Steeda Autosports introduces the 2006 Supercharged Steeda Q 525. The new model of which a limited number will be built, is the top of the line Steeda Q for the customer who demands the ultimate in performance and drivability. The engineers at Steeda Autosports have paid careful attention to vehicle dynamics to give the Q 525 world class ride and handling.

One looks tells you this is a serious performance car, with its new for 2006 light weight, competition front facia equipped with functional brake cooling ducts. These ducts feed cool air to the 14” Steeda front brakes of the Q 525. At the rear the new Steeda designed, engineered and manufactured rear sway bar with billet end links improves handling and rear compliance.
Power and Performance

The heart of the Q 525 is a Magna Charger 5th Generation MP112 hybrid roots style supercharger with internal bypass valve. The supercharger provides instantantanious boost from 1,200 to 6,000 rpm. The unique valve is responsible in eliminating parasitic drag from the crank shaft to the supercharger.

Ford Australia has revealed the latest weapon in its high performance arsenal – the Focus XR5 Turbo; engineered in Europe and equipped with a close ratio six-speed manual gearbox and boasting performance levels that will be the envy of many larger car drivers.

“This is a very exciting day for Ford Australia, with the red hot Focus XR5 Turbo adding more firepower to an already potent performance vehicle line-up,” said Ford Australia President Tom Gorman.

“We all know Focus is a quality product, and much of that quality is borne out of an extensive sports programme via the gruelling World Rally Championship.

“Our engineers have drawn on that experience and focussed it into a vehicle destined to redefine the term ‘hot hatch’.

“The new Ford Focus XR5 Turbo combines performance with practicality; offering usability and versatility just as its siblings do, with additional power and performance in tribute to its rally-bred origins,” Mr Gorman said.

Specialty automobile manufacturer, Saleen, expands its product lineup and celebrates legendary racecar driver, Parnelli Jones, by announcing the Saleen / Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Mustang.

Steve Saleen, President & CEO of Saleen, said, “Parnelli Jones is an American racing icon. In the fifties, sixties, and seventies Parnelli won just about every race that he appeared in, including the Indy 500. 1970 was the year that the SCCA Trans Am Series boasted the most competitive field ever, and Parnelli Jones and his Boss 302 Mustang competed against the likes of Mark Donahue and Dan Gurney, and there he captured the championship. Our relationship began in 1987 when Parnelli raced for me on the Saleen team, and helped us win our first SCCA Manufacturer’s Championship at Sebring, Florida. I can’t think of any other individual that brings with him the unique connection between championship winning Mustangs and Saleen.”

Parnelli Jones commented, “It’s a true honor to have a special edition Saleen wearing my name. This impressive car takes me back in time—it makes me want to take it for a run around the track. I’m sure that this car will be an adrenaline-pumping experience for anyone who has the chance to own or drive one. I think that this car is going to evoke nostalgia not only for Steve Saleen and myself, but for everyone that lays their eyes on it.”

In a throwback to the famed Shelby GT350H “Rent-A-Racer” program from the 1960s, Ford Motor Company, Shelby Automobiles and The Hertz Corporation are partnering to produce a special run of performance-modified Ford Mustang GTs – designated Shelby GT-H, for “Hertz” – that will be available for rent later this spring exclusively through Hertz. Approximately 500 units will be available through the Hertz Fun Collection at select airport locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii and Nevada.

Forty years ago, Carroll Shelby and The Hertz Corporation came up with an ingenious plan to help get a batch of high-performance, special-edition Shelby Mustangs into the hands of rental customers who also happened to be car enthusiasts. Ford supplied the new Mustangs with V-8 engines and mostly automatic transmissions, Shelby added extra performance and style, and Hertz gave the public access to the kind of unique driving experience that one would normally only find on a racetrack. Today, the story of the Shelby/Hertz “Rent-A-Racer” is legendary and surviving Shelby GT350H Mustangs are among the most sought-after collector cars in the world. To connect the magical past of the original Shelby GT350H with the modern capabilities of the new Ford Mustang, Shelby, Ford and Hertz have again teamed up, and – together with the Ford Racing Performance Group – have given the 2006 Ford Shelby GT-H a very classic, muscular look as well as some true performance credentials.

Chatsworth, CA: The key to getting any vehicle off the starting line or through the traffic lights is a well-matched, balanced torque converter. Whether you’re on the bottle, boosted or all-motor, your torque converter takes the shock and burden every time the vehicle is launched. B&M has designed a variety of torque converters to suite every driveline combination. The greatest known converter killers are nitrous equipped motors. The instantaneous horsepower generated by nitrous will cause ballooning of the cover and a shortened lifespan.

