edumspeed

That's the same thing I've been wondering.
In Mexico there's a small group of students that have a prototype engine that runs on compressed air!! I've read it on Popular Mechanics in Spanish a month ago.
Those scientists in the US should get off their lazy buts and do something.

05GT-O.C.D.

About 20miles from me we have a company that is producing $30k electric cars and is having trouble selling them.
http://www.myersmotors.com
Now I know you're asking Why w/ gas prices so high would they have trouble selling cars that cost 4cents/mile to operate??? Government. Our stupid DMV classifies them as motorcycles and says that you have to get a motorcycle license to operate one, but then they won't register them because the law says that motorcycles have to have a 'saddle' seat and these have a standard car seat.
I don't buy for a single second that our government is doing anything to help reduce our consumption of gasoline. The whole CAFE thing is a bunch of crap. Governments need time to find a way to rig the tax system to make up for the lost tax revenue from gasoline before promoting alternative energy. Lord knows they wouldn't want a tax cut or have to reduce their spending when we're already forced to reduce ours while they sit back an watch inflation rise and do nothing to reduce it because as prices go up so does the amount we pay in tax since it's percentage based, those worthless bunch of politicians need a to go have an Enema Orgy.
Whoa, typed that all in one breath.

Edit to add: BTW - Been on the bike every day except once in the last 2+ weeks. I haven't put gas in my car since May 4th and still have almost 1/2 tank left.

2005GTDELUXE

No! not at all. Its one of the pleasures in life and can't do without it!

edumspeed

That car looks very similar to the ones used on Austin Powers "Goldmember" car chase. lol

edumspeed

I's what I say, they're complete MORONS! How can they classify those like motorcycles if they have doors, seat and roof? dumb, dumb dumb, dumb duuumb.

hi5.0

Driving less and re-fill after using about 1/3 tank... seems less painful that way. Need to get one of those discount cards so I can save a whole $1.80-ish or so on every fill up. Yay...

future9er24

I calculated my MPG a few weeks ago, I was getting a bit over 17mpg. The next tankfull I tried my hardest to keep the RPM as low as possible, and I kept it under 2K

It only went up to 18

StangMahn

those are actually alot of fun, and the s model will get up and go, not like the mustang with a supercharger, but they'll move

StangMahn

I agree, CAFE is bull$hit, what they really need to do is get off their asses and get more types of fuel in the economy. The gov. always used the excuse, that "it'll be expensive", well, with gas going sky high, every day, we need different types of fuel. Granted where I live is not a big city, but I see a lot of flex fuel vehicles, and only 1 gas station that I know of has E-85. WTF? We need E-85 to be more widespread, diesel cars need to be tuned to the 50-60+ mpg that they are capable of, and we need to get hydrogen power here. As long as big oil has a monopoly, theyre not going to go down on price, they have no reason to, because we have no alternative. I'd like to say that I wouldnt, but if I was in that position, I would probably also try to make as much as I can. The bottom line is, without alternative fuels, and a lesser demand for oil, the price wont go back down.

05GT-O.C.D.

Gas goes up today because oil is predicted to hit $150/bbl by July 4. What a load of crap. Ouch - We're taking it up the butt and the government continues to pimp us out at the gas stations.

Update: I'm still on that same tank of gas purchased 5/4/08. I'm seeing how long I can stretch it. A few days ago when I had to take the car (because of kid transporting issues), I parked about 1/2 mile from work in a store parking lot and walked the rest of the way there. It got me some exercise and saved another miles worth of gas from dripping out of the tank.

Redrocket06

I drive 100 miles round trip for work, I went from driving 80-85 at 21-21.5 mpg to driving 65-70 at 23.5-24 mpg. I slowed down for the fact of rising fuel cost. I am now one of the annoying slow cars on the road, until you challenge me..........

rhumb

Boy, it's 1974 all over again. Cars in the preceding decade or two have gotten fat, bloated and overpowered while all of a sudden (to those who chose not to look) gas prices have exploded. What's that line about history forgotten will be repeated or something...

I predict that the GT500 will, in about 5 years, looks like the '71 429 Mustang did around 1979, as an interesting but grotesquely large dinosaur from another era. While the oil crises of the 70's were the result of transient potical turmoils, this one has deeper and more endemic roots and is not likely to fade soon.

That all said, it does not mean the end of the performance car, much less the Mustang, even if both are downsized and redefined a bit to meet the times.

As for the downsizing, I doubt something as awful as the Mustang II, even if that did keep the name alive for a few years, but rather, something with a few inches trimmed off the dimensions, 200-300 lbs of flab sweated off and smaller, more high tech (4V, DI, TT, VVT, etc.) motors. Also, aerodynamics that slip through the air stream rather than gouging a ragged gash though it.

As for redefined performance, the Stang will still have solid, torquey straight line oomph but will much more emphasize overall dynamics and driving fun rather than the unidimensional broad-axe approach as today -- think more a poor man's M3 than a neolithic muscle car. But as the post about the Cooper S exemplifies, it's not only how fast a car goes but how well a car goes fast that really matters in driving enjoyment. Fantasizing and fetishizing about 1,000hp blunderbusses usually just misses the whole point unless you make a living by drag racing -- most such cars are impressive to drive but often simply more intimidating than actually fun to drive on real roads.

I also predict Ford will plump up the smaller end of their performance offerings with RS (or whatever) offerings of the upcoming Fiesta and Focus. And to again reiterate the Mini Cooper S example, such things can be an absolute hoot to drive if one's not fixated on sub-12 second quarter miles as the sole measure of performance. And mileage better measured in miles per rather than gallons per will certainly add to the overall enjoyment when gas tips past $5 gallons a jug.

Anyway, driving fun and performance won't disappear but will be different. But the Stang has evolved greatly itself over the decades -- from pony car to muscle car to econocar to Eurocar back to muscle car and probably again to a more efficient Eurocar/Ponycar approach to performance in a few years. But it'll still be a Stang and it'll still be fast and fun.

hi5.0

$4.15/gal. for regular and rising daily. ??? seeing a slight reduction in monster single-occupant SUV's and noticing a growing Prius, Yaris, Fit, and Versa infestation on the roads here...

Louie

We're paying the equivalent of $10/gal here in Holland. At these prices my driving habits (and needs) have changed so much that I plan to change the 15 mpg Mustang for a 40 mpg Ford Kuga next month. A diesel one, by the way, because that's just $8/gal (which is considered cheap). And I'm biking to work every day because it's only 4 miles away.

I love the Mustang, but I can't afford 2 cars and I have to make the right choice.

rhumb

I've sort of floated the idea in the past, half in jest really, of a diesel version of the Mustang, more as a tweak to those who fetishize over low end torque over all else. But really, with modern diesel technology and gas gunning for 5 bucks a bucket, maybe not so crazy after all and perhaps a chance for Ford to be forward looking with the Stang rather than ever living in the retro past.

Isn't Ford coming out with a new 4.5 or something V8 diesel with decent HP and locomotive-grade torque at about 15 rpm? Granted diesels have a rather different driving and performance character than gas motors, but different doesn't mean bad and there is something appealing about the inexorable urge of a big turbo diesel, not to mention remarkable mileage. Perhaps Ford needs to embrace the changing automotive landscape and address it aggressively rather than *****ing and moaning and just gelding the Stang to meet EPA, CAFE and pocketbook requirements.

hi5.0

diesel isn't exactly cheap these days either. would be interesting to see how much of a performance/mileage difference there would be between a TDI/GDI Mustang.