Forget the FR500GT, this is the ultimate Mustang - Project Vanquish'd

[Raghavan]

The speedo and center stack looks... er... ghey.
I'd much rather have the stock interior.

[Catman]

The speedo and center stack looks... er... ghey.
I'd much rather have the stock interior.

Same here.

[Nethead]

The speedo and center stack looks... er... ghey.
I'd much rather have the stock interior.

Raghavan: I like the stock interior, too, but the biggest complaint about the '05 and later Mustangs (the S197 chasses) is that the interiors aren't upscale enough.  There aren't many complaints about the S197s to be sure, but clearly at the top of the list of the complaints that have been voiced nationwide is the interior--most notably the material used on the top of the dash. 
The GT500 team tried hard to upgrade the interior in style and materials while keeping the base price as close to $40,000 as possible (and at $40,930, they missed their goal by less than three percent!). 
There are trade-offs when you decide that you are going to offer 500 horsepower with a full warranty in a four-passenger coupe or convertible that most of the target market can afford! 
Shelby's organization may have gotten the interior upgrades just right in the 40th Anniversary Edition--check it out.  But it'll have a base price well above $40,930 even before dealer gouging... 

[Raghavan]

Raghavan: I like the stock interior, too, but the biggest complaint about the '05 and later Mustangs (the S197 chasses) is that the interiors aren't upscale enough.  There aren't many complaints about the S197s to be sure, but clearly at the top of the list of the complaints that have been voiced nationwide is the interior--most notably the material used on the top of the dash. 
The GT500 team tried hard to upgrade the interior in style and materials while keeping the base price as close to $40,000 as possible (and at $40,930, they missed their goal by less than three percent!). 
There are trade-offs when you decide that you are going to offer 500 horsepower with a full warranty in a four-passenger coupe or convertible that most of the target market can afford! 
Shelby's organization may have gotten the interior upgrades just right in the 40th Anniversary Edition--check it out.  But it'll have a base price well above $40,930 even before dealer gouging... 

True, but the screen and speedo looks like it adds more complexity than usefullness, much like BMW's i-Drive.

[ro51092]

True, but the screen and speedo looks like it adds more complexity than usefullness, much like BMW's i-Drive.

i-Drive really isn't that bad, but that probably has a touchscreen which may make things better.

[Raghavan]

i-Drive really isn't that bad, but that probably has a touchscreen which may make things better.

Still, i don't see how this is better than just a regular dash.

[ro51092]

Still, i don't see how this is better than just a regular dash.

Agreed, but I wouldn't care, that V12 is more than enough music for me.

[Nethead]

Raghavan: Yeah, Rage, gimme black-faced gauges with backlit white numbers and illuminated red needles and I'm set to go!  I don't need trickyshit analog or digital instruments or touchscreen anything.  May I never be so senile that I need an automobile navigation system!

[Nethead]

Western Motorsports from right here in Calgary have complete and debuted their Mustang project at SEMA. ?It has an Aston Martin V12 from a Vanquish stroked to 6.1L sitting in the engine bay. ?These guys are located on my way home from work and when the car is back in town I will go see it and I will post pics. ?I have known about this car for well over a year, but they wouldn't let anyone see it. ?I can't wait for it to come home.

http://www.wmsracing.com/wmsweb/vpproject.htm

HEMI666:  HemiDude, does that MM&FF issue you bought a few days ago have an article on Vanquish'd?  Time was tight at the supermarket so I didn't get to do my traditional shopping cart literacy upgrade, but I did catch a mention of the Vanquish'd on the cover of one of the Mustang-specific magazines.  If it does, please share the specifics with us.

[SVT666]

HEMI666:? HemiDude, does that MM&FF issue you bought a few days ago have an article on Vanquish'd?? Time was tight at the supermarket so I didn't get to do my traditional shopping cart literacy upgrade, but I did catch a mention of the Vanquish'd on the cover of one of the Mustang-specific magazines.? If it does, please share the specifics with us.

