Ford Racing's Performance Packs For '05-'06 Mustangs GTs Were Highlights Among The Mustang Features At The 2005 SEMA Show
The best way to describe the SEMA Show is sensory overload. First off, there are the dazzling lights and ringing slot machines of Las Vegas to contend with. Then, once you escape the casinos and are inside the Las Vegas.
Convention Center, the senses are surrounded by bright paint under bright lights, glitzy wheels, new Mustangs at every corner, Carroll Shelby buzzing around on an electric scooter, and booth babes wearing very little in the way of clothing. Not that we're complaining ...
Once you were past the trendy pocket-rockets and trucks, there was plenty for the Ford fan to feast on. Ford Motor Company boasted the largest booth, Saleen displayed for the first time, Scott Drake wowed us with his new vintage Mustang parts, and Roush Performance made a number of announcements, including the introduction of the Stage 3 Mustang and the Roush Wheel Collection. We've got it all here, and a lot more, in our special coverage of the 2005 SEMA Show.
Remember the Staged Performance packages from Ford's old Muscle Parts program? Ford Racing is bringing the concept back with its trio of Performance Packs for the '05-'06 Mustang GT. Although not as comprehensive as the Muscle Parts packages-after all, the new Mustang provides a lot more performance to start with-the modern kits add both horsepower and handling.
The entry-level Performance Pack is the Power Pack, available for $889, PN M-2005-FR1. Designed for owners who want more power while maintaining mild street manners, the package includes a 90mm Cold Air Kit with flash tuner, performance mufflers, and a performance oil filter. | 
The name may sound familiar to Mustangers from the '60s, but Ford Racing's new Drag Pack, PN M-2005-FR2, is more than digger gears and an oil cooler. For $1,399, the modern Drag Pack comes with the 90mm Cold Air Kit with flash tuner and oil filter from the Power Pack, then adds 4.10:1 rear gears with installation kit, shorty headers, and a short-throw shifter. | 
You couldn't get handling upgrades from the old Muscle Parts catalogs, but with today's emphasis on better road manners, Ford Racing's Handling Pack, PN M-2005-FR3, provides better cornering and a lowered stance. |
Three Performance Packs are currently available. A fourth, the Super Pack, adds a supercharger for over 400 hp and is expected to release this spring. During the SEMA Show, Ford Racing demonstrated the performance of the Super Pack by inviting celebrities and members of the press to drive a Super Pack-equipped GT on a first-of-its-kind Dynojet chassis dynamometer with new drag-strip simulation software. Although many drivers had a tough time trying to launch the Mustang on the Dynojet's heavy rollers, once they got the hang of it, mid-12-second quarter-mile ETs at over 114 miles-per-hour were common.
For more information and a list of Ford Racing dealers, visit www.fordracingparts.com.
Shelby Unveils Two New Mustangs
For a man in his 80s who should be enjoying retirement, Carroll Shelby is certainly staying busy these days. At SEMA, it seemed he was everywhere as he introduced two new Shelby Mustangs, one at the Vortech/Paxton display and another in the huge Ford pavilion.
"Fast and strong but light on its feet," is how Shelby Automobiles president Amy Boylan described the new CS 6, a V-6-powered '06 Shelby Mustang concept vehicle that pumps out over 350 hp with assistance from a Paxton NOVI-1200 supercharger. Readily identified by its V-6 sport foglamps, the CS 6 package includes suspension refinements, custom hood, Baer brakes, 20-inch American Racing wheels, side stripes with the Shelby snake logo, and Borla dual exhausts exiting beneath a GT rear valance. Serving to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Shelby's first Paxton-equipped GT350s, the CS 6 will be available in the first part of 2006 through Shelby Automobiles' Las Vegas headquarters and a national dealer network.
Shelby unveiled the new Shelby CS 6 at the Vortech/Paxton display. | 
Mustang GT owners will need to be wary of the CS 6 with its supercharged 350-plus horsepower. | 
The Shelby/West Coast Customs' '06 Mustang combines Shelby's legendary performance with styling from West Coast Customs. |