2014 Ford Mustang

The first Ford Mustang was unveiled on April 17, 1964 and 2014 will mark the model’s 50th anniversary. It was to be expected for the Mustang to offer the greatest features for this model year. Ford is offering new packages for both the interior and the exterior, new paint colors and for the interior new cleaner, easier-to-read instrument cluster graphics.

The crazy thing about the Mustang is that its first concept, the T-5 Prototype, was a two-seat roadster with a mid-mounted V-4 engine; imagine that... Things evolved during its development and the Mustang eventually morphed into the pony car we know with the choice of either a V-8 or six-cylinder engine. This tradition carried on through the years, with exception of a handful of years through the 1970s and 1980s when four-cylinder engines eventually made their way into the `Stang.

Since 1994, however, the Mustang regained its original offering of a six-cylinder — albeit a V-6 as opposed to an I-6 — and a V-8 engine. To sweeten the Mustang pot last year, the the 2013 Shelby GT500 became the most powerful Mustang ever built, thanks to its 662-horsepower V-8 engine.

Through its long life, the Mustang has been one of the best-selling models in America, but it has the new Chevrolet Camaro and the retro-styled Challenger beating down its door for muscle car supremacy.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2014 Ford Mustang.

Exterior

For the 2014 model year, the Mustang will continue to offer the same prominent grille that Ford added last year. It features a more powerful splitter and functional heat extractors on the hood to help move hot air out of the engine compartment. Also added for 2014 are two new exterior colors: Ruby Red and Oxford White. Two new package are also available for the Mustang V6 and GT: FP6 and FP8. The Mustang V6 has the FP6 package available and it adds in black-painted side mirrors and rear spoiler, body-color rear quarter window louvers and 18-inch black-painted aluminum-alloy wheels. The GT model’s FP8 package carries all of the same upgrades as the FP6, but its wheel are 19 inches.

Dimensions:

Wheelbase (in)	107.1
Length (in)	188.5
Height (in)	55.8
Width - Excluding Mirrors (in)	73.9
Width - Including Mirrors (in)	80.1
Front Track (in)	62.3
Rear Track (in)	62.9

Mustang V6 Exterior Features:

• Easy Fuel capless fuel filler
• HID headlamps
• Rear sequential LED turn signal lamps
• Rear-window defroster
• Side-view mirrors with integrated blind spot mirrors
• 17-inch Sparkle Silver-painted aluminum wheels with P225/60R17 all-season tires
• Black power sideview mirrors
• Stainless steel dual exhaust tips
• Vinyl top on convertible

Mustang V6 Premium Exterior Features:

• All V6 standard features, plus:
• 17-inch machined aluminum wheels with painted pockets
• Body-color power sideview mirrors

Mustang GT Exterior Features:

• All V6 standard features, plus:
• 18-inch Sparkle Silver-painted aluminum wheels
• with P235/50R18 W-rated tires
• Automatic headlamps
• Body-color power sideview mirrors
• Bright rolled dual exhaust tips
• Dark-chrome Pony badge located in grille
• Hood-vented heat extractors
• LED fog lamps
• Rear spoiler

ford cars 2013 Ford Focus ST Mountune

It seems Europeans get all of the automotive fun, right? Well, Ford is about to reinforce that belief by unveiling the Mountune package for the already insane Focus ST.

This Mountune program does its power-boosting deeds by way of a handful of new components, including: a cast-allot inlet duct for easier breathing; high-flow sports air filter; larger intercooler for less heat soak on extended drives; and recalibration of the electronic systems. Buyers can opt to have the inlet duct and intercooler in silver or powder coated in black.

As it sits, the UK-spec Focus ST packs a mean wallop at 250 PS (246 horsepower) 360 Nm (265 pound-feet) of torque straight off the showroom floor, but Ford’s Mountune program jumps it to an incredible 275 PS (271 horsepower) and 400 Nm (295 pound-feet) of torque.

The power bump drops the Focus ST’s 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) time from 6.5 to under 6 seconds. Additionally, the 31 to 62 mph acceleration time drops to just 4.9 seconds — a 0.8-second improvement.

The upgrade only takes about 90 minutes to install on the Focus ST and comes in at £1,225 ($1,852) for the silver components or £1,275 ($1,928) for the powder coated black components. This means a total investment of between £23,200 ($35,080) and £26,770 ($40,480), depending on the level of Focus ST and the Mountune kit chosen.

Unfortunately, there is no mention of this kit ever making it to the U.S. We can hope, right?

The 2013 VW GTI comes standard with a 220 PS (216-horsepower) 2.0-liter TSI engine that hooks up to a six-speed manual transmission. This is enough juice to sprint the GTI to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds and up to a 153 mph top speed. The GTI comes in at a base price of £25,285, making it significantly more expensive than the Focus ST Mountune’s base level.

2014 Ford Mustang GT by Hertz and Penske Racing

When news broke that rental car agency Hertz was introducing a "Dream Car Program" program to give customers a chance to rent a supercar, we didn’t know that the company was also giving its famous fleet of airport rental cars another a pretty bad-ass ride to its Adrenaline Series of rental muscle and sports cars.

Together with Penske Racing, Hertz is introducing the special-edition Ford Mustang GT, appropriately dubbed as the Hertz Penske Mustang GT. Instantly recognizable, the special edition muscle car carries the familiar black and gold paint scheme while also featuring a slew of new components and even a performance upgrade to give customers a chance to experience the exhilaration of driving a hopped-up Mustang GT.

On top of the sexy two-tone color scheme of the body, the exterior of the muscle car also received a new front splitter from the Boss 302 and a rear valence from the Shelby GT500.

Inside, the cabin is what you’d come to expect from Penske Racing: Recaro racing seats, custom floor mats, special door sill plates and even the gauge pod from the Laguna Seca Mustang. Additionally, this rental racer also features all the goodies that came from Ford, including the touchscreen infotainment system, a GPS and a back-up camera.

Under the hood, the Mustang’s 5.0-liter V-8 engine received the full performance treatment with an optimized ECU, a new air intake and a four-tailpipe exhaust system. The engine is backed up by a set of 3.55 gears to help improve acceleration. No performance numbers were released, but we won’t be surprised if this Mustang packs close to 600 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, with an estimated 0-to-60 mph time of 4 seconds and a top speed of about 185 mph.

Keeping the modded Stang on the road is an upgraded suspension system — no details were given on what was upgraded — and a Brembo braking system.

All that is well and good but the best part about this special edition Mustang is that it will become part of Hertz’s newly established Adrenaline Collection and will be available to rent at "select U.S. airport locations."