To remedy this, B&M designed the Nitrous HoleShot converter with anti-ballooning plates specifically intended to harness the horsepower of nitrous equipped engines. The Nitrous HoleShot also offers a furnace-brazed impeller, heavy-duty needle bearing between the stator and impeller, furnace brazed turbine and a precision steel alloy pump drive tube. Offered in 2400, 3000 and 3600 rpm stall speeds, the Nitrous HoleShot is THE heavy-duty converter for GM, Ford and Chrysler transmission.

B&M also offers their standard HoleShot converter for all-motor or mildly boosted applications. The standard HoleShot converter can be used in applications up to 450 lb-ft. of torque. Available in 2000, 2400, 3000 and 3600 rpm stall speeds, the HoleShot offers extreme performance at an affordable price. 

Ever since Ford announced it was going to build a production version of the Shelby GT500 Concept, enthusiasts have been abuzz with speculation about what other specialty Mustangs were in the works. Would Ford bring back the Boss? Could they be contemplating another Mach 1? How about another Bullitt? Their wait is now over: While the competition scrambles once again to play catch-up to Ford, Mustang momentum continues to grow with the introduction of the uniquely styled, limited-edition 2007 Mustang GT/CS – or “California Special.”

The Mustang GT/California Special arrives in late summer as a full, stand-alone option package on the 2007 Mustang. Much like the 1968 GT/CS that offered Mustang buyers more aggressive styling that was “Inspired by the Shelby GT,” the new California Special also draws some cues from the 2007 Shelby. What’s more, it offers the kind of limited-production exclusivity that has made the original California Special such a big favorite with Mustang collectors over the years.

Turbonetics Inc. launches a new line of diesel specific performance products under the Torque-master brand name.

Incorporating larger, beefier turbos able to withstand the rigors of extended use at higher boost pressures, the Torque-master Turbos offer more horsepower and torque, even at stock boost pressures due to their ability to flow a higher volume of air.

An even more popular item for the masses is the larger Spearco Intercooler. Featuring a bar and plate design, the Spearco intercooler offers approximately 50% more volume for charge air-cooling. In addition to better charge air-cooling, which adds horsepower and torque, the all welded aluminum construction adds reliability, particularly over some of the plastic end tanks starting to be used by some manufacturers.

The combination of the larger turbo and intercooler are capable of supporting an increase of over 200 horsepower. These are both bolt-on upgrade items, which require no cutting or welding.
For over 28 years, Turbonetics has been a leading source for Turbochargers and related performance items.

Saleen knows all about power. As in S281 Mustangs, N2O Focuses and the S7, America’s first (and still the only) mid-engine exotic supercar. When it went on sale in 2002, the S7 was the only street-legal car in the U.S. with more than 500 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. The media and S7 owners have raved about the car since it first smoked the rear tires in anger. And it has been recognized by numerous automotive magazines as the fastest production car in the world.

But during the past three years the automobile marketplace has witnessed an explosion of performance with models from manufacturers including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Chevrolet touting power numbers above the once magic 500 level.

Saleen is not an organization content to rest on yesterday’s 0-60 mph times or quarter-mile speeds. So for 2005 it’s “goodbye S7” and “all hail the S7 Twin Turbo!” This is the first major change to the S7 since its introduction, and it is a BIG change as in 750 horsepower and 700 lb-ft of torque, numbers the competition will be chasing for a long while we predict.

What happens when a legend from Texas reunites with a legend from Dearborn? The most powerful Mustang ever. After 40 years, racing legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Mustang are back together with the introduction of the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500.

The collaboration between Shelby and Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) is yielding an instant collector’s Mustang that builds 475 horsepower in its 5.4-liter supercharged V-8. A modern interpretation of the Shelby Mustang of the 1960s, the Ford Shelby GT500 uses advanced engineering to attain the performance that made the original GT500 the king of the road.

True to the original GT500, it will be available both as a coupe and as a convertible when it goes on sale in the summer of 2006. “When Carroll was developing the original GT350 and GT500, he wanted to build the most powerful, most capable Mustangs of his day,” says Hau Thai-Tang, director, Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team. “Our goal was to build the most powerful, most capable Mustang ever.”

Serving as touchstone and inspirational leader for both the concept and the production versions, Shelby was impressed by what the team has accomplished. “It’s one thing to put 450 horsepower in an exotic supercar,” says Shelby. “It’s another to put that much power in something as affordable as a Mustang. The fact that they not only met their goal but pushed on to 475 horsepower is a remarkable achievement.”

Shelby knows something about creating modern supercars. He served as a senior adviser on the team that developed and built the 550-horsepower Ford GT.