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2005 Ford Mustang

2005 Ford Mustang
With 39 years of storied automotive history, 8 million customers, and legions of fanatic fans to satisfy, Ford is introducing two all-new Mustang design concepts at the 2003 North American International Auto Show.

The Mustang GT convertible and coupe concepts arrive ready to take enthusiasts' breath away—three design-generations after the original made history in 1964. The latest legends of the American pony car are contemporary automobiles that capture the essence of Mustang's design and performance heritage.

Presented as a two-seat fastback coupe and convertible, the Mustang GT concepts are strong indicators of the next-generation Mustang's design direction. They emerge as a bold testament to the timeless value that automotive enthusiasts hold for the original American pony car.

'These Mustang concepts are thoroughly modern automobiles that point to a bright future for Mustang,' says J Mays, Ford Motor Company vice president of Design. 'Their powerful stances, smooth surface language, and ultra-modern interiors set new standards for muscle cars. Above all, these concepts communicate the soul of Mustang: a classic, cool and quintessentially American muscle car.'

Introspective and Extroverted

The Mustang GT concepts draw on the very elements that have made Mustang the definitive American sports car for nearly four decades. Their exterior designs are clearly inspired by some of the extroverted Mustangs of the past and have been created by a design team that took an introspective approach to updating a classic design.

The designs are modern, crisp, and reveal the true character of what Mustang means to so many people. The original 1964½ Mustang actually evolved from the racing-inspired, two-seat concept car called the Mustang 1. After reviewing archived files, Mustang's modern-day crafters were struck by how the original design embraced the same inspirational cues that communicate performance. The design team looked beyond production models to the Mustang 1 concept for modern inspiration. Much like the Mustang 1 and the later Mustang Mach 1 show car in 1968, the Mustang GT concepts are rare, radical designs that will appeal to everyone.

'By melding the true character of Mustang into these fully modern offerings, we've ensured that even the uninitiated will instantly recognize these cars as Mustangs,' says Mays. 'We went beyond their exterior designs to truly understand the extent to which Mustang has embedded itself in American culture.'

New Design

The Mustang GT concepts are instantly recognizable as Mustangs, yet they stretch the design far into the future with a distinctly modern look. Like the Mustang 1 concept, the GT concepts are two-place sportscars: one a coupe and the other a convertible. Both cars started out with a significantly modified Ford Thunderbird rear-wheel-drive architecture. The platform was sectioned to achieve the proper proportion. The front-end geometry is all original—customized to accommodate the signature Mustang MOD 4.6-liter V-8.

In concert with plans for the all-new Mustang, due in 2004, the exterior and interior designs of the Mustang GT concepts were penned by designers in Ford's Living Legends Studio in Dearborn, Mich., and Ford's California Design Center in Southern California. The concept design execution was done exclusively at the California Design Center.

'Getting the proportions right is the magic to making the entire design work,' says 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 8-million Mustang fans to answer to. I think we got it right,' says Mays.

The silhouette of the car is unmistakably Mustang. The coupe conjures images of 1967 and 1968 Fastbacks while the convertible brings back cues of the early Shelby Mustangs, especially in its 'show bar' and wide-element tail lamps.

Inside, there's no mistaking the no-holds-barred Mustang classic cues. The cockpit is dramatic for the driver and passenger with lush red and charcoal leather accented by billet-aluminum hardware. They're reminiscent of another era yet, inside and out, the Mustang GT concepts are thoroughly modern.

Heritage

When the Mustang was first unveiled, Ford chose the 1964 World's Fair in New York as its stage. A global audience sat and watched an automotive revolution roll into existence. Ford's timing couldn't have been better as the baby boom generation was just coming of car-buying age. The baby boomers wanted something very different from what their parents were driving. They wanted to express their own individuality. The Mustang was their answer.

The cars barely had time to relax between the production line and the showroom floor as dealers churned out more than 22,000 orders on the car's first day on sale.

It debuted at a price of $2,368 and weighed only 2,572 pounds. With its 170-cubic-inch, six-cylinder engine, three-speed, floor-mounted manual transmission and seating for four, it offered a comfortable ride and functional appeal.

Mustang rapidly evolved into a vehicle judged by much more than just numbers. In Chicago, a dealership closed early and called police to slow the stampeding Mustang prospects while a restaurateur invited his customers to sample his 'hotcakes that were selling like Mustangs.' Something special was happening.

One million were sold by March 1966. They were parked in everyone's driveway, but Ford was most excited about those people eagerly awaiting their first driver's license. They wanted their cars to be different and Mustang delivered.

The 1964½ model was the patriarch of subsequent changes to hoods, interiors, headlamps, and spoilers. As Mustang weaved in and out of different generations, the vehicle generated an iconic status. Running alongside the best European road cars, it soon became a racing-inspired legend.

