot Silver.

The interior of the Fiesta incorporates most of the “engaging to the senses” features that Ford is banking on. For starters, Ford incorporated plenty of sound deadening materials in the doors, headliner and pillars and utilized an acoustic laminated windshield to keep the interior whisper quiet.  Unlike any competitor in its class the Fiesta has available luxuries such as heated front leather trimmed seats and a power moon roof.  A 4” multifunctional LCD display screen for phone info, audio settings and other data is positioned in the direct line of sight with red, easy to read text. Ford loaded the Fiesta with technology as well, including their Intelligent Access push-button start ignition system and the Ford-exclusive SYNC ® system which allows for hands free communication.

Under the hood of the Fiesta lies a 1.6-liter twin-independent variable cam timing (Ti-VCT) Duratec ® Engine.  Add the available PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission, which eliminates drag and the Fiesta could reach a highway fuel economy of 40 mpg. Service visits are reduced as well by the fill-for-life transmission fluid system which is designed to last up to 150,000 miles and is virtually maintenance free.  An electric powered rack and pinion steering system with AdvanceTrac ® makes the Fiesta nimble and ultra responsive. Car and Driver gave the new Ford Fiesta a high ranking in their fun-to-drive (FTD) factor and they were “thoroughly impressed with the Fiesta’s eager agility and exceptional road-holding.”

With any small vehicle driver and passenger safety is always a concern.  Ford has forseen this and packed the new Fiesta with more airbags than any other vehicle in its class.  A total of seven airbags are standard for the Fiesta.  This includes an innovative driver’s knee airbag designed to provide a cushion between the driver and the instrument panel in the event of a crash.   Time will tell how the New Ford Fiesta will do here in the U.S. but with a starting price around $13,500 combined with so many fun and innovative features the Fiesta will surely be met with great enthusiasm.  Just like June bugs the Fiesta will be arriving Spring/Summer 2010.

By using new technology, the Fusion Hybrid can help drivers know which driving style receives the best fuel economy.  They have created an ingenious system which is built into the instrument cluster called the SmartGauge. The driver is innundated with info from the dual data monitors next to the gauge cluster. The 1st display in the Fusion gauge cluster tells the power left in the battery packs and the remaining amount of fuel.  The 2nd information monitor shows the tachometer and the electric mode function.  The third screen displays engine and battery output power.  Additional power consumption and power to the wheels are shown in the last data screen.  Knowledge centers in the Fusion have data that consists of Miles Per Gallon, fuel efficiency report, travel chart, and changes in radiator temperatures.  Real time Mile Per Gallon information lets the driver know which driving style gains best fuel economy.

Check the Fusion nav display to see the cool hybrid Energy Flow stuff.  These smart gauges will display the different features of the hybrid powerplant including the 2 drives (electric and hybrid), the boost, charging while idle, and of course regenerative braking.

What is really cool about the Fusion Hybrid is that ford used reclaimed yarns to make the seats, no other hybrid can claim this.  Toyota and Honda have been selling thousands of hybrids per year unchallanged, better late than never with Ford.

The Fiesta ECOnetic gets 65 mpg and emits only 61 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. Compare that to California’s requirement that a 2009 model car emit no more than 323 grams per mile. It’s been available in Europe for a couple of years now. Ford is making plans to sell the Ford Fiesta in the U.S. starting early in 2010, but it won’t be the ECOnetic. It will be a gasoline powered car that gets about 40 mpg.

The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic

At a time when the American public is clamoring for green gas sippers, why in the world would an American car company not sell this car in the U.S.? Well, it’s a diesel. If you add the production costs (these engines are currently manufactured in Britain) to the overseas shipping costs, Ford couldn’t offer the ECOnetic for a competitive price in the U.S. The cost of building a plant to manufacture diesel engines in Mexico would be about $350 million. Ford would have to sell 350,000 cars a year to make that investment worthwhile, and they don’t think they could sell that many in North and South America.

So Ford is making plans to sell a Fiesta in the United States, but it’s not the diesel ECOnetic. It’s a gasoline engine that will get around 40 mpg. Meanwhile, Toyota is selling its Prius like hotcakes and other foreign carmakers are gearing up to offer diesel vehicles in the U.S. By the time Ford finally finds a way to make it work, they’ll be way behind the competition.

If the federal government is willing to invest money in the American auto industry, I see a golden opportunity. Build a diesel plant in Detroit. It might take a few years to recoup the investment, but it would put Americans to work, help the environment and reduce our dependence on gasoline. And when the economy starts turning around and there’s a lot of pent-up demand for cars, an American car company will be in the right place at the right time.

Well take heed you naughty teenagers because technology is hot on your tail. For the 2010 model year, this Riverside County Ford dealer will have a feature available to all their cars called the MyKey. This ingenious key has a computer chip integrated into it. When put into the ignition the car will recognize this key and set certain limits on the car.

• First on the list is a speed limiter which keeps kids from feeling the need for speed! And parents can choose the speed they wish to limit.
  
• Next is an audio volume control, yeah we all thought Vanilla Ice was so cool back then that all the neighbors had to hear it; but now that we are old it’s just tasteless.
• Finally the car will play a ridiculously annoying chime if the seat belts are not fastened.  Thank-goodness because for some reason kids don’t understand the importance of wearing a belt; High School Physics has let us parents down!

All this sounds like a great start at keeping our most precious gifts safe. And with other car manufacturers jumping on the band-wagon the sky is the limit with what precautions we can take. Grandma is going to be so happy she doesn’t have to chaperone anymore!

Source:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27053080/