First up to the line: Dodge Challenger

Pulling up along side: Ford Mustang Cobra Jet

Is that really the way it goes? Well, to be truthful, no. Ford has been hard at work building a variety of race ready Mustangs for a couple of years now. Want to go to Le Mans? No problem. SCCA World Challenge? Ford’s got you covered. Miller Challenge? Well duh…the series was built around the Mustang. No matter what type of motorsports you want to enter, Ford had a Mustang for you. Race ready, straight out of the showroom. Except for the drag strip. That has all changed.

Let’s face it, Ford has a pretty strong drag racing background and those SVT guys weren’t just going to sit back and watch the Mopar guys chew up local drag strips across North America without giving them a run for their money.

Way back in ‘68 the first Cobra Jet was built, releasing 50 lightweight machines on the drag community. The cars won the first time out and kept on winning. This new car is available through any Ford store, over the parts counter of all places. That’s right, you are not buying a new car, rather a very fast collection of parts!

After the break, check out the incredible stats of the new car. There is no mistaking the Mustang FR500CJ for anything but a drag racing machine.
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That time of year has arrived in Canada. Time to roast a turkey. Time to ditch the kids and head out on the road for a fall colours tour in a hot car. What the…?

Yes folks, that’s right. Mamma G and I have gotten the turkey day ritual down to somewhat of a science and we actually had time yesterday (we do our big meal on Sunday so we can relax on Monday) to get out for a drive in the country. The uncle took the boys fishing and the teenage girl was doing whatever it is that teenage girls do, so we hopped in the 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt and went for a drive.

We’ve been lucky to have a sunny, warm weekend, so we opened the windows, plugged in the iPod and headed to our fave country market. No room to put the car with the tractors for a photo shoot, but we’ll see what we can do today when we head out for a hike with the dog.

From all of ours, to all of yours, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Some time ago, Jil McIntosh wrote a piece about auto writers who forget that they are (or should be) writing for real people, not just zillionaires. You know the guys, they are the ones who write that a 2 seater that sells for a hundred grand is a value priced sports car. While I can’t remember when or where Jil’s article appeared, it came to mind this weekend as we traveled in the 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt.

Nicknamed Frank, our tester came equipped with touch screen navigation and keyless alarm. The current pricing packages bring Frank to a whopping $34,079 cdn. So let’s add this up here: 2 doors, 315 horsepower, 325 ft/lbs torque, leather interior, navi, a cool shifter, aluminum dash, upgraded suspension and brakes, cold air intake and an absolutely incredible exhaust note. All of that adds up to an incredible value in my eyes.
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This uttered by my co-piloto after we switched seats and I removed my sandals after becoming co-piloto.

Oh well, perhaps I should scrub down the summer footwear on occasion.

The drive was uneventful other than some fun roads once we left New York State. Wait a minute, who am I trying to kid? The designated co-piloto desided to run the really loud Bullitt Mustang to redline in the first three gears right in front of a NY State Trooper! Jackass!

Of course a few miles later the same cruiser appeared in our rear view mirror. Surprise!

Anyway, once we left the interstate, we found some incredible roads through three states. Once we hit Connecticut, I got back behind the wheel anticipating some twisties. I wasn’t to be denied. I’m not sure, but I think a windy rural road and 315 horsepower breathing through a more or less open exhaust do not equal 35 miles per hour. I can be pretty certain that our average speed for the last 20 miles was far in excess of that! Damn this car sounds and feels great.

Tomorrow, we’re headed a few miles down the road to Lime Rock where we hope to get tons of stories, not to mention some great photos. For now, it’s off to bed!

Frank as in Detective Frank Bullitt. The Garage is heading south for Connecticut early tomorrow morning. Destination: Lime Rock Park to cover the American Le Mans Series event. If we make it the whole way with our licenses intact, it will be a miracle.

In fact, I had been behind the wheel a grand total of about 7 minutes this afternoon before I decided to attack an on ramp. Right under the watchful eye of the local constabulary. Fortunately, Oakville Ontario’s finest must have had more important things to do than question a fat old man about his driving habits and he left me alone. We will have to mind our p’s and q’s along the way, as while Frank may look stealthy he has a healthy bark that attracts attention at every stop light.

It’s just so much fun to open Frank up and hear his heart growl that I’m sure the side roads through the Catskills are going to be a hoot. As the weekend goes by, we’ll be blogging and posting tons of photos along the way. My co-pilot this time out is a former Mustang owner, who will likely put in a few comments here and there about the improvements Ford has made in the last 19 years since he bought his LX. We’re going to meet up with a few friends from the web over the weekend, so we should have a few surprises along the way.

Mosport and Trans Am. The two names have been intertwined since the early days of both institutions. Unfortunately, one continues to flourish, while the other has more or less died gone on hiatus. Way back in the early days of The Garage, I sent an open letter to Paul Gentilozzi and friends suggesting that a workable modern formula for the ailing series might be found in the roots of the series. While I never expected a response (and never got one) the data recorders showed a healthy bit of traffic from the Trans Am and SCCA offices. Let’s hope the message sunk in.

If Trans Am is to have a snowball’s chance in hell of having a resurrection, the Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup certainly could show the way. These modern Ford race cars are beyond exciting. A production body shell, prepared initially by the factory to go racing. An affordable, exciting platform that provides equal excitement for fans and drivers. These cars look great and sound absolutely incredible. They scramble for traction and slide all over Mosport’s undulating surface, just like the real Trans Am cars way back in the 60’s and early 70’s. These are real race cars the crowd can relate to, unlike the tube frame monstrosities that populated the series for the last decade and a half of it’s life.

After the break, there is a huge gallery from the paddock, qualifying and Sunday’s race. Grab a cold one, sit back and enjoy!
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A Jonny on the spot spy photog was driving in the right place at the right time when he came face to face with the new design of the 2009 or 2010 Mustang.

The Mustang will be one of the big 3 of the new genre of retro muscle cars that will duke it out for the hearts and minds of the supercharged set over the next few years. The Stang will be in the mix with the 2009 Camaro release and Challenger SRT8 for muscle supremacy.
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