How cool is this? Ian Duncan, at the wheel of a 1967 Mustang packing a 351 and a four-speed, is currently leading the 2009 East African Safari Classic Rally. From the looks and sounds of it, the rally is no joke, traversing harsh country at high speeds. The ‘Stang is leading cars like Mercedes, Porsches, and Datsuns. This rules!

You can follow Duncan’s exploits on BangShift’s events homepage and there is another great page of photos here. The rally has been run since 2003 and is comprised of vehicles produced from 1974 and back. The Mustang is a total departure from the normal stuff that competes. Most of the other vehicles have had some type of rally history and are Euro-mobiles that sound like sewing machines when lined up next to the snorting, V8 powered Ford.

The only thing we can say is, go Ian go!

This week’s ebay Motors Showdown really hit a chord with people. Even with our ongoing commenting issues (now even I can’t comment, and yes, we are working on it) we got a HUGE response on this one. At first it looked like the IROC was gonna walk away with it, but then the Fox body rallied, and in the end this one is just too close to call!

Looks like the 1988 Camaro IROC Z-28 got bid up to $4,550 with the reserve still not met before time ran out. The 1989 Mustang GT auction still has three days to go, with the bid currently at $2,550. But any way you look at it, both of these cars offer a big bang for the buck. And we’ll definitely run more Mustang vs. Camaro shoot outs in the future, cause they are a of of fun!

Ok guys, time for a 3rd gen vs. Fox body showdown! This 1989 Mustang GT looks to have been nicely redone and it’s a 5 speed to boot. The 1988 Camaro IROC Z-28 is unrestored and has some fading paint, but this is slightly rarer car, too, with the L98 5.7 liter TPI (which was only available with the automatic). And of course both come in a killer black/grey color combo. So, which would you choose?

Ah, motorsports–it’s so much more than racing these days. The motorsports contingent is always huge at SEMA, and it’s one of those categories that can literally go from A to Z: there are so many variations on automotive competition that there’s no way you can expect to capture a representative cross-section. That’s okay–it just allows us to focus on what we find cool, with shameless subjectivity. In the interests of inclusiveness, we’ve tried to hit as many of the hottest motorsports series as our five entries will allow. NASCAR is represented by the new Nationwide Series Mustang, running Ford’s all-new Roush Yates FR9. Then there’s the 2010 Camaro’s debut entry in Formula Drift, which will definitely be on our radar in the coming season. Chris Rado’s insane Time Attack Scion carries the torch for that genre. SCCA is represented, albeit in vintage form, by Bob Boileau’s multiple-championship-winning Civic. And the Traxxas short-course race truck rounds out the motorsports fleet for off-road racing. Um, yeah, we totally skipped NHRA. And a bunch of other stuff. Oh well, time to hit the polls!

With the Mustang, Ford is in possession of a very valuable property: a modern car with soul and character. Think about it: the vast majority of car companies these days make all of their models with uniform styling features. It’s even hard to distinguish between different cars of the same class these days.

It’s for this reason I’ve developed a bit of a soft spot for this retro macho machine, especially the hotted up versions that companies like Shelby and now RTR are putting out. The Mustang is a car that hasn’t forgotten what it’s about and is the only pony car in the US which has had a continuous production line back to the 1960s.

I also love driving Mustangs… I have to admit it. The raw experience appeals to the masculine side of my personality. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Rod Chong

The $5.5 million BIN is a bit steep, but there is a lot of cool documentation in the ebay auction, so check it out! Think it would make a good investment? Via Jalopnik

So it’s time to kick of our Best of SEMA voting, and I thought I’d start with muscle. There were a ton of cool muscle cars at SEMA this year (half of them were Camaros), so it was difficult to narrow it down to just five cars. But here goes. For your consideration, the Mustang RTR-C, the Tjin Edition Camaro, the Super Cuda, the Ring Brothers Fairlane and the Tom Nelson Camaro. Vote for your favorite, and be sure to come back over the next two weeks to vote on vehicles in each of ten categories. We’ll announce the winners shorly after Thanksgiving.