Mustang needed racing as much as racing needed Mustang. Right out of the blocks, the pony car was a champion, taking both first and second place in the 1964 Tour de France International rally. By the end of the sixties, Mustang led the SCCA Trans-Am series.

Body styles and engine sizes changed throughout the decade. By 1969, the Mustang offered major style changes, a roomier and more luxurious interior, and even more power. To performance enthusiasts, 1969 meant Mach 1, Boss 429 and Boss 302.

Throughout the seventies and eighties, Mustang evolved from a stocky and imposing-looking machine to a vehicle with clean and crisp lines. The 1979 Mustang design wound up running a full 15 model years thanks in part to its performance roots. In 1987, the basic design became truly slick with a smoother nose, flush headlamps, and black body trim; and in 1989, Mustang celebrated its 25th birthday and received another successful facelift.

Dramatically restyled and churning with power, the 1994 Mustang got a performance pump from Ford's Special Vehicle Team (the second-generation SVT Cobra) and was sold to customers with the slogan 'It is what it was.' The rest of the decade molded the Mustang into a vehicle that mingled nostalgia with new lines and curves…and, of course, more power.

The last major redesign of the Mustang came three years ago. Since then, the company has continually kept customer's excitement with special interest models like the Mustang Cobra, Cobra R racing edition and the Mustang Bullitt GT. For 2003, the Mustang Mach I returned replete with the 'shaker' hood scoop and more than 300 horsepower.

Source - Ford

Ford Introduces 2005 Mustang With BFGoodrich Tires

The Perfect Combination Of Performance Car And Performance Tire

When the new 2005 Ford Mustang GT took to the stage for its world premier at Detroit's North American International Auto Show, it rolled out on a set of BFGoodrich g-Force T/A®KDW tires.

'We are honored that Ford has chosen to outfit their icon vehicle, the 2005 Mustang with BFGoodrich tires,' said Tom Chubb, vice president of marketing, Michelin Automotive Industry Division. 'Without a doubt, BFGoodrich tires are the perfect performance tire for one of the most popular performance sports cars of all time.'


2005 Ford MustangThe combination of the Ford Mustang and BFGoodrich tires results in an excellent technical match, but more importantly represents the high standards, image and heritage of American performance.

Designing the newest tires for an American automotive icon is no easy matter. Mustang is the most popular vehicle in its segment and also the nation's best selling convertible. The new 2005 Mustang is modern in design theme with smoothed styling and production techniques but looks to its past with cues reminiscent of the late 1960s Mustangs.

Chosen to provide tires for the 2005 Mustang, BFGoodrich designers have helped deliver the outstanding performance and handling that has been associated with the Ford Mustang for nearly 40 years.


The launch of the 2005 Ford Mustang on BFGoodrich tires is not the first time the two companies have teamed up for a new vehicle. BFGoodrich Tires got its start in the automotive industry in 1896 when company engineers began manufacturing pneumatic tires for horseless carriages. BFGoodrich was the first tire maker to produce and sell pneumatic tires for cars in America. It was natural then that in 1903 Henry Ford selected BFGoodrich Tires to outfit his first Model A.

'We are proud to continue our heritage as a technology developer and supplier to Ford,' said Chubb. 'The combination of these two quintessential brands is no accident and we're looking forward to beginning a new era in American sports car history.'

BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering high-performance tires for every type of vehicle from ultra-high performance tuner vehicles, sports cars and SÚVs to the hottest sport trucks, pick-ups and rock-crawling rigs in the world.

For more than 30 years, BFGoodrich has used motorsports as a proving ground. Success on the street begins with winning on the track and BFGoodrich is involved in every type of racing, including oval, road, drag, desert and extreme rock-crawling. With 18 consecutive Baja 1000 wins, the most rock-crawling wins in history and an unmatched record on pavement, BFGoodrich Tires has proven the only records it breaks are its own. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at www.bfgoodrichtires.com.

Source - BFGoodrich Media

2005 Ford MustangLike a massive automotive supernova, the 2005 Mustang is lighting up Ford dealerships across North America.

2005 Ford Mustang Checkbooks in hand, customers are often waiting outside dealerships before the new Mustangs are even unloaded from their carriers. Others are snapping them up as soon as the vehicles hit the showroom floor.

Some are traveling hundreds of miles to buy them, and, on one occasion, customers have trailed vehicle carriers loaded with Mustangs to a local dealership. According to a Kentucky dealership, police have even pulled new Mustang models over to take a closer look at them.

'There's no question the Mustang is a smash hit. It's doing extremely well in the marketplace,' said Ford Division President Steve Lyons. 'We're just trying to keep up with demand.'

George Pipas, Ford Motor Company sales analysis manager, said he has never seen anything like it.

