New Mustangs secured in 30 seconds

16 June, 2014

 

The nerves of Ford executives about releasing there “baby” were eased when the first 500 Euro-spec 2015 Mustangs were reserved within the first 30 seconds of the UEFA Champions League Final in Europe.

There were 9300 people who tried to secure one of the 500 spots when registrations opened during the match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. The 500 secured ended up being spread across 20 countries

The vehicle goes on sale officially next year and it is the first one ever to be made available across Europe.

“We knew there was huge excitement building for the new Ford Mustang coming to Europe, but the response during the UCL Final was overwhelming,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, marketing, sales and service, Ford of Europe.

“It was a truly special way to kick off the Ford Mustang era in Europe.”

The models made available for the UEFA final release were the fastback models in Race Red and the convertible models in Magnetic Silver. Securers were able to choose from Ford’s all-new 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine with more than 309 PS and 407 Nm of torque; or the 5.0-litre V8 engine which delivers more than 426 PS and 529 Nm of torque.  They’ll also get Ford’s SYNC 2 connectivity ad navigation system,, heated and ventilated seats, Park Assist, black leather trim, chrome detailing, and 19-inch alloy wheels.

You can see the thoughts behind the redesign of the iconic vehicle here:

Travelling companion

It’s easy to see why the Morris Minor Traveller was one of the best-loved variants of the Morris Minor. Introduced in 1953, it was equipped with the same independent torsion bar front suspension, drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering as its saloon sibling but, with their foldable rear seat increasing versatility, many Travellers were used as trade vehicles, says Derek Goddard. Derek and Gail Goddard, the owners of this superbly restored example, have run Morris Minors since before they were married in 1974.
“Our honeymoon vehicle was a blue Morris Minor van — it was a rust bucket,” says Derek.

Super Leicht Gullwing

It’s fair to say that nothing much in the classic Mercedes world gets past Mercedes-Benz Club stalwart Garry Boyce so it wasn’t surprising to learn that around 15 years ago he had sniffed out an extremely rare 300SL lightweight Gullwing as well as a 1958 300SL Roadster hiding away in the Waikato. The cars were not for sale but Garry eventually managed to persuade the owner to allow him and his restoration team to take a look at the Roadster. They discovered a very distressed but largely unmolested car. The car was so original that the body had never been off the chassis, meaning most of the parts and fittings were still present and correct, as they had been fitted by the factory.