Latest news with #Mustang
Motor 1
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
'70s Mustang Dyno Cobra Result Shows the Horrors of the Malaise Era
Just how weak was the American performance car in the 1970s? Very weak. New emissions and fuel-economy regulations sucked the life out of the American V-8, and it wasn't until the rise of modern engine management systems that our performance cars got a bit of muscle back. A dyno test of a 1979 Ford Mustang Cobra shows just how grim things got. YouTube channel Late Model Restoration recently did a mostly cosmetic restoration of this early Fox-body Mustang , and rather than stick a much hotter V-8 under the hood, it kept things stock. On its dyno, the automatic Cobra managed just 125 horsepower and 211 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. That's not terrible since Ford rated this 4.9-liter (badged as a 5.0) engine at 140 hp and 250 lb-ft when new. But also, sheesh. Today's four-cylinder Mustang makes well more than double that. That's just 25.5 hp/liter, or 15.6 hp/cylinder. This Cobra's automatic transmission probably isn't doing it any favors, either. And remarkably, this wasn't even the lowest-powered V-8 Mustang: Ford offered a 4.2-liter V-8 in the 1980 Mustang that made just 118 hp. Things wouldn't be so dark for so long, though. By 1985, Ford managed to get over 200 hp out of its Mustang V-8, and it's been a steady climb ever since. Today's Mustang Dark Horse makes 500 hp out of a V-8 of the same displacement. And if you owned a Mustang Cobra back in 1979, things could've been worse. Late Model Restoration once dynoed a '79 Mustang Ghia, and its naturally aspirated 2.3-liter four-cylinder made just 64 hp. More on the Ford Mustang The Mustang's New Appearance Pack Is a 1980s Fever Dream Next-Gen Shelby GT500 Looks Menacing in New Spy Shots Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
New York Post
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Sydney Sweeney tantrum is all about the left's rage at America's rejection
Pretty much everyone wears blue jeans in modern America. Jeans have gone from workwear to high fashion over the last 150-plus years. Dress them up, dress them down . . . they're as flexible as American culture. Perhaps they are so enduring because everyone can wear them. Fat or skinny, tall or short, curvy to curve-less and everything in between — jeans are the fashion of unity. But when we're buying a pair, we're not contemplating any of that. We want to think about what we could look like wearing them, or who might be attracted to us while we're wearing them. I am speaking, of course, about the power of advertising, and last week the latest ad for American Eagle jeans caused extreme distress among the Very Online crowd. It's a pretty basic ad: Current Hollywood 'It Girl' Sydney Sweeney poses provocatively next to a classic Mustang, wearing classic jeans and a classic white shirt. She sexily fiddles with the engine, sexily closes the hood, then drives away in her sexy car while wearing her sexy jeans. The narrator tells us, 'Sydney Sweeney has great genes.' (Genes/jeans, get it?) The outrage seems two-fold. First, the usual suspects are screaming accusations of racism at the idea of a white, blond, blue-eyed starlet declaring the superiority of her genes. Shades of eugenics, according to the congregants of the Church of the Perpetually Offended. To a lesser extent, but still very obvious to those of us who have been observing the culture wars of the last 30 years, the left seems upset at the very notion of an attractive young woman being used to sell clothing. American Eagle's deliberate bucking of the 'body positive' trend thrust upon us by the human resources cult utterly infuriates certain unstable members of our eclectic society. Some people blame all their failures in life on the fact that someone else was smarter, cuter or richer. It's envy, of course, and it undergirds every ridiculous complaint about the new American Eagle campaign. But I believe the overheated uproar over Sweeney's ad is about more than just racism or envy. It's about Donald Trump — or more precisely, about the sharp right turn the American people took last November. We are witnessing the desperate tantrums of a progressive left that is struggling to accept the verdict of the electorate. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters We have rejected their bizarre views on gender and sexuality. We have rejected their open-border, America Last programs. We have rejected their safe spaces and brutal fragility. We have rejected their pronouns and their creepy obsession with our children. The pandemic response so effectively choked off information that it gaslit Americans into believing our national sensibilities had dramatically shifted. The extreme left was mainstreamed and validated, while the rest of us were confined to our homes and computer screens. But after November, the leftists must face a sudden reality: They were never the majority at all. And they are not stronger than the American spirit. It's a tough pill to swallow for the crowd accustomed to shouting down teenage girls complaining about boys in their school bathrooms. Their problem with Sweeney is the same problem now shared by the entire Democratic complex — they are angry they were wrong. They are angry the American people made them wrong, and that means everything average Americans love is wrong. We