2012 ford mustang
2012 ford mustang
In Dearborn, Mich. you have a lot of pull when you are the Ford Motor Company; apparently you have more pull if you are a Mustang enthusiast. Last Friday I headed to the Ford World Headquarters to join a group of Mustangers heading to the Ford Development Center for a little fun.
I pulled into the front parking lot and parked my Mustang. Joseph Frank, product development engineer, instructed me into the lobby. I pushed through the doors into one of the world’s largest automotive companies, truly an awe inspiring experience. I followed a long, glassed walled hallway passing the Ford Explorer Concept that debuted at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. At the end of the hall I took an escalator up to a conference room where the rest of the group were already waiting.
Shortly thereafter Joseph Frank joined us and gave us a quick rundown of the day’s activities and a few rules we had to abide by. Then we were released back to our cars. We did the usual car thing and perused the 120 or so Ford Mustangs sitting out front. Promptly at 8:45am the Dearborn Police arrived to escort us to the proving grounds.
When Ford said it would be an escorted drive, they were far from kidding. Roads were blocked, traffic was stopped, and we became a pain in everyone’s butt, especially those sitting on the Southfield Freeway. Once we got off the freeway, we entered the proving grounds through a small gate behind a row of low slung buildings.
The road behind the buildings led to a large overpass which gave access to the rest of the development center. As I topped the bridge, I could see the entire area, spotting a few 2011 Ford Explorer test mules running around.
We drove onto the grounds and onto the facility’s 2.5 mile high speed track for a couple of parade laps. I was in awe at how large the facility was. After our cruising at a loose 45 mph, we parked our cars and were convoyed over to the reception building. Sitting inside the cool building, we heard an engine start up and a garage door at the back of the room opened up. The lights dimmed as Dave Pericak, chief engineer of the Ford Mustang, drove a 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 with the Laguna Seca package into the building, the engine idling as he feathered the vehicle next to a row of chairs.
He spoke on the slew of new improvements made over the 2011 Ford Mustang GT trim, with 440 horsepower and the first non-SVT Mustang to pull over 1 g on the lateral skid pad. Pericak said the only way Ford would allow the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 to come to life was if they could be quicker than a BMW M3 on the track.
Pericak noted that there were three major events available for us to experience. They set up their wet pad for some extreme drifting, pulled a few 5.0s and Boss 302s out onto the hot lap track for some high speed fun, and set up a small autocross course to beat on a few of the vehicles they had there. After the formalities were finished we were let loose onto one of the automakers most sacred and highly guarded areas.
Article Source: Insidemusclecars.com
