Ford Mustang Thread: 2011 General Talk

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Yeah, like John Force trying to auction a car on Barrett Jackson... "You can drive 10s at the strip and then go grocery shopping!" and then his buddy taps him on the shoulder and says, "Actually, no, you can't."
 
Here are some new pictures of the 2011 GT from the Detroit Auto Show (Source, MotorAuthority).

This GT must have some type of premium package with upgraded wheels and Brembos :) For a fairly basic GT package, it looks pretty nice compared to what we've seen in the past 👍 I still don't understand why in the hell they left the side skirts black (plastic) instead of painting them to match for a much cleaner, lower looking stance :dunce: They did this crap on the previous GT500's as well, while the GT's had the side skirts painted to match the rest of the body color :rolleyes:

2011-ford-mustang-gt_100303513_l.jpg


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I'm finding far too many things wrong with it, yet I love how the 2010s look in person. Needs a lower ride height (look at all that fender gap!), get rid of the black crap at the rocker panels and rear bumper. Throw that 5.0 badge in the nearest trash bin and get one off a 1990 Mustang. Relocate said badge to the rear bumper, discretely. And the wheels look like they came off a BMW.
 
I still don't understand why in the hell they left the side skirts black (plastic) instead of painting them to match for a much cleaner, lower looking stance :dunce: They did this crap on the previous GT500's as well, while the GT's had the side skirts painted to match the rest of the body color :rolleyes:
You're obviously not an art student. They use black because it makes the body of the car look thinner and much lighter. In sunlight all you see is the paint, and it appears to have a thin sleek profile like cars used to, back before they started making them thicker than Queen Latifah. All the horizontal creases that make play with light on the surface have the same effect, making you think the car is lower and thinner than it actually is. Your sense of design is flawed.
 
You're obviously not an art student. They use black because it makes the body of the car look thinner and much lighter. In sunlight all you see is the paint, and it appears to have a thin sleek profile like cars used to, back before they started making them thicker than Queen Latifah. All the horizontal creases that make play with light on the surface have the same effect, making you think the car is lower and thinner than it actually is. Your sense of design is flawed.

Ok, thanks for the art lesson Da Vinci :lol: Go tell that to all of the supercar designers who don't follow your flawed thinking :dunce: haha! And how can my sense/taste of design be flawed, when it's MY opinion of what looks good? :rolleyes:

IMO, all the unpainted side skirts do is make the car appear higher off the ground than it should be, and more plasticy (cheaper).

He seem seems to agree with me-

I'm finding far too many things wrong with it, yet I love how the 2010s look in person. Needs a lower ride height (look at all that fender gap!), get rid of the black crap at the rocker panels and rear bumper. Throw that 5.0 badge in the nearest trash bin and get one off a 1990 Mustang. Relocate said badge to the rear bumper, discretely. And the wheels look like they came off a BMW.
 
Ok, thanks for the art lesson Da Vinci :lol: Go tell that to all of the supercar designers who don't follow your flawed thinking :dunce: haha! And how can my sense/taste of design be flawed, when it's MY opinion of what looks good? :rolleyes:

IMO, all the unpainted side skirts do is make the car appear higher off the ground than it should be, and more plasticy (cheaper).

He seem seems to agree with me-
Supercar designers do use that "flawed thinking".

Case in point, the Enzo.
ferrari%20enzo.jpg

The 458.
ferrari-458-side.jpg

The GT-R.
nissan-gt-r.jpg

Compare the GT2 to when its kept stock to when someone has the panels painted.
1011751_600.jpg

911gt2f34430.jpg
 
You're obviously not an art student. They use black because it makes the body of the car look thinner and much lighter. In sunlight all you see is the paint, and it appears to have a thin sleek profile like cars used to, back before they started making them thicker than Queen Latifah. All the horizontal creases that make play with light on the surface have the same effect, making you think the car is lower and thinner than it actually is. Your sense of design is flawed.

The answer is this.

Ok, thanks for the art lesson Da Vinci :lol: Go tell that to all of the supercar designers who don't follow your flawed thinking :dunce: haha! And how can my sense/taste of design be flawed, when it's MY opinion of what looks good? :rolleyes:

Flawed? I wouldn't go so far... but your understanding of car design could be deeper.

Supercar designers don't have the need to design a car that you don't have to be lying flat on your back to drive and they don't have the need to design it to get over the common speed bump, either. (Have you ever tried driving a supercar up a parking ramp? Scrape. Scrape. Scrape...)


(I wasn't actually aware that TG did this till I looked it up...)

IMO, all the unpainted side skirts do is make the car appear higher off the ground than it should be, and more plasticy (cheaper).