don't want to buy our jeans from people who look like us; we want to buy our jeans from people who look like our fantasy of us. American men like looking at hot, busty women, and American women like looking hot in the eyes of American men. That is a perfectly typical attitude, and one that has been used with great success since the dawn of corporate advertising. Of course the left had to frame their rage in terms of racism and Nazis. After their Tesla terrorism tirade, they've practically made the swastika their official symbol. But what really offends them is the normal desire of normal Americans for normal things. Blue jeans, beautiful women, fast cars. We keep it simple in this part of the world, and the progressive left does not like simple, as evidenced by their 89-and-counting genders. The Sydney Sweeney ad campaign perfectly embodies how Trump's Golden Age is permeating every aspect of American society. And it's got the progressive left — bereft of ideas, strategies and interesting spokespersons — seething. Long live blue jeans and beauty. America is back. Kira Davis is an independent opinion journalist and podcaster living in Southern California.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford CEO Jim Farley Delivers Jay Leno's Mustang GTD
Famed fire survivor and not-a-Ferrari owner Jay Leno just took custody of his brand-new Ford Mustang GTD, the American carmaker's attempt to muscle in on the European exotic market. And I do mean brand new. The car only just started rolling off the assembly lines of the company that invented assembly lines, and Leno's GTD is serial number 12, matching his Ford GTs. The Mustang was delivered straight to him by no less than Ford CEO Jim Farley himself. As seen on the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Farley walks the one-time talk show host through the Mustang GTD and what makes it special. Farley says that this is the "ultimate Mustang ever built," and it's not hard to see why: This front-engined American machine lapped the Nurburgring in just 6:52.072. It managed that using the optional Performance Pack, which adds a front splitter, underbody flaps, and a Formula 1-style DRS spoiler that grants it 2,000 pounds of downforce at 180 mph. The Mustang GTD is the street-legal version of the race-spec Mustang GT3 that took a podium finish at Le Mans in 2024. As Farley keeps on pointing out to Leno, though, the GTD comes with a bunch of features the race car didn't even get. And yet, as Leno takes it for a spin on the streets of LA, he notes, "You could drive this every day... In a complimentary way, it's like a Miata. It's extremely light and nimble on its feet." It's calm enough, when you want it to be, to act like a normal car. Read more: These Are The Best Engines Of All Time, According To You Finer Details On the rear of the GTD there's an etching of every generation of Mustang, a proud lineage that the GTD is now at the apex of. The paddle shifters, gear knob, and serial plate are 3D printed out of titanium, because as Farley says, every last detail of the car is focused on "weight and performance." He didn't mention that the titanium literally comes from decommissioned F-22 fighter jets, but, just so you know, it comes from decommissioned F-22 fighter jets. Inside the cabin itself, there's a little rear window just to see the suspension dampers in action. Farley points this out during the actual drive, though Leno jokes that he can't look without crashing. I don't know that any production car has ever let me look at the suspension, uh, suspending, but that's certainly a way to signal that this is no normal car. Most touching of all: Everyone who actually built the car signed it underneath the hood, a testament to the fact that this is a low-volume model with only a small team working on it. Only 1,000 GTDs will ever be made. Leno has other Fords that were signed this way, and he says that he's always open to signatories or their relatives swinging by the garage to see it. Exotic, But Also Homegrown American Farley says that the Mustang GTD is a "high-performance exotic car," rather than a more traditional muscle car. That said, it was important to Ford that the Mustang remained recognizably a Mustang. So where, say, the Chevrolet Corvette has gone mid-engined, the GTD still has a great big stonking V8 right at the front of the car. It's a supercharged 5.2-liter engine based on the company's Predator line, making 815 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. That's good for a top speed of 202 mph. Stopping all that power are ceramic brakes with 17-inch rotors. The GTS also boasts $4,000 worth of microchips onboard for the computers to perform all their wizardry, a lithium-ion battery in place of a paltry old 12-volt, and you even get a concierge service, meaning a specialist flies in to do any work the car needs. If you'd like a signed Ford Mustang GTD yourself, it's easy! You just have to apply for one (so Ford can judge whether you're special enough, I guess) and fork over $327,960, at minimum, before you put any extras on it. That prices it a little bit above a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, one of the European exotics the GTD is meant to directly challenge. Worth it? Whichever side of that answer you fall on, you know you want one. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Ford Mustang Mach-E Long-Term Test Drive: Is EV Driving Addictive?
