By Dan Strohl

Hemmings Motor News

I thought I read this ad wrong the first time around--a Chevrolet 427 V-8 stuffed into an S197 Mustang? I know Roush had a 427R Mustang, so maybe the seller confused the two engines somehow.

But no, the pictures that Muscle Carz out of Houston, Texas, placed alongside the ad for this 2006 Mustang indeed show a Chevrolet LS-series engine in the unlikeliest of places. And according to the ad, it’s not your typical 7.0L--instead, it’s a Procharged C5R from the Corvette racing program built with billet connecting rods, a billet crankshaft and forged pistons to develop either 758hp at 6 psi or 1015hp at 18 psi. Oh, and a Corvette six-speed transmission right behind the engine. And 20-inch wheels, natch. All yours for just $70,000. Explanation why apparently not included.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Nope, it's not fried rings. But the supercharged fastback Mustang driven by Dave Goodman has a moderate transmission leak that's dribbling gear oil onto the exhaust. The car is also having some vapor-lock issues, and the team was putting heat wrap around the lines for that problem when I caught up with them in the garage. But as for the leak, Dave says they're just going to run it and hope for the best, "unless it gets too smoky." I just want to see this awesome car finish without catching fire! We have to make a checkpoint at DEI in Ohio, but apart from that, there's only one event left: the skid pad. Best of luck to you, guys. 

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Edmunds just the put the new Challenger up against the Mustang Bullitt. The Bullitt comes with a manual tranny, weighs 600 pounds less and is $5,400 cheaper. But the Challenger smoked it in the quarter, edged it out in the slalom, has a higher quality interior and a usable back seat. Hmmm....

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Last weekend a bunch of cool old Mopar cop cars turned out at the National Police Parade in Newport, Rhode Island. Examples include a NYPD '88 Diplomat and a RISP '79 Newport owned by Phil Masso, a CTSP '74 Fury owned by Tom Weglarz, and a CHP '73 Polara owned by Tracy Claus. There was also a CHP '91 Crown Vic owned Steve Spaulding and Tracy Claus, and even a super cool 5.0 Mustang (I'd love to have one of those). You can see all of these cool cruisers after the jump. Thanks to Steve Spaulding for the pics!

By John Coyle

Editor

The 2008 Bullrun is still a couple months away, but as you can imagine, something this epic doesn't come together overnight. So while nobody—including yours truly!—will be hitting the road until late June, preparations are currently in high gear. Despite all the activity, rally founder Andy Duncan managed to send me some shots of the one of one, Shelby West Coast Customs, Bullrun Edition Mustang. As you'd expect, the crew from WCC went to town on the creature comforts—adding a bumping system, satellite navigation and some two-tone leather to the interior—but they didn't stop there. Along with the WWC/Shelby body kit, this pimped pony also sports American Racing rims wrapped in Continental rubber, Eibach suspension, a full Gibson exhaust system, and a Whipple supercharger—which means it's pushing almost 500 horsepower. Pretty sweet! There are four more pics after the jump, and stay tuned, as I'll be posting about more Bullrun cars as soon as the info is available!

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Forget about the electric Elise. How about an electric Mustang? That's what HST International is working on, along with a Shelby Cobra. Think they'll be wussy? Think again. Their EV Mustang will do 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and their EV Cobra will do it in a blistering 3.2 seconds. Price? $80k and $125k respectively, and they're taking orders now. More at AutoblogGreen.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Mustang Evolution just dug up a story on the Kiwi site Stuff.co.nz on the return of the 5.0 Mustang for 2010:

The news stems from Ford looking for a more fuel efficient engine for the popular Ford Falcon which currently sports a 5.4L V8. No word yet on what the specs of the new 5.0L engine will be but one can assume the specs will be over shadowed by the fact Mustang owners will once again be able to buy the famed 5.0L Mustang, even if it isn’t the old pushrod engine we have come to love.

Sounds cool to me. And I'm stoked that I get an excuse to use this Vanilla Ice pic again.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Charles Ales of Frogtown, Kansas, is taking a true gearhead approach to the issue of faith. Going on the assumption that car enthusiasm is basically a religion, he's building the non-denominational "Mustang Church of America" that should be open for services by September. A whole herd of Mustangs reside within the church building, including a BOSS 429, 351, and 302, as well as four brand-new Shelbys. Other points of interest include the church's official logo—a Jesus fish with the galloping Mustang pony inside—and a mural Ales is commissioning that depicts JC Himself at the wheel of a '66 'Stang. Ales and his adopted son, ordained ministers both, will preside over services each Sunday, host car shows and swap meets, and deliver two Mustang blessings per year. "I hope Jesus has a sense of humor," Ales has said. We hope so too, man!

