Buick Riviera Concept: Hybrid Power, Hydraulic Styling [2013 Shanghai Auto Show]

Ford’s Flat Rock Facility Births Its Millionth Mustang [Mustang Mega Gallery]

Exactly 49 years after being publicly introduced as the Mustang at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, the one-millionth Mustang to be produced in Ford’s Flat Rock, Michigan, facility rolled off the assembly line. A ruby-red 2014 Mustang convertible observed the ceremonial honors, fittingly piloted by Ed Salna, 27-year plant veteran, and Raj Nair, Ford’s vice president for global product development. The event also marks the 50th year of continuous Mustang production, which moved to Ford’s Flat Rock facility in 2004. Ford has recently invested $555 million in the plant, and production of the Ford Fusion within its walls will commence this fall.

Originally produced at Ford’s legendary and imposing Rouge complex located a few miles to the north, the popularity of the first-generation Mustang grew so swiftly that Ford was forced to bring online additional plants in New Jersey and California to satiate public demand. Within two years, Mustang production would hit its first million-car milestone, essentially creating the pony-car segment in the process. To date, more than 8.5 million Stangs have been sold.

Although at the time, Ford refereed to it as “the working man’s Thunderbird,” the Mustang quickly developed an audience that crossed all social-economic and gender barriers, a trait that helped it sell more than 400,000 units in its first year of production. Ford played to this characteristic wisely over the next half a century, always making sure each generation of Mustang was available in varying levels of trim ranging from thrifty four-cylinders to V-8–endowed pavement pounding monsters.

The original Mustang’s launch still stands as one of the most effective product campaigns in modern history, and you can count on Ford squeezing every ounce of publicity from the Mustang’s 50th anniversary it can. In the meantime, why not peruse our gallery of Mustangs spanning its 49-year history?

2013 Mercedes-Benz AMG G63: We Test the Basically Unstoppable Geländewagen

2014 F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition to Hit the Dirt this Fall

Unlike many “special-edition” vehicles where the “special” stops at the sheet metal, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor comes straight from the factory with more than enough mechanical brawn to back up its boasts. Even so, Ford says Raptor owners were looking for a tad more exclusivity out of their rides, so it cooked up the Raptor Special Edition for 2014 to keep them happy.

Unlike the recently unveiled Shelby Raptor that includes a healthy dose of horsepower with its cosmetics, and very much like those “special editions” we discussed earlier, Ford’s special-edition package primarily is a styling exercise. Buyers have a choice of either a Ruby Red Metallic or Tuxedo Black Metallic exterior finish, and special box-side graphics that spell out “Raptor” in crazy mud-monster lettering to ensure onlookers make no mistake about who dropped more than 44 large on a pickup truck. But seeing as how such a reminder could be forgotten by its passengers, the Raptor Special Edition adds Brick Red seat bolsters with black inserts and cloth honeycomb highlights, and appliqué accents atop the console, center stack, and on the door panels. Overall the graphics are pretty subtle, especially considering how extroverted the trucks performance is, and that’s a good thing. Nobody wants a replay of the “gutless wonder” sticker and tape performance jobs of the late ’70s and early ’80s. This special-edition Raptor goes on sale this fall, with pricing to be announced closer to then.

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2013 Lexus ES300h Hybrid Tested: A Quieter, More-Luxurious Camry Hybrid

Shelby Pumps Ford F-150 Raptor to 575 hp, Earth’s Crust Braces for Imminent Pummeling [2013 New York Auto Show]

The only surprising thing about Shelby’s recently unveiled take on Ford’s Raptor is that it took them this long to work one over. After all, Shelby has been operating in near-lockstep with Ford for years, unleashing tuned, tweaked, and twisted versions of Blue Oval products in a reliable cadence.

For the princely starting price of $17,995, the gang at Shelby American will poke and prod a production Raptor’s 6.2-liter V-8 to 575 horsepower, a hearty increase over the stock Raptor’s already randy 411. The additional 164 ponies arrive in the pasture largely due to a 2.9-liter supercharger, a “massive” intercooler, and a Shelby/Borla Exhaust system. Both the supercharger and intercooler come from Whipple (it also supplies Ford Racing with many performance components), as does the ECU re-flash. And you don’t need a brand-spanking-new Raptor to bring it in for the Shelby makeover: John Luft, president of Shelby American, told C/D that current owners are welcome to bring their Raptors to its facility.

Originally slated for a production run of only 100 units, the initial response was so strong Shelby American now says production will be capped at 500. “Not a week goes by without someone asking us about doing a truck, so I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised that we received dozens of phone calls within an hour of its New York debut,” says Luft. Interestingly, most buyers are planning on putting their Raptor to work, not shrink-wrapping it and stowing it away as an investment: “The Raptor will probably see more miles than any other Shelby vehicle,” Luft says, “as the overwhelming amount of buyers have made it clear they want to use their Shelby Raptor as a tow vehicle—preferably for their Shelby track car—or for real off-road use.”

Exterior graphics packages come in three Shelby-fied flavors: faux mud splashes and two stripe packages differentiated only by the hood graphics. The custom Shelby leather interior is designed by Katzkin and is included in the standard package. You can add wheels and tires, light bars, bumpers, and roll bars, and an off-road performance package of unspecified components is in the final stages of development. And it wouldn’t be a Shelby without a badge bearing the signature of Ol’ Shel’ himself and inclusion on the Shelby Registry. Build one for yourself here.

Listen All Y’all, It’s a Small Mirage: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage Compact Debuts for U.S. [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Jeep Cherokee Photos and Info: Crossover Duds and a Hearty Drivetrain [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Honda Odyssey Photos and Info: Refreshed Minivan Literally Sucks—It Has an Optional Vacuum [2013 New York Auto Show]

2013.5 Chrysler 200 S Special Edition: Getting Dressed for Work [2013 New York Auto Show]

Looking to imbue the 200 with a taste of the hard work, ingenuity, and perseverance that once defined and propelled the Motor City, Chrysler has teamed up with Carhartt to create the 2013.5 200 S Special Edition. The pair first collaborated on the successful Carhartt Imported from Detroit clothing line that debuted last November, so it seemed only natural for the teamwork to continue with a bespoke vehicle project.

Built on the S package that brings refinements including a gloss-black mesh grille, chrome-accented fog lights, a body-color decklid spoiler, 18-inch aluminum wheels, and a sport suspension to the 200, Carhartt’s contributions deal primarily with the interior enhancements. A Carhartt-selected water-resistant black fabric featuring gray signature Carhartt triple stitching covers the seats, and the stitching extends to the steering wheel, the armrests, and the center console. The air vents, the gear selector, the front cup holders, and the steering wheel buttons get finished in black to continue the dark appearance. And that’s about the extent of Carhartt’s involvement. This being an S model, it will come with body-color sill cladding; platinum-chrome belt molding; a rear valance with polished, fascia-mounted exhaust tips; unique, black-colored badges; and a Boston Acoustic sound system. Those looking for a car covered inside and out in Carhartt’s iconic brown-duck dungaree material sadly are out of luck.

Chrysler is holding firm in calling this a 2013.5 model, and tells us that production of the Chrysler 200 S Special Edition will begin at Chrysler ’s Sterling Heights, Michigan, assembly plant in the second quarter of 2013, but that all the upfittings that makes it unique will be added on at the brand’s facility in Warren, Michigan. Pricing for the 200 S Special Edition will begin at $29,720.

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