Ford ships new Mustang
American muscle car hits the streets
Ford has started shipping the 2005 Mustang in the US. The steel-bodied, 1,600 kg car comes in two flavours, GT and V-6. The GT features an aluminium 4.6 litre V8 delivering 300 bhp at 5,750 rpm and 320 lb/ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. Ford reckons that’s over 50 per cent more power than the small-block 289-cu. inch V8 found in the classic 1964 model, though it doesn't mention performance figures. Redlined at 6,500 rpm and powering through a five-speed gearbox, the car is suspended using Macpherson struts at the front, and an antediluvian solid axle with coil springs at the rear.
Explaining the solid rear axle, Ford reckons that, "all the horsepower in the world doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t get the power to the ground. With that in mind, Mustang engineers developed a solid, new rear axle design with three-link architecture and a Panhard rod, for better off the line performance, and other advantages. Solid axles are robust, maintain constant track, and keep body roll under control. The solid axle pumping out torque to the rear wheel is an especially inviting feature for performance enthusiasts."
It rides on 17-inch wheels housing 12.4-inch vented discs at the front, and 11.8-inch rears. Performance figures are hard to come by but one source estimates a distinctly average 14 seconds for the standing quarter mile.
With retail orders for this classic American muscle car running 60 per cent higher than expected, according to Ford, company boss Jim Padilla congratulated the 3,600 employees of the car-builder, AAI, on "building the new model of America's favourite car with great precision and pride."
"America, your car is ready," Padilla told the cheering crowd. "Mustang is the exclamation point of Ford's product onslaught. There is no other car like it. And here at AutoAlliance, the 2005 model has found a great home. This plant, with its all-new flexible system, stands as a world-class plant in advanced automotive manufacturing systems and processes."
Ford invested nearly $700 million in AAI's flexible manufacturing system, which makes the plant capable of building up to six different models on two vehicle platforms.
This investment includes a new body shop with 380 robots and flexible tooling as well as an upgraded stamping operation with 38 new die sets capable of stamping 52 critical body parts. Major upgrades to the final assembly area include programmable platforms, or skillets, that hold the body on a scissor lift and adjust to the operator's height for improved ergonomics.
"The new technology in our plant means we can make a great car even greater," said Phil Spender, AAI president. "With quality a top priority, the 2005 Mustang is built with extreme precision and attention to detail on an all-new platform."
The car sells for $24,995 in the USA.
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