Only on a turntable. You don't see the blacked out crap as well on the road, when the light is overhead.

A lot of Japanese cars use this trick... roll the bottom of the car away from the sides so that they're in shadow, to disguise the bulk of the car. Have the skirts and underskirts in black so they're not obvious (unless you're looking under the car... and that doesn't happen on the road... only in artsy magazine shoots).

It's not the best that they could have done. Best case scenario would have been to make the car slimmer in the first place. But I prefer a slim-looking car to one that puts on a slab-sided appearance just to look closer to the road.

He seem seems to agree with me-

And I agree with Keef. You're even. :lol:
 
Ok, I stand corrected then. Supercar designers do use this type of design...I shouldn't have been so quick to jump the gun out of ignorance :dunce: :lol:

But in the end, to say my sense of design is flawed is not the right thing to say, when IMO the new GT would look better with painted side skirts, despite what others think.
 
No offense need be taken, I wasn't trying to get on your ass. It's a design principle, and some people don't agree with it. That makes me cringe sometimes, but to each his own I suppose.
 
No offense need be taken, I wasn't trying to get on your ass. It's a design principle, and some people don't agree with it. That makes me cringe sometimes, but to each his own I suppose.

Fair enough 👍
 
Thats much more mild on the supercars though.

Edit: Anyway, the car needs to be lower. Full stop.
 
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Wow. You learn something everyday. 👍
Edit: Anyway, the car needs to be lower. Full stop.
I don't know, dude. It looks like the car sits pretty low to me. If it was any lower, I'm pretty sure you'll start scraping on tricky driveways. Plus if you want it lower, you could always go for some Ford Racing kits!
 
Not that it really matters, but I'm pretty sure that the bits on the 458 are painted black because they are supposed to guard against rocks.
 
I wish they would just remove the black bits and not replace them with anything.
 
Not that it really matters, but I'm pretty sure that the bits on the 458 are painted black because they are supposed to guard against rocks.

I believe the undertray area you are referring to is unpainted carbon fiber. It should also be noted that this piece isn't meant to have the same visual effect or purpose as it does on the Mustang. As you can tell, it is perpendicular to the ground and only a few mm thick - much different than on the Mustang. Its major purpose to improve the aero efficiency while reducing drag.

Ferrari%20458%20yellow%20prf%20950.jpg
 
It is unpainted? I wasn't sure so I didn't mention it. But yeah, it is for aerodynamic efficiency as well.

I'm pretty sure it's dry carbon fiber, but I couldn't tell you for sure :dopey: I think I read that in Auto Week IIRC.

But regardless, the main point is that it's not really there to make the car look slimmer as Mclaren was trying to make an example of
 
Actually... it's there for the same purpose. To bring the body of the car closer to the ground for aero-effects without making the body look any bigger.

Note the black parts on the Ford aren't just sheetmetal... they're mostly rocker panel and lip. Just like on the supercars pictured.

Car designers have a different aim than body-kit makers. Your typical banzai-body kit from Japan is flashy and flared out because they want you to notice that it's there. A car designer will design something for the same purpose (ground effects) but may not want it to ruin the lines of a design they've worked over, painstakingly, for months.

I've been underneath a lot of cars, and I appreciate the effort of manufacturers in adding tons of aerodynamic pieces to the undersides of cars where people can't see them. Hidden air dams, wheel spats, aero-trays. Wonderful stuff.
 
As niky said, it does serve that purpose.

This photo from Autoblog is perfect for showing how the unpainted, bare CF helps keep the body lines looking thin & tidy.
090050car.jpg
 
Hey, remember when this thread was about the Mustang?

410361.jpg


The thought of buying a new 5.0 drop top is awesome. Especially since day glo colors are back in style.
 
Actually... it's there for the same purpose. To bring the body of the car closer to the ground for aero-effects without making the body look any bigger.

Note the black parts on the Ford aren't just sheetmetal... they're mostly rocker panel and lip. Just like on the supercars pictured.

May I ask how you know this for a fact? - Regarding the Mustang rocker panel serving some sort of SPECIFIC aerodynamic function, like the undertray on the 458?

Realistically, the rocker panel (on the Mustang) is there to cover up the transition from the sheet metal body to the undercarriage of the car, more than anything.

In the case of the 458, the body would still look thin and tidy (and complete) even without the undertray protruding from the side...but without it, the drag in that particular area would be increased by a fair amount. Ferrari took an approach much like we see on the sidepod/undertray area of a modern F1 car, where the undertray extends past the body.
 
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Hey, remember when this thread was about the Mustang?

410361.jpg


The thought of buying a new 5.0 drop top is awesome. Especially since day glo colors are back in style.

Ice, Ice baby.
 
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