Autoblog

click above image to view more pics of the StangNet Mustang GT500

StangNet.com is putting the finishing touches on its latest project car, and it's a doozy. Of course it's a Mustang, a modified GT500 to be exact. Teaming up with Classic Design Concepts, a mini-automaker all its own, takes the StangNet GT500 to a place average tuners would usually fear to tread.

For starters, the StangNet GT500 sports CDC's Glassback roof, which looks like a painted piece of sheetmetal from a distance, but upon closer inspection reveals itself as perforated metal that allows occupants inside the car to see right through the roof. The car also sports a custom made ducktail spoiler, new lower front grille/spoiler, body-colored mirrors, MY2008 HID headlamps, louvered scoops over the quarter windows and a hand-painted pair of blue racing stripes.

The car's performance has been enhanced with a new suspension from Steeda, functional brake ducts in place of the standard GT500's foglamps, CCW SP20 19-inch wheels (deep dish in the rear) wrapped in BFGs, and a Magnaflow catback exhaust coupled to an MRT H-pipe. The interior is largely unaltered so far, save for the addition of a Ford GT push button start system.

The car will be present at the Mid-America Ford Performance and Shelby Meet in Tulsa, OK around mid-June. Come November it will also appear at the SEMA show in Las Vegas where we'll likely see additional modifications made for the big show.

[Source: StangNet.com]

Gas prices have settled a bit in the past few months, but with the cost of a gallon still lingering well in the two-dollar range, many Americans are looking for ways to save a few bucks at the pump. But what if you are happy with your current car and don't want to be a new one that's more fuel efficient? One new study suggests you dump your spare tire.

No, not that spare tire. The one around your waist. This new study suggests that Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline every year because of the extra weight we're are toting around. At $2.20 a gallon, that amounts to $2.2 billion wasted on gas each year. "If a person reduces the weight in their car, either by removing excess baggage, carrying around less weight in their trunk, or yes, even losing weight, they will indeed see a drop in their fuel consumption." This from study co-author and University of Illinois researcher Sheldon Jacobson.

Jacobson points out that the lost mileage for any single driver is pretty small. Even by losing 100 pounds, the average driver would only save about $40 a year over a typical 12,000 miles. But it adds up when you consider how many motorists are on the road. Other research, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies support these findings. In a related study, the CDC found that heavy fliers have contributed to higher fuel costs for airlines.

The study will appear in the October-December issue of The Engineering Economist, one of those academic/industry journals published by the American Society of Engineering Education and the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, former CDC director points out that although valid, the study conclusion is only partially helpful: "The wrong fuel is being focused on. If you're heavier, the most important fuel you use more of is food."

[Source: Yahoo! News]

ModdedMustangs is hypothesizing that Ford may be considering offering a retractable hardtop option for the 2009 Mustang. The site's reasoning is pretty thin, based mostly on the fact that there are retractable hardtop kits available for the Mustang currently and that engineering expertise for such a project could be culled from the recently unveiled Focus Coupe Cabriolet for Europe.

The most convincing piece of evidence of is a pair of videos posted on various Mustang message boards of a Classic Design Concepts prototype 2006 Mustang Convertible with a retractable hardtop. CDC is the outfitter that produces the panoramic Glassback roof conversion for late model Mustangs in cooperation with Webasto. You can check out the video of the retractable hardtop going up here and going down here. The conversion apparently doesn't touch the trunk's cargo space, instead eliminating the back seat and making the Mustang convertible a true 2-seat roadster. CDC's website makes no mention of the availability of a retractable hardtop conversion, but the fact that a prototype exists says something.

In light of the speed at which Ford is moving to put the Shelby GT into production and the fact that it's working directly with Shelby Automobiles, Inc. to produce the vehicle, the idea Ford might partner with other small companies like CDC/Webasto to produce a Mustang hardtop convertible isn't that far fetched. You can bet we'll be seeking out CDC's display at SEMA this year hoping to see this car in person. Adding the retractable hardtop to the lineup would give Ford a dizzying array of Mustangs in its lineup. Considering the Mustang's impressive sales performance, that hardly seems like a bad thing.

[ModdedMustangs]