Ford Mustang Mach-E I love test driving EVs. They're fun thanks to instant acceleration, a quiet ride, more horsepower than similarly sized vehicles and modern, often minimalist design. Most hug the road thanks to the 'skateboard' style battery pack and front and rear motors that deliver all wheel drive for even more capability. But would I love owning one? They come with some reputational baggage and uncertainty: People complain that public chargers are often broken, that not all cars are compatible with all chargers, that it can be costly to outfit a home with an EV charger. Cold temperatures can reduce range; hot temperatures and a high speed driving can eat up your battery power. Can you take a long trip in an EV? I wanted to know. So, I asked Ford to loan me a Mustang Mach-E and to leave it in my driveway for several months rather than the usual week. They agreed. The view from the driver's seat in the Ford Mustang Mach-E Why The Ford Mustang Mach-E? When Ford introduced the Mustang Mach-E it was a bigger moment for the company than many realized: A passion-fueled project, it targeted the EV market that Tesla had cornered by understanding why customers love their Teslas: it's not a car, it's a lifestyle. A different way of driving, yes, but a different way of thinking. Tapping the deep emotional ties between Mustang and its drivers, Ford drew on the brand's heritage, design language, and power/trim lineup (good, great, exhilarating). Then they added features and options to further build on the Mustang mystique. The result was—and still is—a much sought-after compact hatchback SUV that has legions of fans and fan clubs and some celebrity owners including Wall Street Journal tech writer Joanna Stern. Mach-E continues to increase sales each year and finished 2024 as the third best selling EV behind Tesla Y and Tesla 3. But I needed to know more: what it's like to live with an EV's novel features, such as an app that allows you to drive without a key and pass it to other drivers, that monitors your charging, that allows you to use Tesla Superchargers. To use Blue Cruise hands-free highway driving on my regular commute, which entails a lot of traffic on the highway. And to master one-pedal driving—which you know you've done when your passengers don't know you're doing it. Would the Ford Mustang Mach-E change me as a driver? The Pony icon on the Ford Mustang Mach-E Driving The Ford Mustang Mach-E Is Effortless, Unlike Any Other Car I knew this about driving an EV: it's effortless. There's little need to use the brake, shifting gears is quick and simple, many don't even require you to tap a start button (though the Mach-E does). What I didn't realize is that I'd quickly become addicted to it, and that driving other cars would seem like a lot more work. One-pedal drive mode allows you to mostly just adjust your foot on the accelerator to slow and even come to a complete stop. Yes, it also recharges the battery a bit but that's a nominal reason for using it; the sheer lightness of never having to smash the brake is liberating. And once you stop, you're stopped thanks to auto hold (which is a toggle on the control screen). No need to continually press the brake of an anxiously-powered car that will creep ahead when you lift your foot. You can rest your foot on the accelerator and sprint ahead instantly when the light turns green. This little tidbit is delicious, and it's something you'll never know until you try it. And you can still smoke the starting line. More than a few times a loud, rumbly gas-powered car would roll up next to me in traffic and check out the Mustang Mach-E's silhouette, clearly wondering if it's as fast as it's rumored to be. A quick tap of the accelerator and that V8 is a speck in your rear view mirror while his turbo is still scrolling up power. Charging the Ford Mustang Mach-E Using Tesla Superchargers Is A Game Changer My long term test drive came with a gift from Jim Farley, Ford's CEO: A Tesla-style NACS adapter. This meant that I could pop it onto the end of a Tesla charge cord and charge the Mach-E. I liked that I could charge with the cool kids, and that this access opened up literally thousands and thousands of charge stations nationwide. I also like that Tesla and Ford worked out the software handshake without a third party complicating things so it works easily and reliably. Last, Tesla's stations are nicely maintained and reliable, so I didn't expect (and didn't experience) any non-working plugs. In all, it was convenient, yes, but there are caveats, too: The location of the Mustang Mach-E's charge port and the short cords that Tesla installed on most of their charge stations means you have to straddle two parking spots and pull as far forward as possible to make the Tesla charge cord reach. I only did this in charge stations with a lot of open plugs and it took me a couple of tries to get it right. To use the Tesla Supercharger you have to add your payment information to your FordPass app, then when you want to charge, use the app to find a charger and activate the plug you want to use; it'll start charging when you connect the plug to your car and when it's done, it'll process payment; you'll get a notification on your app. This is really convenient but you need to know this before heading to your first Supercharger. The Lectron charger app proved very helpful in charging the Mustang Mach-E The Thrifty Work-Around That Made Charging At Home Easy The ability to 'fuel' your car at home is one of the main reasons the idea of driving an EV appeals to me. I hate going to the gas station: It's not convenient, it's not fun and it's always expensive. But charging at home? I regularly added 40% to the battery, about 100 