50 years of Ford Mustang

The 2014 SEMA show has come and gone, and thanks to the outstanding hard work by dozens of Mustang customizers, the 2015 Mustang was able to add another award to its extensive trophy cabinet: Hottest Car of the 2014 SEMA Show.

Making its debut at SEMA was Ford Racing’s “King Cobra,” a supercharged Mustang GT decked out in Ford Racing components. Unlike most SEMA project cars, the King Cobra can be replicated by owners of the 2015 Mustang by, as Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing, put it, “opening the Ford Racing catalogue and getting one of everything.”

Also making its debut at the SEMA show was a radically modified 1965 Mustang notchback built by Ken Block’s team of skilled customizers. Starring in “Gymkhana 7,” Ken Block’s Mustang sports a worked-over engine that produces 845 horsepower and a fully custom four-wheel-drive system.

Elsewhere on the SEMA show floor were dozens of Mustangs owned and built by passionate fans of the brand. “Walking through the show floor and talking to all the Mustang builders was a special experience,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “These builders were among the first people to pick up the 2015 Mustang from dealerships about a month ago; since that time they have worked flat-out to fabricate and customize their SEMA show cars. The passion these builders have for the Mustang is what drives my team and me to give the Mustang everything we’ve got.”

On the Ford stand, several Mustangs stood out as fan favorites thanks to their extreme level of modification. Among the most popular cars were Chip Foose’s Mustang convertible, Full Race’s SCCA-eligible EcoBoost® Mustang and Watson Racing’s drag race-inspired Mustang.

Ford Out Front continued to be a fan favorite at SEMA thanks to drifting exhibitions by Vaughn Gittin Jr. in his modified 2015 Mustang, as well as the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School instructors demonstrating the road course capabilities of the new Mustang to eager passengers and several other Ford drivers.

Also making its debut at the SEMA show was a radically modified 1965 Mustang notchback built by Ken Block’s team of skilled customizers. Starring in “Gymkhana 7,” Ken Block’s Mustang sports a worked-over engine that produces 845 horsepower and a fully custom four-wheel-drive system.

Elsewhere on the SEMA show floor were dozens of Mustangs owned and built by passionate fans of the brand. “Walking through the show floor and talking to all the Mustang builders was a special experience,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “These builders were among the first people to pick up the 2015 Mustang from dealerships about a month ago; since that time they have worked flat-out to fabricate and customize their SEMA show cars. The passion these builders have for the Mustang is what drives my team and me to give the Mustang everything we’ve got.”

On the Ford stand, several Mustangs stood out as fan favorites thanks to their extreme level of modification. Among the most popular cars were Chip Foose’s Mustang convertible, Full Race’s SCCA-eligible EcoBoost® Mustang and Watson Racing’s drag race-inspired Mustang.

Ford Out Front continued to be a fan favorite at SEMA thanks to drifting exhibitions by Vaughn Gittin Jr. in his modified 2015 Mustang, as well as the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School instructors demonstrating the road course capabilities of the new Mustang to eager passengers and several other Ford drivers.

Also making a special appearance at Ford Out Front was a display of over 50 Mustangs, at least one from each year of production. In order to capture some spectacular drone video, these Mustangs were parked to form a giant “50,” a tribute to the Mustang’s 50 years of continuous production.