$125,000 what a bargain, sign me up

The ultimate 2005 Ford Mustang for sale. Click the link to go to Blue Oval News article on Ford selling 25 of these Grand Am Cup racers. Sure they're not street legal, but they will be exclusive.
A little out of my price range, but if I could afford it, I'd have on in the garage.

MyFordDreams to be edited of some content

To any of my readers that like the pictures on these pages, I advise you to copy them if you want them. in the 3 months that I have been posting on this blog, I have put up almost 700 posts, some are just a picture here or there. Now Blogger has a limit of 999 posts to be free and I don't want to pay for more space so over the next few days I will be going over the archives and deleting pictures or posts that I fell can go.

Now don't worry, I'm not going to delete everything, but I realize that I don't need every year Thunderbird posted here or every F series truck and station wagon. Some of the Festiva pictures may go also, as well as others that will be eliminated to regain space.

I will not be eliminating any links, but they should all be available on the link page anyway.
This may result in the elimination of some reader comments, but I will try and avoid that if possible.

This very post will be removed after a few days to make space.

So if you like a picture copy it to your hardrive now. I will be starting with May and then April and finally June. I should have the posts removed by the end of the holiday weekend.

Luckily I have all of these photos on hard drive and CD for my own collection. I may try and move some of the better photos to my underused AOL photo page.


Opps! I may have been wrong, it looks like Blogger does not have a limit of 999 posts after all. I think that's just a monthly limit or something.
I will not be deleting anymore old posts. I may delete this one to save myself the embarasment :) I'm going to check with Blogger support and find out for sure.

Alright, I checked and there does not seem to be a limit on total posts, so I will not be deleting anything including this post. I am not going through the process of restoring the posts I have deleted though.
I know I'm lazy.

Gotta love Blogger/Blogspot though. If it wasn't free, I wouldn't have started, but if it ever charges a fee, I'll consider keeping it.

Eric's 69 Ranchero project

The before shot of Eric's 1969 Ranchero project. He's got a blog detailing what mods he's doing and with a lot of good quality pictures showing progress. Click the link to see for yourself.

He's come a long way, can't wait to see this project finished. Check out his blog for the full story.

Correction

In an earlier post I stated that Ford of Australia had an IRS called Control Blade and while that is correct this suspension is not available in the station wagon or Ute versions. Thanks to Ben from Down Under for the clarification.

Sometimes, I get caught up in the emotion and confuse the facts.
I still stand by my assertation that Ford has many options already in their global product mix.

Pimp or Ho?

Can I be bought? Would I compromise my principals for personal gain?

Hell Yes! I'll take any one of these three lovely Mustangs in Windveil Blue!

CarPundit hilights an article on Bloggers who advertise overtly or discreetly on their blogs.
The one fella who only got paid $5 for his mentioning a service was comical. For my own part, I don't intentionally advertise any product or service on my blog. I have mentioned and linked to commercial sites if they interest me or I feel my readers may appreciate the heads up.

But Blogger has the option for sites like mine to put up banner ads and links to make a proffit.
These ads are supposed to increase traffic on a site also, which God knows I could use some traffic on here, but I did not opt for that. I felt that if people were going to read my ramblings, I would not additionally anoy them with pop up ads, banners or outright shilling for products or services.

Now if Ford wanted to donate a new Mustang to my cause I wouldn't turn them down, but $5?

I know this is a bit off topic for me, but I got a kick out of it and thought you may want to check it out. Click the link in the header to see CarPundit's article and the links there.

BigFordFan ;)

Does Ford need to stretch the Mustang to compete with Chrysler's LH platform?

