The new American muscle car war is on. With the launch of the Dodge Challenger and the impending release of the Chevrolet Camaro, the competition in that very special market is greatly heightened. That also means that the Ford Mustang is facing a lot of stiff competition after so many years of dominating the market especially with the Shelby- and Roush-tuned variations.

And because of this, the Mustang will be get overhauled for its 2010 incarnation. While we have to wait until next year to see the new Mustang in the Los Angeles Motor Show, we can all enjoy staring at the new muscle-y silhouette of the Mustang badge.

A side-by-side comparison shows the new emphasis given to the ‘Stang’s muscular form. The badge will also be available in black chrome for the GT variant.

Source: Leftlane

And after that corny TV movie premiere of the new Knight Rider, we’ll be having a regular dose of KR with the first season due to start on September 24th, 2008 at 8pm over at NBC. So probably, like what they did with the TV movie, we’ll be bombarded with a lot of previews, plugs and other publicity ploys.

NBC even unveiled KITT’s new “Attack Mode” in the ComiCon festival in San Diego. The new mode is a bit too extreme for my taste with the car looking like a truck without a bed even with Lambo-styled scissor doors and a large rear wing. Oh and it can disguise itself as an F-150 too, by the way. I might just be the one thinking this way but too much Ford can be bad stuff.

Anyway, here’s the preview video:

The whole history of automotives is practically about having the idea of an engine on wheels and pushing this idea to the limits. Not everyone can buy masterpieces of engineering and design. Not all ordinary Joes have hundreds of thousands of dollars to burn on a Veyron, a Ferrari, or an Aston Martin for that matter. Still, the whole beauty of aftermarket tuning is making something lousy, good and something good, better.

Not that this insanely tuned Mustang comes cheap. But to prove a point that you can improve on things, take a look at the Obsidian SG1 - a proof that American muscle can still bulk up. First seen publicly 2 years ago at the SEMA show, the car wowed the crowd with its ‘Stang-on-Steroids concept. It recently was hailed as DuPont Registry’s Publisher’s Choice for March 2008.

Just a few highlights of what this car has to offer aside from the obvious exquisite body work - a twin-supercharged and intercooled 392ci V8 rated at 830 horses mated to a 5-speed transmission with paddle shifters, naught to sixty in approximately 4 sec, race brakes and suspensions.

If you have $1.3M dollars and 3 years, then you can duplicate one for your own use.

Source: Obsidian SG1 via Autoblog

Got 80 grand? Then you can be driving the “King of the Road” Mustang today. The Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR is the fourth limited edition Mustang to come from the Ford-Shelby collaboration. The car is expected to hit showrooms this May and will have a limited 1,000-unit run to test the market. The MSRP is pegged at $79,995. This would beg the question whether that whole Knight Rider run has helped in building the badge’s appeal.

The GT500KR gets a few spiffy additions and modifications like a carbon fiber hood designed to shave some pounds off the car. Shelby also tuned 5.4L supercharged V8 to dish out 540 horses and have a pull of 510 lb.-ft.

The car also has a 40th Anniversary badge on the fenders and grill, mirror caps, and the distinctive Shelby type. Each vehicle also sports a unique Shelby VIN inside the vehicles engine compartment.

Source: Ford

The Ford Mustang is a cultural icon of American muscle right out of Detroit. The Ford Mustang GT is quite a budget looker for those wanting blast their way down a Nevada highway and quite affordable too for those with cash to spare. The aftermarket is quite expansive too with both Shelby and Roush churning out performance parts to make the GT a more than respectable car (Well, since it’s a Mustang handling is left with much to be desired). But how about slapping on a V12 from an Aston Martin Vanquish to a Mustang? Well these guys did it:

Source: Streetfire

Okay, I really have to admit that the Mustang probably is now the most irritating and overrated car there is today. Sure, the old Mustang is an icon but the new ones aren’t really that hot. Just riding the popularity of the badge perhaps. And oh yes, that the new K.I.T.T. being a Mustang contributes to my view.

What we have here is another Mustang variant that would wow those who think glass is the best thing slapped on to a car. So here we have another one of Ford’s great flashes of brilliance - a glass-roof Mustang.

