The Mustang GT has always been a real kick in the pants. Powerful, classically understated, well priced and packed full of amazing exhaust notes. It has and always will represent a true performer for the masses. But much like Harley’s old tech Evo motors, Mustang GT’s 4.6 L SOHC V8 is more than a little long in the tooth and, alongside newer entrants like Chevy Camaro SS and Dodge Challenger SRT-8, was beginning to lack big time in the horsepower department. Even the V6 powered engine that debuted in the new-for-2009 Camaro nearly matched the 2010 Mustang GT’s 315 ponies. That is until Ford dusted off the celebrated 5.0 engine nameplate for another go around in the 2011 model year.

I put a couple of hundred miles on a Kona Blue tester last weekend, and take it from me folks, it doesn’t get a whole lot more muscular than this. In route to Shelter Island, my girlfriend, taken aback by the heavenly symphony of exhaust reverberations, asked me if it was supposed to be that loud. I think you can guess what I told her. With a whopping 412 horsepower and 390 lb·ft of torque, the high-tech mill makes good on any power deficits that may have previously existed. More importantly, the GT now bites as loudly as it barks and hangs tight with cross town muscle from Chevy and Dodge. I found it pretty easy to chirp the rear tires in the first 3 gears (by the way, there are 6 of them now) as I worked my way up to the revised 7,000 RPM redline. As one eloquent reviewer from Car & Driver described the new engine, “…It’s utterly fabulous, a 7000-rpm cavalry charge that generates incredibly smooth, linear thrust across its broad rev band. Were you to paint the cam lids red and stick on a chrome trident, most Maserati owners would never know the difference. Yes, it’s that good.”

From a visual standpoint, this GT is a real sleeper and sports handsome, understated styling reminiscent of the fastbacks of yesteryear. A chrome 5.0 badge adorns the front fenders to let everyone know that you mean business. For the track rats among us, there is an optional Brembo brake package, borrowed from the almighty GT500, that includes 14-inch vented front discs and unique 19-inch alloy wheels and summer performance tires. I didn’t have too much opportunity to put all that stopping power to proper use, but let’s just say the brakes are more than capable of slowing down all that muscle in a hurry if the need arises.

The 2011 Mustang GT hit dealerships earlier this month and starts just under $30k with the close ratio manual tranny – that works out to about $73 dollars per pony. For comparisons sake, consider that the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo will run you about $266/pony. Not too shabby.

Enjoy the weekend

Source: Car & Driver via Youtube

I found this 540 HP snake charmer tucked away in front of a Chelsea office building one sunny afternoon. The black and red hot rod almost looked guilty, as if it had been out speeding and doing smokey burnouts all afternoon. Or maybe the owner simply needed a parking space so he could run inside to grab something. Either way, I think we can all agree, this drop top ain’t a half bad way to get around town.

Shot with my Leica M6

I was going through my files and stumbled onto these amazing pictures taken during a muscle car comparo I wrote for the Summer 2009 issue of Men’s Fitness. The photo editor decided against using these images, instead opting for stock photography to accompany the review. He fed me some line about the gloomy weather not being sunny enough. Does anyone know what he was thinking? We all know that wet muscle cars look better than dry muscle cars any day of the week. They have more attitude. And the grey skies add a menacing effect to the trio’s already aggressive styling. I hope you enjoy them.

Source: Will Anderson Photography (images used with permission)

The owner of this cherry red ‘Stang couldn’t have chosen a better parking space considering the high end neighborhood and for sale sign in the windshield. In fact, this perennial pony car is so perfect in every way that it seems entirely plausible the restoration shop unloaded it directly from the flatbed in front of Cipriani’s posh West Broadway location upon completion. We are not sure if there were any takers but the restaurant’s deep pocketed clientele cast more than a few stares at the gussied up American icon as they enjoyed one of the precious few days left for outdoor dining.

We got plenty of attention in our Torch Red tester with Satin Silver Le Mans racing stripes. This Mustang of Mustangs looks quite different than its non-Shelby V6 and V8 stable mates thanks to, among other things, quite possibly the meanest face in the business. It’s positively menacing and struts angry black mesh from top to bottom.  A half coiled Cobra sits on the grille’s passenger side to let onlookers know about the 540 HP V8 that’s waiting to strike into action. Other Shelby-specific styling cues include 19-inch alloy wheels (18s on the convertible), high-performance Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires (255/45 front and 285/35 rear), Brembo brakes, an aluminum hood with mounted heat extractors to release trapped air from under the hood, a front air splitter, and, for added downforce, a ducktail-style rear spoiler with a “Gurney flap” built in to the top of the wing.

Strap yourself in, engage the clutch pedal, turn the key and listen intently as the 5.4L supercharged V8 mounted ahead of you grumbles to life in a quick roar. Then click the Hurst short throw shifter into gear, pop the new-for-2010 dual-disc clutch and hold on for dear life as you mash the gas pedal into the floor. Thanks to Ford’s AdvanceTrac stability and traction control systems, which default to the “on” position upon start-up, the fat 285/35 rear tires hook up quickly and easily (the electronic nannies can be turned off altogether for those who want to lay down fat piles of rubber). The grumble you heard at idle immediately morphs into a violent snorting that becomes more addictive each time you tear through a new gear (there are 6 of them in the GT500 as compared to 5 in the GT). About halfway to the 7,000 RPM redline, the roots-type supercharger starts feeding in boost and adds a pleasing whine to the soundtrack. Talk about fast, the nearly 2 ton Shelby will hit 60 in 4.3 seconds and, when piloted by someone more talented than me, can cover a quarter mile in the mid 12 second range.

Like the 2007-2009 model that preceded it, the 2010 GT500 represents an engineering collaboration with Carroll Shelby and Ford’s in-house performance division SVT. Starting at $46,325 (MSRP), the GT500 is hands down one of the best performance bargains in the industry with each of the 540 ponies (up 40 HP from the previous model) running you approximately $86. The uber Mustang is only bested by Camaro V8 (426 HP for $30,245), Camaro V6 (304 HP for $22,245) and Hyundai’s new V6-powered Genesis Coupe (306 HP for $25k). Just for shits, consider that the roughly $1.7 million Bugatti Veyron will cost you almost $1,700 for each of its 1,001 ponies. It looks like the GT500 truly is the muscle car hero for our trying times.

More refined and upscale than its Dearborn platform-mate, these ‘67-’68 gen 1 Cougars were positioned as Mustangs that had gone off to European finishing school. Aside from the fact that the two cars shared no exterior body panels, Cougar customers also got more luxurious appointments and standard V8 power. We were stopped dead in our tracks by the gaping full-width grille that is often likened to that of an electric shaver.

Mercury’s Cougar was all downhill from here but we are still waiting for Ford to adopt a similar product strategy with Lincoln by somehow utilizing Mustang’s RWD platform for a luxurious GT car akin to a Cadillac’s XLR. The luscious 2007 MKR concept, minus two doors, is an indication of how a project like this could turn out if given the green light.