Some people on different blogs are asking for a 4 door variant of the Mustang. One blogger even wants to call it the Falcon. Here's what I've got to say about that;

First off, Ford has at least two platforms available that are rear wheel drive and have V-8 power and Independent Rear Suspensions. The first is available here in the US today. Walk into any Lincoln dealer and walk over to the LS. The Lincoln LS which is not selling as well as it should, hit the market a few years ago based on a new corporate platform that was shared with the Jaguar S Type and the Ford Thunderbird, and which shared some development with the new Mustang platform. I've read on several websites and in print that the Mustang chassis was a further development of this chassis. But I'm not interested in debating that. The point is that while some people argue that Ford has no chassis to compete with the new LH cars from Chrysler, that's just not true. The LS chassis is perfect for this, with IRS a V-8 or V-6 powertrain, and in the Jaguar a supercharged V-8 making over 380 hp.

The second chassis that Ford has that could be adapted for the purpose is the Australian Ford Falcon. Again with 6 or 8 cylinder powertrains and IRS capable of putting over 450 hp to the ground. With this chassis, they have the added bonus of a station wagon, crossover SUV and Ranchero like UTE. I've posted before on the strong atributes of this Ford from down under and how I feel it could be a natural for the US market.

Now either chassis could be made availalbe with AWD and powerful V-8 options, so take your pick. Ford has the raw materials to deliver the goods without having to come up with a clean sheet design.

Lincoln LS a 4 door V-8 powered rear wheel drive sedan with IRS.

The LS suffered from poor marketing and low power when compared to it's competition. Since it's initial release, sales have been steadily dropping and word is that Ford will bring a replacement based on the Volvo S-80 platform, with front wheel and optional all wheel drive.

When it first arrived the LS had 252 hp from a 3.9 L V-8 that was shared with the Thunderbird and Jaguar S Type. Later the horsepower in the Lincoln and Thunderbird rose to 283 hp. The problem was Cadillac's new CTS and Chrysler's 300 were both available with much more power, closer to 350-400 hp. Now for Jaguar, Ford added a sueprcharger and this 4.0 l V-8 puts out 390 hp.

The LS pictured above has a 4.6 supercharged V-8 and was built by Ford Engineers to race in the One Lap of America race. So it's apparent that the chassis will accept the larger V-8 and more power.

Australian Ford Falcon GT and Ute versioin.

If I have to explain this one in detail, then you're not a real car guy. The Australian Falcon/Fairmont has been an evolution starting in the early 70's when Ford discontinued the Falcon platform in the US, the Australian Engineers did not want to adopt the new Fairlane/Torino chassis and after making their case to Ford corporate in Dearborn were given the green light to develop a locally designed alternative. The rest as they say is history. Now 30 years later Ford of Australia has evolved their car into the versatile competant and exciting car pictured here. The range of cars built off this chassis include long wheelbase sedans with luxury to compare with the best of Europe and and a Freestyle type crossover SUV called the Territory, as well as a Utility body or UTE.

All have a base 4.2l I-6 making 240hp and there are optional powertrains going up to 500 hp including a 5.4l supercharged V-8. Also this chassis uses a new IRS called Control Blade which can handle all of that power and supply handling and comfort.

This one's a no brainer kids. I know it would cost money to Federalize this chassis for emissions and safety, but it's got to be cheaper than designing a new chassis. I'm not saying, import the car from Australia, build it here at the plants building Panther platforms.

Fixing Ford, can it be done?

What is the future of Ford? What do you think they should do to save themselves? I was reading Bob Schulties' blog Cars Cars Cars! and his latest post; http://carscarscars.blogs.com/index/2005/06/fix_ford.html
got me thinking. So I'm dusting off the soapbox and having my say. And I'd like to know what you think Ford can do better. You can comment here or email me directly at myforddreams@aol.com Any feedback would be appreciated.

As much as I love Ford, they have very little going for them right now except the F series trucks. Thankfully the Mustang is selling much better than anticipated, but is it enough? 2006 could be a turn around year for Ford, with so many new products coming out. The new Fusion, Milan and Zephyr arrive in dealerships in September and October with pricing set competitively and future plans including All Wheel Drive and possibly Hybrid powertrains (probably adapted from the Escape.)