It’s not something new at all. It’s just an idea that strikes somewhere in between a sunroof and a convertible. You don’t want either but would love to see the sky without the wind messing with your balding mane? Get a Mustang with a glass roof.

Genius?

Oh man. These times you just can’t deny that everything is business and as a consumer, you’re just stuck in the middle while those corporate bigwigs manipulate everything for you.

We have been excited with the resurrection of the classic Knight Rider and has accepted the fact that instead of a black Pontiac Trans Am, K.I.T.T. will be a Mustang. But what happened behind the scenes why this happened is now made clear. GM was also in the running but had a few problems - there’s not a Pontiac car fit for the role as of now, and a Camaro wouldn’t be ready soon enough. Ford pounced on the opportunity by making NBC and show producers a deal they can’t quite refuse.

A few other cars like the Dodge Challenger, the Chrysler Crossfire, and the Chevy Corvette were all considered but it’s a done deal now and we just have to deal with K.I.T.T. being a Mustang. I bet Ford dished out big bucks for that role.

Buying out the spots for cars in movies has been hot especially with GM locking out the whole Transformers deal. Bumblebee as a Camaro, I admit, is quite better than having him as the new Beetle.

Source: AdAge via Jalopnik

Forget the black Pontiac Trans-am with LEDs dancing in front. As of now, that will only be as distant a memory as David Hasselhoff as a chick magnet. The new K.I.T.T for the Knight Rider comeback just might be a Shelby GT500KR.

Hot off the rumor mill that the new K.I.T.T. will be a Mustang looks very much true with this image. Unless of course, someone with a lot of time and a lot of money would play around with a Shelby GT only to make it look like it’s from a TV dinner classic. Not much for nostalgia trips but the idea that the crime-fighting car packs 500 horses is quite a real show of muscle.The Shelby’s still equipped with the red light bar but it has been transfered on the hood just over the wide Shelby screen.

Fan service? Not really. Much like with how you totally mess up with nostalgia trips just to create more opportunities for companies to do their in-show sponsorship and advertising. I’m not all to excited with this news as I’m not that big of a fan of the Shelby. Now, if this were a Roush…

Source: Jalopnik via Autoblog

Yeah… the Bullitt. So many younger car enthusiasts might go “Steve McWho?” but this here is a true gearhead nostalgia trip with nothing short than the King of Cool being resurrected in nothing else but a new-age take on the Bullitt.

Uhm, okay, down memory lane first. Bullitt was a 1968 film that featured a car chase scene that spanned a good chunk of San Francisco. While his other movies also featured a lot of muscle and speed, it was with Bullitt that started his rep as the ultimate driver. So screw the Dukes, the Transporter, Michael Knight and those BMW/Clive Owen movies. Steve McQueen was… is the King of Cool.

However, as what we can expect from a modern classic (oh what juxtaposition), the 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt will feature the latest technology from Ford racing, meaning attempts in achieving overall balance.

Power will come from a 4.6L V8 capable of 315 hp and 325 lbs-ft of torque. It will also feature an adaptive ignition system. The stock suspensions are also swapped for more dynamic parts to give the Bullitt agility and better handling to effectively place power on the road. It also sits on Euroflange wheels for an added classy look.

The 2008 Bullitt will be available next year with starting at $31,075. Quite a reasonable price for a modern classic if you’d ask me. But for practicality’s sake, 4.6L V8 + $3/gallon fuel? You do the math. Price for coolness? You decide.

Source: Automotive Blogs

When it comes to Mustang, given the Roush versus the Shelby, I’d take the Roush. While the Shelby name has probably come synonymous to the Mustang, I just love how Roush pushes the Mustang to maximize its overall potential.

Featured in the ongoing SEMA show is this Roush P-51A Mustang which just happens to be the most powerful with 510 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque based on the iconic World War II P-51 fighter plane. Roush has developed this new supercharger that gives the Mustang just a bit more in terms of kick.

Well, I’d have to say that this Mustang is a doosy. I hate to sound sexist but this is really a macho car. The Roush kit features a high flow grill and a silver and green paint job again based on the fighter plane.