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| Doug Gaffka, Director of Design in Ford Motor Company's Living Legends Studio in Dearborn, is shown standing in front of a Ford GT (formerly Ford GT40) show car. On the wall behind the Ford Forty-Nine are photos that resemble what may be the next generation Mustang's interior. These photos are blown up slightly to the right, as is a photo of the retro style seats. Both appear even larger in the photo gallery. |
But hold on a minute. New information has Ford management trying to cut corners for reasons of cost - what's new? A new 'hybrid' suspension is now expected, based on the upcoming C170 chassis that is being developed for the next generation Focus and Mazda Protegé. A source at Roush Engineering, one of Ford's racing development partners, has been reported to have leaked the news that they are testing the new C170 platform for its Mustang application.
This information will no doubt be disappointing to Mustang fans, but don't get too concerned. Ford still plans to convert the chassis to rear-wheel drive, although such an experiment has never been attempted by Dearborn before. Again more rumor and innuendo, Team Mustang sources claim the new car will continue to offer both solid and independent rear suspension systems while Roush contacts insist they have only tested IRS Mustangs for the 2005 model year. Just why Ford would continue building a solid rear axle car might seem mystifying to most, but there are actually Mustang fans that revere the 'technology' for drag racing - a sport I admittedly know very little about.