With Chrysler's new LH platform(300, Magnum and just released Charger) selling well and getting a lot of positive ink in the automotive press, Ford and GM are both rumored to be bringing new Rear Wheel Drive platforms to market. GM had canceled it's new platform from Australia and is now thinking about a "lite" version of the Cadillac chassis. Now rumors are buzzing around on different websites, that a version of the 427 Concept may be in the works (as well as a Lincoln version.)

The last I had read(Motor Trend Future Vehicles section) was that Ford was going to spend 1 Billion dollars on 'freshening" the Panther platform, that has been around since 1979 under the Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis (Marauder) and Lincoln Town Car. Then they will spend an additional 2 Billion dollars to create a replacement by 2010. To stay competitive in the Rear Wheel Drive market, Ford will have to do a lot of work.

Or will they? In Australia Ford sells the Falcon/Fairmont family of cars, with four wheel independent suspension and some very powerful optional powerplants. Ford's Control Blade independent Rear Suspension can handle the 500 hp V-8 and turbocharged I-6(over 400 hp) in their FPV versions (think SVT down under.) Even if this car is not suited for the US market as some respected bloggers have told me, it does illustrate that Ford knows how to build what they need.

Don't even get me started on the Focus, what a sham, everyone but us gets a new great Focus and we get some freshened sheetmetal and loose the SVT Focus. When you're looking at the new Volvo C-40 think Focus Vignale.

2006 Ranger, is Ford just going to give up on a market it once dominated? While the Ranger is a great truck, it's underpowered and smaller than it's competitors and Ford seems unwilling to invest the money and time to save it.

For a number of years, the Ford Ranger was the number 1 selling Compact truck in the US.
And over the years, the US sourced Ranger replaced the Mazda sourced Courier in overseas markets. Overseas versions of the Ranger are well adapted to the markets they service, with a diesel option, not seen on these shores in many years and a crew cab version available everywhere but the US and Canada. Ford opting to give us the Explorer based Sport Trac.

Now Compact trucks have all moved up to Midsize status, with the exception of the Ranger and it's Mazda clone. Even GM invested heavily in their new Colorado/Canyon twins (and Isuzu clone) with new more powerful engines, stiffer chassis and a crew cab that is more inline with competitors like Dodge, Toyota and Nissan. All of these trucks have received major redesigns over the last 2 years and Ford gives us nothing more than a "new" grill.

Rumors online are that Ford is willing to throw in the towel in the fight for the Compact/Midsize truck market. This seems foolish to me and while I'm no professional, I would think that the rise of fuel prices would mean that this market may grow. I just don't see Ford giving up on it. As any reader will know I have a Ranger and I love it, wouldn't trade it for any full size truck. But to be honest if I was in the market for a new compact truck, the Nissan Frontier would be the likely choice.

2006 Mustang, a success, but is it enough? The Mustang is certainly a home run for Ford, exceeding projected sales by almost 50%, they've stopped taking orders on 2005 models and told dealers to start taking orders for 2006. They can't keep GT's on the lot and even the V-6 model doesn't linger for long. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-06-27-mustang-usat_x.htm

With new special models in the pipeline, like the new Pony package for the V-6 and rumored Mach 1(spotted by AutoProphet; http://theautoprophet.blogspot.com ) and California Specials (BlueOvalNews) as well as the much anticipated Shelby GT 500 by SVT, it's likely that Mustang will sell very well for the next few years.

It's rumored that Chrysler may release a 2 door version of their new Charger called the challenger, hoping to sell as many as 60,000 a year, chipping away at Mustang sales. And let's not forget GM, there are rumors flying (although it may not happen) of a new Camaro/Firebird.
Ford definitely has a headstart on these models, but with sales under 200,000 per year, the Mustang may not be enough.

Ford really needs the new Fusion/Milan/Zephyr models to take off and fast.