'In my 28 years at Ford, I have never seen a product go in and out of the showroom as quickly as Mustang,' said Pipas.

Mustang sales were up 12 percent in November from a year earlier. But even more importantly, sales to retail customers were up by 50 percent, according to Mustang Launch Marketing Manager Killol Bhuta.

'We're seeing sales levels exceeding our own objectives,' said Bhuta.

The 2005 Mustangs that actually make it to the showroom floor have drawn throngs of onlookers -- some content just to crowd around and admire it -- frequently spurring warm recollections about the Mustangs they have owned or driven.

In recent years, warm receptions have greeted a number of retro-styled vehicles built by other manufacturers, such as the Volkswagen Beetle in 1999 and the Chrysler PT Cruiser in 2000. But the Mustang splash seems bigger than anything else in memory, according to Ford dealer John Nakamura at Albany (Calif.) Ford.

'I have never, ever seen so much emotion from the public as with the Mustang,' said Nakamura.

Tim McKee, sales manager at Friendly Ford, in Springfield, Mo., agrees.

'I have been in the car business for many, many years and I have never seen anything like the traffic this new Mustang has driven to our dealership,' said McKee. 'People stop by and just stand and look at the car. I have kept the showroom open later than normal every night since its arrival just to satisfy customers' thirst for this new car.'

While some people aren't exactly shopping, they are content just to look, treating the 2005 Mustang as though it were on exhibit. McKee said that a fire truck recently stopped outside Friendly Ford and five firemen jumped out to spend about 15 minutes looking the Mustang over.

Auto writers seem to like the car, too. In its January, 2005 issue, Car and Driver named the Mustang a 10Best car by writing: 'The first truly new Mustang in 26 years is on the street and it goes good, looks bitchin', and the GT version is an unbeatable performance buy: 300 horsepower for 25,000 bucks?The key to its eye appeal is obvious ? an inspired revival of the late '60s Mustangs, arguably some of the best of the breed. Stir in bargain pricing, plus the absence of direct competition, and you have a formula that adds up to can't lose.'

Columnist David Thomas from Autoblog Garage wrote: 'I know I?ve only been driving it a day and most of that has been stop and go city traffic. But I?ve never been in a Mustang that is so stellar. On a personal note I?m not a Ford or GM guy, or even a Mopar freak. I?ve never understood the rivalry. I just like to drive good cars. Deliver me a Kia that rocks and I?ll write about it. I say all this because I?m in love with the new Ford Mustang.'

During his test drive, auto writer Robert Bowden wrote in an online review that the '05 Mustang 'turns so many heads, you will wish you were a chiropractor.'

Aside from craning a few necks, the vehicle is opening wallets too. At Steve Coury Ford in Cottonwood, Ariz., a woman in a 2000 Mustang happened to see a 2005 model sitting on a carrier as she was driving by. She pulled into the dealership and bought it on the spot. 'My first Mustang sold in five minutes,' said sales representative Steve Coury.

At Wickstrom Ford in Barrington, Illinois, the staff sold three Mustangs off a carrier trailer in one day and wrote up five more orders as they were delivering those same three cars to customers. In Manteo, N.C., a red Mustang GT hit the Sawyer Motor Co.'s showroom on a Thursday afternoon and was gone by Saturday.

'Our dealers are telling us that customer reaction to the new Mustang has been nothing short of spectacular,' said Brant Noltie, director, Field Operations, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. 'Mustang and our other 'Next Generation of Ford' all-new vehicles -- Five Hundred, Freestyle, Escape Hybrid and Super Duty -- are creating quite a buzz in the marketplace.'

In Dearborn, Mich., Bob Wheat, general manager at Village Ford, had to reserve a new Mustang from the dealership's for-sale stock so that the showroom would have one for customers to see.

'The reaction to this car is the best we have seen in 20 years,' Wheat §äid. 'Anytime you have sold out your inventory for the next two months, I consider that a hit.'

Source - Ford Media
2005 Ford Mustang
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5, 2005 -- Following on the heels of the hot-selling 2005 Mustang coupe, Ford today trotted out the latest pony car at the Los Angeles Auto Show -- the all-new 2005 Mustang Convertible. Available this spring in a V-6 model and a V-8-powered GT version, the new drop top is the first in a stable of specialty Mustangs designed to keep the American legend fresh.2005 Ford Mustang
'Through the years, Mustang Convertible has always been a bold, powerful option for people looking to drop the top, smell the fresh breezes and let their troubles float away,' said Steve Lyons, Ford Division president. 'Forty years later, that need is stronger than ever, and the 2005 Ford Mustang Convertible stands ready to serve as the most affordable drop top in America.'

