ROUSH Performance unveiled the 510-horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque P-51A Mustang automobile Tuesday at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. “I’ve often said that there was never a Mustang built that I didn’t like and that includes both the car and the airplane,” said Jack Roush, an aviation enthusiast who currently owns two P-51 Mustang warbirds. “This is the type of product that ROUSH has wanted to produce for at least 10 years but the right platform, the right technology, and the right timing never intersected until now.”

The ROUSH P-51A is easily the highest horsepower Mustang the company has ever produced and represents the first time internal engine components have been upgraded by ROUSH technicians in its Livonia, Michigan, facility. It was determined that the only way to give the P-51A moniker its due was to completely break into the 4.6L, 3V and rebuild several of the functional internal components, which include a forged steel eight-bolt crankshaft, forged aluminum pistons with increased dish to lower the compression from 9:8 to 8:6, and forged steel H-Beam connecting rods. These upgraded parts were necessary for the stock Ford engine (which comes with 300 horsepower from the factory) to be able to withstand the additional power generated from the newest iteration of the legendary ROUSHcharger supercharger system.

Additional alterations include a custom aluminum upper and lower intake manifold for the high-capacity air-to-water intercooler and ROUSHcharger. ROUSH installs a custom fuel rail and high-flow fuel injectors, a high-flow capacity fuel system, and dual electronic throttle body.

The changes to the ROUSH P-51A don’t end under the hood. A ROUSH aerobody kit will be installed, which includes a front fascia, chin spoiler, hood scoop and rear spoiler. The ROUSH black high-flow grill is added along with cooling side shields to give the car the aggressive look it needs while stalking the streets.

Internally, the car will come with ROUSH sport leather seating and custom floor mats, both with an embroidered P-51A emblem. The white face gauges and billet aluminum pedals will get a lot of use as the driver bangs through the gears with the ROUSH short throw shift lever and retro black ball.

For those who look behind the 18-inch ROUSH forged five-spoke wheels will see the vaunted Stage 3 suspension underneath this vehicle. Designed to handle even the tightest twists and turns, this suspension includes specially-engineered and tuned front struts, rear shocks, front and rear springs, front and rear sway bars, and jounce bumpers. The front brakes are also upgraded with 14-inch front two-piece rotors and four-piston calipers. Each component was specifically engineered so that ride comfort was not compromised at the expense of the tremendous gains in performance.

Pricing for the ROUSH P-51A Mustang has not been set, but will be announced shortly. The vehicle is slated to begin production in the first quarter of 2008 and will be limited to 100 vehicles. As with all ROUSH vehicles, the P-51A will carry a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.

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ROUSH Performance unveiled the 510-horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque P-51A Mustang automobile Tuesday at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. “I’ve often said that there was never a Mustang built that I didn’t like and that includes both the car and the airplane,” said Jack Roush, an aviation enthusiast who currently owns two P-51 Mustang warbirds. “This is the type of product that ROUSH has wanted to produce for at least 10 years but the right platform, the right technology, and the right timing never intersected until now.”

The ROUSH P-51A is easily the highest horsepower Mustang the company has ever produced and represents the first time internal engine components have been upgraded by ROUSH technicians in its Livonia, Michigan, facility. It was determined that the only way to give the P-51A moniker its due was to completely break into the 4.6L, 3V and rebuild several of the functional internal components, which include a forged steel eight-bolt crankshaft, forged aluminum pistons with increased dish to lower the compression from 9:8 to 8:6, and forged steel H-Beam connecting rods. These upgraded parts were necessary for the stock Ford engine (which comes with 300 horsepower from the factory) to be able to withstand the additional power generated from the newest iteration of the legendary ROUSHcharger supercharger system.

Additional alterations include a custom aluminum upper and lower intake manifold for the high-capacity air-to-water intercooler and ROUSHcharger. ROUSH installs a custom fuel rail and high-flow fuel injectors, a high-flow capacity fuel system, and dual electronic throttle body.

The changes to the ROUSH P-51A don’t end under the hood. A ROUSH aerobody kit will be installed, which includes a front fascia, chin spoiler, hood scoop and rear spoiler. The ROUSH black high-flow grill is added along with cooling side shields to give the car the aggressive look it needs while stalking the streets.

Internally, the car will come with ROUSH sport leather seating and custom floor mats, both with an embroidered P-51A emblem. The white face gauges and billet aluminum pedals will get a lot of use as the driver bangs through the gears with the ROUSH short throw shift lever and retro black ball.

