Last Cars Reviews Blog: 08 sema

In addition to the Raptor pickup, Ford will be unveiling its latest purpose-built drag racer, the 2008 Mustang Cobra Jet. The Cobra Jet, also known as the FR500CJ, is an attempt by the Dearborn, MI-based automaker to expand its offerings of racing pony cars. The Cobra Jet gets a beefed up 5.4-liter V8 with a cold air intake, A/C delete, 9-inch rear end, a six speed manual or three speed auto, a roll hoop and a specialized suspension. While no horsepower figure is given yet, Ford is calling it a car any drag racer can get in and immediately be able to compete with ten second cars. Not too bad for a factory racer, sounds like it'll do the Cobra Jet name justice. Details in the press release below.

COBRA JET THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE MUSTANG FR500 SERIES OF RACE CARS FROM FORD RACING

DEARBORN, Mich, Nov. 4, 2008 – With the addition of the 2008 Cobra Jet Mustang, Ford Racing will have once again expanded its current stable of race-ready Mustang race cars.

This time, however, the Mustang is designed for drag racing.

The Mustang FR500CJ, known simply as the Cobra Jet, will be officially unveiled Nov. 4 at the 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. It joins its road racing brethren: the Mustang FR500S, the Mustang FR500C and the Mustang FR500GT.

“The Cobra Jet is the newest offspring of the Ford Racing lineup of race cars,” said Jamie Allison, manager of the Ford Racing Performance Group. “We started with the FR500C in 2005 and then followed by the FR500S in 2007.

“All along the way, we worked with Brian Wolfe, who, at the time, was really in the calibration activity. He oversaw worldwide calibrations, and he was a big supporter of Ford Racing, both professionally and personally,” Allison said. “He had always kind of asked us about our plans to do a drag race car and the time had just come early this year to, indeed, take all of the lessons we learned, all the processes, all of the relationships that we have inside with the plant and with the team and put together a sportsmen-destined drag race Mustang. Clearly, what we did in 1968 is the impetus for it, and we felt that it was time to bring back the Cobra Jet.”

The Cobra Jet is the drag racing equivalent of the Mustang FR500S, allowing those interested in NHRA sportsmen drag racing the opportunity to get involved with an affordable vehicle that can compete right off of the truck and run in the 10-second range.

“We are talking about designing and building competition-ready race cars,” added Allison. “These are not just the simple parts that we sometimes create. This is a full-fledged, ready to race vehicle. There is a lot of engineering that goes into the preparation, development, testing, and release of these cars. There’s a full team of engineers from Ford Racing who have been involved on the engineering side of the Ford Racing Mustangs, led by Andy Slankard who leads the group. On the Cobra Jet, that group was personally directed and overseen by Brian Wolfe because of his personal background of racing in the sportsmen class. So he’s been hands-on involved in the very specifications of the 40th anniversary Cobra Jet. ”

In addition to the Cobra Jet, the other Ford Racing Mustangs provide customers a racing ladder, all within one manufacturer, to climb up through the ranks of professional racing. The Ford Racing Mustang ladder in road racing begins with the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School at Miller Motorsports Park featuring specially prepared school Mustangs.

The next step on the ladder is the Mustang FR500S, which is delivered as a race-ready vehicle complete with a racing seat and safety harnesses, and provides competitors with a base to hone their driving skills and an exciting year-long schedule to race against other semi-pro drivers in the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup.

Moving further up the ladder puts racers behind the wheel of the Mustang FR500C, which competes in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, and the FR500GT4, which competes in the GT4 European Cup. Both Mustangs are proven winners with each car having won championships in its first year of competition. The FR500C led drivers to championships in 2005 and 2008, while the FR500GT4 has won two titles in the GT4 European Cup in 2007 and 2008.

At the top of the ladder sit both the Mustang FR500GT and FR500GT3, which represent the ultimate race-bred road racing Mustang. The FR500GT is being homologated for Grand-Am Rolex GT and other applications, while the FR500GT3 has already competed in select FIA GT3 European Championship races.

Customers or competitors looking for more information on how to get behind the wheel of their own Cobra Jet Mustang should visit www.fordracingparts.com.

FORD RACING COBRA JET MUSTANG
The Legend Continues
(M-FR500-CJ)

In 1968, Ford took the NHRA Winternationals by storm with the Cobra Jet Mustang. Only 50 factory lightweights were built, and in its first appearance, the Cobra Jet won. Forty years after this historic event, Ford Racing is happy to announce that the legend continues with a new NHRA-legal race car – the 2008 Cobra Jet Mustang!