miles, for about $3. That would cost $13 at the gas pump (and, public charging is about the same price as gas where I live in Texas). It sounds cheap, but does the math work out if you factor in a $4,000 power wall added to your garage? If you're not using all its benefits—connecting to solar panels, selling extra power to the grid or using your car to power your house, then it's probably not worth it. For me, the answer was to add a level 2 charge cord; I went with a cord from Lectron and hired an electrician to install an outlet. Once installed I realized I still and an issue: The car drew about 40 amps but the largest circuit in my electrical box was 30 amps; when I plugged in the car it tripped the circuit. A friend advised rather than dealing with the electrician again, which would cost $150, I should get a wifi-enabled smart charger; with the charger's app I could select the charging current I wanted to use; I set it to 24 amps and the Mach-E charged beautifully. It recharged 40% in just a few hours but took 14 hours to get to 100%. I could see when charging started, when it stopped and how many kilowatt hours were used in the Lectron app. Estee takes the wheel of the Ford Mustang Mach-E Putting The Naysayers To The EV Test: What My Family Thought In my household cars are not personal, they are communal: My husband and daughters drive them as needed, taking each other to the airport, going to dinner, road trips and more. The Mustang Mach-E needed to be part of the community, too. So everyone drove it. And everyone loved it, but for different reasons. I was honestly surprised: My Luddite husband, a man who's challenged to change a lightbulb but can deliver a lightning quick in-depth analysis of almost anything, is loath to give up something he loves for a new-and-improved version. I thought he would hate the Mustang Mach-E. Turns out he loved the effortless experience of driving it and one-pedal driving as much as I did. It made him feel even more accomplished and polished behind the wheel. He also loved the open-cabin design and he got used to the large multimedia screen. He didn't learn to use Blue Cruise hands free driving or 'hello Ford' voice activation but … Luddite. My older daughter loved the easy drive experience but not one-pedal driving; every time she took the Mach-E she immediately turned off one-pedal driving for a more usual drive experience. Even her boyfriend, a Ram 1500 driver, was impressed by the Mach-E. My younger daughter also loved it, scooting around town to ferry me to appointments and take me to lunch. If it means spending time with my kids, I'm happy to let them drive me. Throughout the test drive the one question in our family chat was, 'when will you need a ride to the airport?' meaning they could drop me off and then take the Mach-E while I was gone. The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E that served as my long term test drive I Never Want A Car Key Again… And Other Lessons From Driving The Mach-E One of the things I liked most, and there were a lot, was never needing to bring a car key. My phone was all I needed. I never even needed to lock the car; it would lock automatically when I walked away with my phone and unlock when I approached. I could pass the key to a hotel or restaurant valet; I could hand it off to one of my kids. I left the car at the airport and didn't need to dig through my things to find the key when I returned; it simply unlocked as I approached. I also loved charging the Mach-E in my garage. When I realized I needed to fuel the car I just popped out to the garage and plugged it in. I could plug it in at night and let it fully replenish over night. Unless I was on a road trip I never charged it anywhere other than home, which was as refreshing as it was thrifty. The Mach-E's 240 mile range was just fine. The longer range 312-mile battery adds $4,250 to the price, but unless you have a specific need for more range, it's not worth it. I road tripped twice and never felt range was an issue. What else did I fall in love with? The panoramic sunroof; the open, airy cabin. Hands-free highway driving. 'Hey Ford' voice assistance. Having guests in the car; the cabin is so chic and comfortable it's a great place to have coffee with a friend or do a Zoom call (which I did quite a few times). And I liked how I was as a driver: more focused on the road and the journey and less on managing the machine. Or maybe, I became more one with the machine, more hand-in glove than hand-on the wheel. Whichever it was, I'm addicted and can't wait to do it again.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford Stock Dips on Mustang Price News
Ford (NYSE:F) shares slid nearly 1.5% after news that the 2026 Mustang will dodge big price hikes and keep most trims flat. You read that rightonly the base model ticks up $400 while the EcoBoost Premium actually drops $1,200 versus last year. Some 2025 configs can still be had for roughly $2,500 less once incentives kick in. Switch Auto Insurance and Save Today! Great Rates and Award-Winning Service The Insurance Savings You Expect Affordable Auto Insurance, Customized for You Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with F. The catch? Ford moved its Magnesium Framed Curved Glass Display off the standard sheet and slapped a $1,000 option charge on it. Meanwhile, rumblings around reviving the fun?sized Ranger Splash pickup hint at Ford trying to recapture younger buyers with its No Boring Cars push. From the chart above, we can see Ford stock is trading more than 8% higher than its consensus estimates, and comfortably higher than its GF value, suggesting considerable downside potential. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
