Old article, Production comparisons
9/23/04, 07:35 AM
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I was looking at some old articles and was looking at the differences in the show cars and the production models. I highlighted the main differences as I see them, Ford could have done with including some of the options.....What do you think?
Ford is taking a back-to-basics approach for its next-generation Mustang. The Mustang GT coupe and convertible concept cars on show here in Detroit are 'indicators of the design direction' according to the company. The design teams at Ford's centre in southern California and in Dearborn, Michigan, have been looking closely at the silhouettes of the early pony cars, particularly its most iconic 1968 Shelby guise, and working out what makes a Mustang a Mustang.
'Getting the proportions right is the magic to making the entire design work', said Ford design chief J Mays. 'When you're designing a new Mustang, you're the steward of 40 years of automotive history. If you don't get it right, you've got eight million Mustang fans to answer to.'
As with all classic Mustangs, the concepts have a long bonnet/short tail layout, plus a clean-lined silhouette, the C-scoops in the side, three-piece tail-lights and, of course, the galloping pony badge in the front grille. However, the Mustang design cues do incorporate some modern features. The headlights, for example, have adaptive beam technology, zoom-in functions and fibre-optic ribbons rather than traditional bulbs. The two show cars sit on 20-inch wheels, fitted with 13.8-inch ventilated Brembo disc brakes. Underneath those long bonnets, the GTs have Ford's 4.6-litre V8, souped-up with a supercharger to give 400 bhp.
The Mustang GT convertible is the flashier of the two, with shiny aluminium trim and look-at-me cabin. Both cars, though, have red perforated leather upholstery, proper racing sports seats and four-point harnesses and logoed aluminium side sills - none too subtle. Unlike current production Mustangs, they have two seats only, and the coupe has a back seat-mounted spare wheel, like the early Shelby racers. Retro-look dials are circular and functional, and the dash is trimmed in charcoal-coloured leather.
The driver can manually adjust both the suspension and the fuel/air mixture from switches in the cockpit - though we can't see the latter feature making production as the product-liability implications could be too great. The supercharger boost gauge has an analogue indicator. The coupe show car has six-speed manual transmission and the convertible a five-speed auto; both have an aluminium gearlever and a console-mounted parking brake lever. Like the 1967 Mustang, the GTs have three-spoke steering wheels with a Mustang GT logo in the centre; this logo is repeated in the front quarter panels and on the rear bumpers. The script is in the style of that of the '60s 'Stangs - well, it had to be, as this is all about heritage, tradition and keeping the Mustang brand alive for the 21st century.
Ford is taking a back-to-basics approach for its next-generation Mustang. The Mustang GT coupe and convertible concept cars on show here in Detroit are 'indicators of the design direction' according to the company. The design teams at Ford's centre in southern California and in Dearborn, Michigan, have been looking closely at the silhouettes of the early pony cars, particularly its most iconic 1968 Shelby guise, and working out what makes a Mustang a Mustang.'Getting the proportions right is the magic to making the entire design work', said Ford design chief J Mays. 'When you're designing a new Mustang, you're the steward of 40 years of automotive history. If you don't get it right, you've got eight million Mustang fans to answer to.'
As with all classic Mustangs, the concepts have a long bonnet/short tail layout, plus a clean-lined silhouette, the C-scoops in the side, three-piece tail-lights and, of course, the galloping pony badge in the front grille. However, the Mustang design cues do incorporate some modern features. The headlights, for example, have adaptive beam technology, zoom-in functions and fibre-optic ribbons rather than traditional bulbs. The two show cars sit on 20-inch wheels, fitted with 13.8-inch ventilated Brembo disc brakes. Underneath those long bonnets, the GTs have Ford's 4.6-litre V8, souped-up with a supercharger to give 400 bhp.
The Mustang GT convertible is the flashier of the two, with shiny aluminium trim and look-at-me cabin. Both cars, though, have red perforated leather upholstery, proper racing sports seats and four-point harnesses and logoed aluminium side sills - none too subtle. Unlike current production Mustangs, they have two seats only, and the coupe has a back seat-mounted spare wheel, like the early Shelby racers. Retro-look dials are circular and functional, and the dash is trimmed in charcoal-coloured leather.
The driver can manually adjust both the suspension and the fuel/air mixture from switches in the cockpit - though we can't see the latter feature making production as the product-liability implications could be too great. The supercharger boost gauge has an analogue indicator. The coupe show car has six-speed manual transmission and the convertible a five-speed auto; both have an aluminium gearlever and a console-mounted parking brake lever. Like the 1967 Mustang, the GTs have three-spoke steering wheels with a Mustang GT logo in the centre; this logo is repeated in the front quarter panels and on the rear bumpers. The script is in the style of that of the '60s 'Stangs - well, it had to be, as this is all about heritage, tradition and keeping the Mustang brand alive for the 21st century.
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9/11/15 08:39 AM