I’ve found it a little funky-looking in some of the renderings and photos that have been circulating, but when I saw it in person in the Ford booth at SEMA, the new Nationwide-Series Mustang just looked plain mean. Plus, this is seriously historic: while Mustang has dominated a ton of other motorsports series, it’s been largely absent from national-level stock car racing, so its entry into NASCAR is a pretty big deal. And moreover, the rear sheetmetal, even though it’s a NASCAR-mandated template, looks better than the factory Mustang’s 2010 back end. The Nationwide Mustang will be running the new Roush Yates FR9, an all-new beast and a complete departure from the 351-based motor that Ford’s been running in NASCAR since ‘91. More pics…

Continue reading "The New NASCAR Mustang at SEMA" »

I’m one of a number of people who just doesn’t quite get the ‘10 Mustang. It’s not that it’s awful, it’s just that I like the ‘05-’09 better. Well, this year’s SEMA show, with all its awesome ‘10 Mustang builds, has done a lot to help the new car grow on me–and it certainly doesn’t hurt the cause to see one tricked out as a badass drift car. According to the guys at the Falken booth, Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s Mustang is the only 2010 currently in Formula D, and the car is expected to run a full season next year. Under the hood is a Whipple-supercharged 4.6L Aluminator v8 by Ford Racing, putting out 680 hp and 650 lb-ft torque, mated to the same 4-speed gearbox they run in their NASCAR program. I’m thinking that Hankook Camaro had better watch out! See more pics below the jump.

Continue reading "Vaughn Gittin Jr’s 2010 Formula Drift Mustang" »

…Yeah, they’ve also got a Challenger widebody kit that extends the front fenders 3″  on either side, and parts that’ll dress up your plain-jane C6 Corvette as either a Z06 or a ZR1. And can you name any other booth at SEMA that has a new Camaro, Mustang, Challenger, and Corvette? Talk about covering all your bases. More pics below the jump!

Continue reading "Classic Design Concepts Claims First 2010 Mustang Shaker Hoodscoop" »

This GT convertible sports a one off body kit by Galpin Auto Sports. Pretty wild, huh? More pics after the jump!

Continue reading "Galpin Auto Sports Mustang GT Convertible in the Ford Booth at SEMA" »

You can’t throw a rock at SEMA without hitting something made out of carbon fiber, but even in this sea of lightweight material, this Mustang stood out. All the bodywork—and even the wheels!—is made out of carbon fiber, and while I didn’t find out exactly how many pounds lighter this Pony is from stock, it looks so trick, I don’t even care. Jen will have a post about all the rides in the Ford area later in the week, but I thought this was so cool I had to post it right away. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Trick Pony: Ford’s Completely Carbon Fiber Mustang!" »

Yeah, I’ve got mixed feelings about the 2010 Mustang redesign–I want to love it, but with its melted contours and bubble-butt, it’s kind of been doing the opposite of growing on me. However, if anyone can make the best of Mustang design, it’d have to be Saleen. Fragmentary teaser pics of the revised S281 have been floating around for awhile now, but with just a few days to go before SEMA kicks off, full images of the hot new Mustang have found their way onto the internet–strategically, I’m guessing. It looks promising, and thankfully subtle–I’m digging the retro blackout treatment and the fastback-style solid C-pillars. We’ll be sure to get all the details for you at the show next week! See more pics below the jump.

Via MotorTrend.

Continue reading "2010 Saleen S281 “Leaked” Before SEMA Debut" »

Even though Formula D has come to an end for the year and is a huge relief for many, the next five days are full of suspense, insanity and excitement for me, as I get ready to introduce my dream that will become a reality in a big way at SEMA. A new generation of Mustang will be introduced to the world - the Mustang RTR which will be a dealer-installed performance and appearance package available at select dealers in 2010. Official introduction to be posted here next Tuesday. If you will be at SEMA, be sure to check out the car in person at the K&N filters booth! Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Vaughn Gittin Jr.

This Vaughn Gittin Jr. RTR-C looks the best to me, but you can see the rest at Ford.com. And of course we’ll have all the pics here in the CarDomain Blog early next week!

2010 Ford Mustang by Vaughn Gittin Jr.
World championship drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. has introduced a new generation of Mustang to the world with the Mustang RTR. The extremely limited-production Mustang RTR-C puts still more muscle behind the already incredible 2010 Ford Mustang GT. Balancing 550 tire-shredding American horsepower with new-generation design influences, Vaughn has incorporated state-of-the-art technology with first-rate carbon fiber body construction to make the Mustang RTR-C one incredible-looking, raw performance machine.