2006 Lincoln Zephyr, one of three new Ford cars based on the Mazda 6 platform.

Lincoln really needs the Zephyr and hopefully the Aviator to be big hits. The Town Car is getting long in the tooth and you can't depend on the Navigator to carry the brand. But as much as I like the Zephyr, it's no competition for the new Cadillac and Chrysler rear wheel drive sedans. The Lincoln LS is due for a redesign and rumors are that it may be based on the Volvo S-80 architecture like the new Fivehundred/Montego models. This could be a fatal mistake for Ford.

Platform sharing is fine if each model can be tailored to the respective customer. And while All Wheel Drive is no doubt a great option, Rear Wheel Drive with new Traction Control ESP programming can be a more cost effective option. One of my brothers drives a new Dodge Magnum with the Hemi and Ford has nothing that can touch this. Bob drove his Magnum in all of this past winter's storms without any problems thanks to his Traction and Stability control systems. And despite his Hemi's 340 horsepower, managed decent fuel economy with the engine displacement control system. So is a Lincoln Fivehundred clone a good idea? No, it's not.

The Lincoln LS shares it's chassis and engine architecture with the Jaguar S type and the departing Thunderbird. The chassis is competent and the engine while not very powerful with the blue oval on it (252 hp in T'Bird and 283 hp in LS) it has been massaged and supercharged for Jaguar and Range Rover (390 hp.) This car came to the market before the new LH platform from Chrysler, but was not developed or evolved.

Will the new Zephyr suffer the same fate as the Versailles? Will the LS become a rebadged Fivehundred? Hopefully the answer will be no to both questions.

One of 3 Crossover SUV's that Ford may pull off the Mazda 6 platform, the Lincoln Aviator.
This one looks like it could be a home run for Ford, but it may need more than the 250 hp to really compete with the likes of Lexus. Hell even the Honda Pilot has 255 hp.

I love the styling and size of this model. Based on the new Mazda Crossport (Mazda 6 mechanicals) this truck will only lack power. No amount of bargain pricing will fix that.
Ford needs to work on this before bringing it to market, find another 50 or 75 horsepower.

Ford needs to bring Lincoln back up to speed so to speak, make it more competitive with Cadillac, Chrysler, Acura, Lexus and Infinity. Then maybe they can take a shot at BMW and Audi.

Mercury is a lost cause, it's only purpose is to give Lincoln entry level cars. Just rebadged Ford models with stupid "waterfall" grills. Ford should rethink Mercury altogether. Make it more competitive with youth oriented brands like Scion, Saturn and maybe even low priced German imports like VW and Audi. Start bringing some of the European Ford models over as Mercury not Merkur. And loose the waterfall grill.

United Ford Owners of Ohio

These people know how to have fun. Check out their website and all the pictures from their events. Drags, Cruises, Swapmeets, Autocrosses. Why can't there be a club like this near me?
I noticed a few of their members at Carlisle and they have over 300 pictures from Carlisle on their site. Click the link above.

2006 Pony Mustang

This may be my Ford Dream. I've always liked this blue, but delete the stripes. I'm debating on the V-8.

Prices released for Fusion

2006 Ford Fusion prices released, check out article on BlueOvalNews and go to Ford to preview Fusion. http://www.forddirect.com

Birthplace of Ford Model T almost lost in fire

The birthplace of greatness, nearly lost forever. The factory in Detroit where Henry Ford designed and built the first Model T. Click the link to the news article. I found out about this on AutoProphet last night.

AutoProphet has updated me, letting me know that the Model T plant survived, but the Studebaker plant was lost.

Model T, the car that put the world on wheels

The first Model T's were built here, before moving production to Highland Park

This car put the world on wheels, the first quality car, priced for everyone.

Preservation group had begun renovations

Group has been restoring building to create museum of Automotive history. When I have a chance, I would like to go to Detroit and Dearborn on an Automotive pilgrimage.