No it doesn't.  It's supposed to be 5.0 Mustang Magazine.  I talked to WMS last week and because of the weather we have been having, the car has not been dyno tested or driven yet.

[Nethead]

No it doesn't.? It's supposed to be 5.0 Mustang Magazine.? I talked to WMS last week and because of the weather we have been having, the car has not been dyno tested or driven yet.

Sigh..........I purchased the June, 07 issue of 5.0 Mustang for the PJ Edition article that begins on page 62, an article about the building of GT500s, and an article on the American Iron/American Iron Extreme racing series.  The PJ Edition is essentially the same as in your copy of MM&FF--a satisfying ride with Parnelli, but no measured times or distances.  There was no mention of Vanquish'd in this issue, either.  5.0 Mustang says the list price of the PJ Edition is $59,015.00.

Alas, none of these articles are as good as the Motor Trend article--which was a terrific article, so that's no surprise.

[SVT666]

Alas, none of these articles are as good as the Motor Trend article--which was a terrific article, so that's no surprise.

Which is surprising since 5.0 and MM&FF usually get the goods when it comes to these cars.  They did a comparo between a Roush Stage 3 Mustang vs. a Vette Z51 and it was an awesome article.

[Nethead]

Which is surprising since 5.0 and MM&FF usually get the goods when it comes to these cars.? They did a comparo between a Roush Stage 3 Mustang vs. a Vette Z51 and it was an awesome article.

HEMI666:  A lot of people knock MT in these forums, but MT is the most likely domestic car mag to have comparos with the figures produced in real testing.  And Consumer Reports does it best of all--they buy the cars they test so they can beat on them all they want.  No "Remember, guys, this is the factory's only prototype so don't roll it or burn out the clutch" going on at CR!  Buying the cars off the lot eliminates the chances that the factory slipped in a bored & stroked ringer to perform hotter for the article, too.  Hand-assembled prototypes for the journalists usually have tighter gaps, perfectly-aligned seams, and stunning paint finishes, too.  Magazines don't get skeptical when factories provide these vehicles because they can sell a heap of magazines at the newsstand if they are the first to feature road tests/driving impressions of a new model...

I guess MT gets the jump on many mags because of their big circulation.  Frankly, if I was Ford I'd buy a Saleen PJ or two just so every interested mag could get access to one that they could pound on hard.  Saleen claims an ET of 12.5 seconds, but that sounds optimistic to me--MT's best ET was 13.3 at 106.9 (which is quite equivalent to MT's 13.3 @ 105.9 in an '06 GTO).  That difference of .8 second is big.

[SVT666]

HEMI666:? A lot of people knock MT in these forums, but MT is the most likely domestic car mag to have comparos with the figures produced in real testing.? And Consumer Reports does it best of all--they buy the cars they test so they can beat on them all they want.? No "Remember, guys, this is the factory's only prototype so don't roll it or burn out the clutch" going on at CR!? Buying the cars off the lot eliminates the chances that the factory slipped in a bored & stroked ringer to perform hotter for the article, too.? Hand-assembled prototypes for the journalists usually have tighter gaps, perfectly-aligned seams, and stunning paint finishes, too.? Magazines don't get skeptical when factories provide these vehicles because they can sell a heap of magazines at the newsstand if they are the first to feature road tests/driving impressions of a new model...

I guess MT gets the jump on many mags because of their big circulation.? Frankly, if I was Ford I'd buy a Saleen PJ or two just so every interested mag could get access to one that they could pound on hard.? Saleen claims an ET of 12.5 seconds, but that sounds optimistic to me--MT's best ET was 13.3 at 106.9 (which is quite equivalent to MT's 13.3 @ 105.9 in an '06 GTO).? That difference of .8 second is big.

MT also got 13 seconds for a GT500 when MM&FF got 12.27.  I guarantee that if MM&FF had their way with a PJ they would get the Saleen quoted numbers.