The 2008 Ford Racing Cobra Jet (FR500CJ) is a factory-built race car (serialized but no VIN), ready for the drag strip with only minor additional prep required. It is available for order from any Ford dealer as a Ford Racing part. Following are key Ford Racing components to help define this exciting new race car:

Functional

* 5.4 Cobra Jet engine
* Cobra Jet cold air kit
* Throttle body
* A/C deleted
* Crankshaft damper
* Cobra Jet bell housing
* 6-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmission with SFI bell housing
* Stainless steel long-tube racing headers
* 9" rear axle assembly
* One piece driveshaft drive shaft
* Single hoop drive shaft loop
* Cobra Jet rear control arms and anti-roll bar
* Ford Racing adjustable dampers
* Drag race spring kit
* Cobra Jet wheels — 15" x 4" (front), 15" x 10" (rear)

Exterior

* Painted Cobra Jet body in white
* Cobra Jet hood scoop
* Cobra Jet Lexan backlight
* Flush quarter window louvers

Interior

* 5" pedestal tachometer
* SVT Mustang short-throw shifter with black shift knob and handle
* Cobra Jet seat package

Visit www.fordracingparts.com for more information.

[Source: Ford]

The Galpin Scythe started life as a Ford Mustang, but as you can see, it has since taken another road. The car made a private debut recently and will get a full-on public unveiling at SEMA, but it may cause a singularity in the space-SEMA continuum. See, the Scythe is the inevitable distillation of all SEMA show cars: It's got a 4.6-liter V8 stroked to 5.0 liters and twin-supercharged to over 1000 HP, 16-inch Wilwood brakes, 22 inch wheels up front and 24's at the back, and an insanity-fueled body with reverse scissor doors, taking inspiration from every Hot Wheels car and George Barris original ever made. It's so SEMA it might cause the whole show to fold up on itself — we might not make it out of the car's attention-gravity field. We're scared. Press release below.

PRESS RELEASE:

Most custom shops have a backyard BBQ for friends when they want to show off a new car. Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) in Van Nuys, California took that concept to a new level on Saturday, October 18, when it debuted one of the most radical custom show cars of the modern era to a packed house of automotive icons, celebrities and media. While smoke rose from the floor and a massive twin supercharged engine crackled in the background, GAS president Beau Boeckmann unveiled Scythe, a one-of-a-kind machine packed with the most advanced onboard technology ever showcased in an automotive application. Other highlights from the evening included the unveiling of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's long-lost Orbitron show car, a charity silent auction with proceeds going to three local charities and performances by a variety of top-tier rap and rock stars culminating in an all-star jam session between Ozzy Osbourne and members of Guns N' Roses, The Cult, Jane's Addiction and more.

"With Scythe, we set out to showcase all of our unique fabrication abilities here at GAS," Boeckmann says. "From the hand-made composite body and voice-activated onboard computer system, to the twin-supercharged 1,005 horsepower engine, this car was built to make a statement. In the 1950's and '60s, show cars were meant to shock and amaze people, and we wanted the same effect from Scythe but with a high-tech twist. This isn't a hollow concept car, it's a fully functional, incredibly fast and usable machine with a talking onboard computer and over a thousand horsepower running on methanol."

Scythe exemplifies the melding of old-world coachbuilding techniques and cutting-edge digital technology. The GAS team started with a proven performance platform, a 2008 Ford Mustang GT Convertible. After the body panels were removed, the unibody structure was covered in clay, which was sculpted to match renderings drawn by famed Kustom Kulture icon Ed "Newt" Newton. Molds were pulled from the clay sculpture, and composite body panels were formed and fitted to the Mustang pan. Reverse opening vertical doors, a wrap-around pillarless glass cockpit with no B- or C-pillars and custom headlights and taillights surrounded by hand-made aluminum trim are the highlights of the unique design.

The interior features some of the most sophisticated technology ever installed in a vehicle. Scythe features an onboard Shuttle XPC computer that manages every function of the car and is controlled entirely by voice commands. Simply speak to the electronic personal assistant in your own words and through a digital uplink to a 3G network Scythe will provide real-time weather, traffic, sports, stock market and news information and maintain your daily calendar. Other onboard electronics include flush mounted exterior cameras that offer 24-hour monitoring via cell phone or internet and a voice-activated iPod compatible JL Audio 5.1 Surround Sound system allows the driver to choose artist, song or music type verbally.

Scythe also offers unparalleled power and performance. Hand-built by GAS, the twin Magnuson supercharged 5.0L racing engine with custom ported 24-valve SOHC cylinder heads pump out up to 1,005 horsepower. A GAS custom fabricated intake manifold, custom performance grind camshafts and a custom electronic shifter complete the powertrain of this one of a kind vehicle. Other performance advances include a custom Air Ride Technologies suspension system by GAS and an onboard CPU which constantly adjusts ride height for maximum performance. Dual driving positions with retractable motorized steering wheels allows for left and ride side driving control of the vehicle and custom GAS designed brakes using Wilwood 16.5" rotors and 6-piston calipers on all four corners make Scythe stop on a dime.

About Galpin Auto Sports

Galpin Auto Sports, located at 15600 Roscoe Blvd. in Van Nuys offers customizing and personalizing services on all new and pre-owned vehicles including collector and classic cars and is the official garage for MTV's Pimp My Ride. For more information on Galpin Auto Sports' unique products and services, please contact G.A.S. General Manager, Steve McCord (smccord@galpin.com), at (877)-GO-GAS-GO or visit the website at www.galpinautosports.com.

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