Via Edmunds, more at Morning Sun.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Hey Ford, I have an idea. You know how Dodge is bringing back the Challenger and Chevy is bringing back the Camaro? Yeah, I know, it's cause the S197 Mustang was such a hit. And yeah, these new cars will probably be a bit pricier and a bit porkier than the Stang. Still, it's gonna be some competition. And I know you're working on a mild update for your legendary pony car. That's cool and all, but I have an idea for how you can really sucker punch Chrysler and GM. Bring back the LX notch. Remember the LX version of the Mustang in the late 80s and early 90s? You could get the 5.0 but without all the GT bells and whistles. It was lighter and cheaper and just had the go fast parts. And notch style is cool. It may not be as glamorous as the fastback style, but it's lighter, more purposeful, and it's been with the Mustang since day one. The drag race guys dig it. So why not do that with the Mustang again? Just make it available in a few colors, no options. Maybe you could sell it for low 20s or something. What do you think?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

As John mentioned Tuesday on New on the Net, the New York Times is already talking about "the car of the decade." Yeah, it's a bit premature. But their pick? The Porsche Cayenne. Now, I can understand that the Cayenne was a great financial move for  Porsche, but  I think it did some major damage to the brand. And seriously, it's just a Touareg with a Porsche emblem. Big freakin' deal.

So I started to think, what would I pick as the car of the decade? Sure, we almost have two years to go, but there are already some strong contenders. The New York Times also floated the new GTR as a possibility. There has been a lot of buzz about this car, and it's cool and all, but I don't think you can swoop in at the last minute and claim car of the decade. You need a car that has shown itself to have real influence throughout the decade, a car with some staying power.

When it comes down to it, I'm torn between two cars. So I'm gonna cheat. I'm gonna pick the domestic car of the decade, and import car of the decade. For domestic car, I'm gonna go with the S197 Mustang (I'd put the 300C a close second). But the Mustang redesign for 2005 was huge. It was huge for Mustang fans, it was huge for Ford, and it was huge for Detroit. Heck, its success made GM and Chrysler bring back their pony cars. How cool is that? And at the end of the day, you just can't argue with 300hp for $25k. Power to the people.

For import car of the decade I'm gonna say second generation Prius (and if you put a gun to my head and made me pick just one car for the decade, I'd probably say Prius, even if it made me feel a bit ill). I don't think anyone thinks that hybrids are the ultimate answer to our transportation problems, and frankly, the fuel efficiency of the Prius isn't even as good as a 80s CRX. But this car was hugely important in terms of getting people to accept new technology, and was clearly a step in the right direction. Toyota was so successful with it that all the other manufacturers have practically let them own the entire category. I just wish it didn't look like the automotive equivalent of a Birkenstock.

Finally, because this is CarDomain, I have to mention the cars of the decade when it comes to modding. For domestics it would undoubtedly by the Chevy Caprice. The Donk. Hate 'em or love 'em, they helped to define the 00s. And for imports I gotta go with the Nissan 240 (mostly cause they are more plentiful and popular than the AE86 Corolla). Drifting has been a big part of this decade.

So what would you pick as the car (or cars) of the decade?

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

In Arkansas on Easter Sunday, a disgruntled former federal employee rammed into the Ravenden Springs Post Office twice, using two different vehicles. Glenn Spalding first punched a hole in the building using an '84 Chevy Blazer. Then he fled the scene, headed home and got his red '72 Mustang (nooooo!), then returned and rammed that into the ragged hole left by the Blazer. Claiming nothing personal against posties, Spalding said he was simply targeting the nearest federal building: his beef was that the government owed him money. Spalding had to be extracted from the Mustang as it was wedged so deeply into the ruined building. Now he's up on a slew of felony charges, including criminal mischief and vehicular fleeing. The Blazer broke down shortly after Spalding's initial escape, but as for the Mustang, the police chief said that it "held up well, but he scratched the paint up real bad."

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

When David's 5.0 Mustang was first "pulled out of a cornfield in Jersey," it was a beater with primer patches, stripped interior, shabby top, and mismatched wheels. But after a meticulous resto and some sensible mods, this deserving Stang is stunning inside and out. Acually, he seems to be on a mission to save neglected Mustangs—you may find his other projects even more impressive! 

By Mike Musto

AKA Mr. Angry

While walking through the halls of Ford this morning, one car in their stable really caught my eye: the Ford Shelby KR500. From the 19" wheels to the hood screws to the wicked cue-ball shifter, this thing really exudes performance. Let us also not forget that this pony is pushing 500+ fun filled horsies to boot. Now, keep in mind that the Mustangs over the years have never had the best interiors and the KR is no exception, BUT—and keep in mind that this is a very big "but"—Ford had to cut corners somewhere in order to the keep the price respectable, and interior was clearly what took the hit. With the soon-to-released Dodge Challenger and upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, Ford really needs to do something to keep their pony-car rivals at bay. This bad-boy Mustang, in my opinion, seems to be just the ticket.