[Nethead]

MT also got 13 seconds for a GT500 when MM&FF got 12.27.? I guarantee that if MM&FF had their way with a PJ they would get the Saleen quoted numbers.

Probably true!

[Galaxy]

The paint is UNBELIEVABLE!

I wonder if that is what VW refers to Appasionata Blue. A ?5000 option which does indeed look awesome.

[SVT666]

I wonder if that is what VW refers to Appasionata Blue. A ?5000 option which does indeed look awesome.

Nope.  Vanquish'd is really as blue as it looks in that picture.  The VW blue isn't the same.

[Nethead]

I wonder if that is what VW refers to Appasionata Blue. A ?5000 option which does indeed look awesome.

Galaxy:  The paint is DuPont aftermarket stuff--HEMI666 knows exactly which one--or he can roll by Western MotorSports on his way home from work and get you the full details.  It MIGHT be given in a link off of the '06 SEMA website, at which Vanquish'd was the focal point of some aftermarket outfit's display (not WMS or Ford or Aston Martin).  HemiDude will know that, too...

[Galaxy]

Nope. Vanquish'd is really as blue as it looks in that picture. The VW blue isn't the same.

Because it is a heliochrome paint it changes depending on how light hits it.

Here is the same color.




I got curious because of the BASF logo on the car.

[Galaxy]

Galaxy: The paint is DuPont aftermarket

They mention it is BASF RS Carrizma Candy Blue. Take a look at the second picture and compare it to the last bright Phaeton one.




Of course the cameras are all calibrated a bit different so it is hard to get a good comparison.

[SVT666]

Because it is a heliochrome paint it changes depending on how light hits it.

It might be the same colour.  It is BASF R-M Carrizma Candy Blue.

[SVT666]

Galaxy:? The paint is DuPont aftermarket stuff--HEMI666 knows exactly which one--or he can roll by Western MotorSports on his way home from work and get you the full details.? It MIGHT be given in a link off of the '06 SEMA website, at which Vanquish'd was the focal point of some aftermarket outfit's display (not WMS or Ford or Aston Martin).? HemiDude will know that, too...

It was at the Mustang Dyno display.

[LonghornTX]

Damn, that black panel between the taillights is hideous.

I like it, though some don't, even in the mustang community.  It is made by a company called classic design concepts (CDC).  I like their model with the GT emblem, in the right corner http://www.classicdesignconcepts.com/catalog/2005_2006_MUSTANG_COMPONENTS/DECK_LID_TRIM_PANEL/.

I also like the Silverhorse Racing honey comb, http://www.silverhorseracing.com/webstore/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16133&category_id=255

[Raza]

Agreed, but I wouldn't care, that V12 is more than enough music for me.

I'm assuming you've never been stuck in traffic?

[Nethead]

It might be the same colour.? It is BASF R-M Carrizma Candy Blue.

If HEMI666 says it's BASF paint, then BASF paint it is --even if old man DuPont is standing beside Vanquish'd with a spray gun in his hand...

[ro51092]

Damn, it really does look like a Passat.

[Galaxy]

Damn, it really does look like a Passat.

The Phaeton is to Passat as A8 is to A4. IMO in real life the width and length of the Phaeton gives it much more road presence.

[FordSVT]

I'm assuming you've never been stuck in traffic?

Why would you drive this car anywhere you'd get stuck in traffic for a long time? Like hell I'd commute in one of these....
-FordSVT-

[SVT666]

Why would you drive this car anywhere you'd get stuck in traffic for a long time? Like hell I'd commute in one of these....
-FordSVT-

Commuting in North America sucks.

[FordSVT]

Commuting in North America sucks.

Not where I live, it's a relative joke. Rush hour causes you to get home five minutes later than if you were driving in the middle of the night. Traffic "jams" only occur in the most congested, historic areas of the downtown area where a lot of people leave all at once. Even then it's nothing major.
-FordSVT-