For those who look behind the 18-inch ROUSH forged five-spoke wheels will see the vaunted Stage 3 suspension underneath this vehicle. Designed to handle even the tightest twists and turns, this suspension includes specially-engineered and tuned front struts, rear shocks, front and rear springs, front and rear sway bars, and jounce bumpers. The front brakes are also upgraded with 14-inch front two-piece rotors and four-piston calipers. Each component was specifically engineered so that ride comfort was not compromised at the expense of the tremendous gains in performance.

Pricing for the ROUSH P-51A Mustang has not been set, but will be announced shortly. The vehicle is slated to begin production in the first quarter of 2008 and will be limited to 100 vehicles. As with all ROUSH vehicles, the P-51A will carry a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.

If you would like immediate updates, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

by Noah Joseph

While the new 600-horsepower Viper was attracting all the press at the Detroit show like so many moths to a flame, around back at the Dodge booth sat a tricked out beast dripping venom from its fangs, a showcase of what the Chrysler Group’s aftermarket performance division Mopar has in store for the company’s juiced up new flagship.

As impressive as the magic 600-horsepower figure is in the new Viper, it’s no huge mystery how Dodge squeezed out the extra 90 horses over the old model. “No replacement for displacement” is the name of the game, and the Viper’s engine is a monstrous 8.4-liter V10 from which Mopar tapped an additional 75 horses (thanks largely to better cooling) for a total of 675. (Yes, that’s right… 675 horsepower. In one car.)

To go with the added juice, Mopar fitted an adjustable suspension and blacked-out 19″ lightweight alloy wheels with accompanying Michelin rubber. The Mopar Viper was also displayed in a striking anthracite-gray paint job with an offset neon-red stripe running up the front, over the roof and on to the giant rear wing. You know, just in case the *ahem* ordinary Viper wasn’t visually imposing enough.

[Source Autoblog]

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by Scott Davis

Ferraris have often been compared to beautiful women. Like some of the aforementioned companions, they can become high-maintenance over time. Sure, the first couple of years of getting to really know each other are fun (or, in the case of the Ferrari, under warranty). But once the honeymoon is over, however, you might find that your bank account is getting more attention than you are, and that maybe this endeavour is a little more than you bargained for.

Sports Car Market has a story covering the first 6 ½ years of the life of a very-well-maintained Ferrari 550 Maranello. It began life as a $225,000 plaything for a successful real-estate investor in California. The well-documented repair history takes you through 36,000 miles of Ferrari ownership, and illustrates why owning a Ferrari means so much more than being able to simply buy one in the first place.

On the surface, it seems amazing just how much money has been spent on maintaining, personalizing, and repairing this vehicle. It’s really all relative, though. For someone of considerable wealth, covering the maintenance costs of a Ferrari is no different than a person of average means picking up the tab to maintain his or her Toyota, Ford, Honda, or Chevy. The Sports Car Market piece is interesting because it provides such an unusually comprehensive look at one particular exotic’s total cost of ownership. Make sure you read it through to the end for a great quote from one of the subject car’s owners, which helps put it all into perspective.

Like we said, everything’s relative.

[Source: Sports Car Market Magazine]

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By Noah Joseph on modena

Aluminum giant Alcoa has opened a new facility in Modena specifically to provide aluminum space frames and components to Ferrari.

The two companies began collaborating in 1994, when Ferrari determined that the lightweight metal was the way to go to reduce weight and improve the dynamics of its road cars, and began producing the space frames for the 360 Modena in 1998. Today Alcoa is Ferrari’s development and construction partner, with the aluminum conglomerate providing the frames for the F430, 612 Scaglietti and the new 599 GTB Fiorano.
Until now, Alcoa produced the components at their own plants in Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands and sent them to the Ferrari factory in Italy where Alcoa personnel assembled them into full space frames at Scaglietti Works, Ferrari’s body panel facility. With the new state-of-the-art 5,000-square-meter, million-euro facility, Alcoa will produce the space frames on site. The factory includes two high-speed robotic machining centers, two robotic joining centers and 12 space-frame assembly cells.
Alcoa’s overall investment in Italy totals nearly $300 million, having taken over Alumix in 1996 and incorporating six facilities: three extrusion plants, two smelters and one rolling mill, employing 1,900 workers directly and 4,000 indirectly. While we’re not likely to see any direct results from the new facility, it should help Ferrari produce its cars more efficiently, which is good all around.
[Source: FerrariWorld via Motorpasion]

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