Starting at $24,495, the 210-horsepower V-6 model remains the lowest priced V-6 convertible in the industry, while the V-8 powered Mustang GT, which starts at $29,995, is the most affordable 300-horsepower convertible muscle car.

Mustang Convertible has thrived for 40 years by staying true to the basic formula established in 1964: a great drop-top design combined with affordable wind-in-the-hair performance. Thanks to engineering that resulted in a convertible platform with more than twice the torsional stiffness of the previous version, this is the most quiet and solid drop top Mustang ever produced. There are no squeaks, shakes and rattles to which convertibles are typically prone.

The 2005 Mustang Convertible was designed in tandem with the coupe to deliver a rigid body structure without adding weight. Another benefit to designing the coupe and convertible together is that the two models have a cohesive, integrated look. The new Mustang Convertible does not look like a hard-top that has undergone reconstructive surgery to become a convertible.

Also improved over the previous Mustang Convertible is rearward visibility. The 2005 Mustang Convertible comes with a wide glass backlite (including a defroster), full quarter windows and slim C-pillars, all of which offer a driver a better look out the back. The fabric top also seals better.

Passengers in the back and front will appreciate the lack of wind-related buffeting and noise when the top is down. With the windshield header more steeply raked than on the coupe and a modified rear seatback, the 2005 Mustang convertible has no need for add-on devices to block the wind.

'Customers are going to notice the improved quietness of the cabin with the top up,' said Paul Russell, marketing manager, Mustang, Thunderbird and Ford GT. 'The car is best-in-class in that regard.'

Historically, convertible models represent 25 percent to 30 percent of Mustang sales. The Mustang convertible will be built alongside the coupe model at AutoAlliance International, a Ford and Mazda joint venture manufacturing facility in Flat Rock, Mich.

2005 Ford Mustang V-6 Convertible
The most attainable Mustang Convertible is the well-equipped V-6 Deluxe model, which has a base manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $24,495. This includes the destination and delivery charge. Taxes, title and license fees are not included.

Major standard equipment includes:


- 210-horsepower, 4.0-liter SOHC V-6 engine with Tremec 5-speed manual transmission
- 16-inch painted cast aluminum wheels with all-season tires
- Air conditioning, dual power mirrors and rear window defroster
- AM/FM stereo with single CD player
- Four-wheel power disc brakes
- Ford Personal Safety SystemTM, with standard occupant classification sensing to tailor the deployment of the front passenger air bag
- Power door locks with remote keyless entry and power windows with driver and passenger door one-touch up/down

2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible
The industry's most affordable 300-horsepower drop-top sports car is the Ford Mustang GT Convertible Deluxe model, which has a base MSRP of $29,995. This includes the destination and delivery charge. Taxes, title and license fees are not included.

2005 Ford Mustang
Major standard equipment includes:

- 300-horsepower, 4.6-liter SOHC 3-valve V-8 engine with Tremec 5-speed manual transmission
- Four-wheel power disc brakes with four-channel anti-locking braking and all-speed traction control
- Stainless steel dual exhaust with unmistakable Mustang sound
-Front fog lamps in grille, a rear spoiler and tilt steering wheel
-17-inch painted cast aluminum wheels with Z-rated performance tires
-Air conditioning, dual power mirrors and rear window defroster
-AM/FM stereo with single CD player
-Ford Personal Safety System, with standard occupant classification sensing to tailor the deployment of the front passenger air bag
-Power door locks with remote keyless entry and power windows with driver and passenger door one-touch up/down

Source - Ford Communications Network

Related Reading : Ford Mustang History

The Mustang was introduced at the 1965 New York Worlds Fair, Mustang Mania instantly swept the country, and a new automotive market segment was created - the 22 or better known as the ponycar. Though its mechanical underpinnings descended from the Falcon, the Mustang was completely different. It was a compact, tight, clean package weighing in at a modest 2,550 pounds - a departure from the ever-enlarging....
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Related Reading : Ford Mustang History

The Ford Mustang first appeared in 1964 and was immediately popular for its style and its capabilities. The largest engine offering of the time was the 289 V-8 K-code small block engine which was sufficient but enthusiasts wanted and demanded more power. The base engine was a six-cylinder power plant. The body style configurations included coupe, convertible and fastback. In its first year of....
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Related Reading : Ford Mustang History

A pillar of American automotive lore, the Mustang is the vehicle the brought sporting dash and styling at a price that almost everyone could afford. Always extraordinarily attractive, the Mustang has been capturing the hearts of drivers for nearly 40 years. Introducing a whole new breed of automobile, the pony car, Ford wasnt content to stand on the sidelines while others jumped ahead. Rather than....
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Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

2005 Mustang
$18,000-$670,000
2005 Ford Mustang Base Price : $18,000

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Other 2005 Ford Models
$141,000

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