Autoblog

God help us for posting about another Mustang iteration, but with Ford's commitment to bring a variant of the Pony car to market each year, it was simply a matter of time before the rumors began to swirl. This newest one, courtesy of MustangEvolution, contends that a revival of the Mach 1 is due out sometime in 2009.

While another special edition 'Stang is enough to cause a bout of acid reflux, the basis for the Mach 1 may be yet another tribute to the coupe's cinematic roots. James Bond drove a red Mach 1, sans black stripes and mag wheels, in 1971's Diamonds are Forever, and supposedly Ford is looking for the original car as the basis for the 2009 model. While we can argue the merits of another Mustang variant, a Bond-badged version might seem a bit more palatable – barely.

[Source: MustangEvolution]

Barrett-Jackson and Mustangs seem to go hand-in-hand, especially special edition Mustangs. We just told you about the one-off Roush BlackJack Mustang convertible that will be going across the block, and there was the pair of bitchin' OCC Eleanor GT500 E Mustangs that set Westworld rockin' in January, only to be topped by the pair of black Bosses a little while later. And who can forget the other Shelby specials that have brought outrageous amounts for the right to get car number one? The first GT500 went for $600,000 last year. The first Shelby GT matched it. In all fairness, those bids were more about giving to Carroll's charity than getting the car itself, as good as those 'Stangs might be.

And now we get word that Ford is going to do it again. It plans to debut a new Mustang special edition at the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Auction in Palm Beach this weekend. The only details we have right now are that the car will be limited to just 500 copies and that the rights to car number one will likely bring a huge number for the Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation. We're guessing it will be a Shelby GT convertible, but wouldn't be surprised to see a Boss 302, Mach 1, Bullitt or even a GT350 roll across the stage on Saturday. Any predictions?

[Source: Mustang Evolution]

Matt Rigney did it again. Just like last year, Matt went through the catalog for the upcoming Barrett-Jackson auction and found all of the Mustangs (and Cobras) for his website, Mustang Heaven. Recognizing how tedious it was to search the entire six days worth of lots for his beloved 'Stangs, Rigney went through and collected the links for each one and consolidated them into one list available on his site. More than one hundred of Ford's finest pony cars will be crossing the block this year, including the first serial numbered Ford Shelby GT Mustang Fastback. Everything from Mustang IIs to GT500 KRs, Shelbys and Roushes to Bosses and Mach 1s are represented. The 2007 B-J auction will be held January 13th to 21st. SPEED will again be giving almost gavel-to-gavel coverage on TV, and AB plans to be there for at least part of that time to bring you some of the highlights.

[Source: Mustang Heaven]

With Ford readying one or more special-edition Mustangs to slot in between the GT and the Shelby GT500, there is a need for an engine that will bridge the gap between the SOHC 4.6L's 300 HP, and the supercharged DOHC 5.4L's 500 HP. And it's impossible to ignore the fact that the Mustang GT will soon be bringing a knife to the gunfight, with both the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger threatening to hit the streets with over 400 HP.

We've done some speculating in the past, as have others, about what this mid-level V8 Ford might be, and it appeared as if the direction was towards a naturally-aspirated 5.0L or 5.4L DOHC engine. Stangs Unleashed is reporting that it will indeed be a N/A DOHC engine, but with an aluminum-block bottom end providing only 4.6L of displacement. Such an engine would be similar to that which powered the '99 and '01 Mustang Cobras (pictured above), but possibly with the more potent FR500 heads and a new intake manifold. It's reasonable to wonder if this would be enough to take on the competition, as the proposed modifications may not be sufficient to bump the 320 HP of prior DOHC 4.6L engines up to competitive levels.

Apparently, there is also a bit of speculation around what name (or names) will be used on these special pony cars. We've been saying that the Boss name will return, while it sounds as if the Bullitt or Mach1 badges may also be used. And a bit of daydreaming leads one to think that maybe a Shelby GT350 will join the GT500 in Ford showrooms. Whatever it's called, we look forward to turning over the odometer a quarter-mile at a time.

[Source: Stangs Unleashed]