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Galpin-Fisker Rocket shows up topless in Monterey

The Rocket Coupe, introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year, was a collaboration in reimagination carried out by designer Henrik Fisker and Galpin Auto Sports on a Ford Mustang. The next version of that concept has come to Pebble Beach in the metallic red form of the Rocket Speedster Concept you see here. In this guise the Mustang convertible gets a speedster tonneau cover that runs all the way to the front seat headrests, covering the back seats. As with the rest of the bodywork the cover is fashioned in carbon fiber, portions of it visible in places like the stripes running along the hood from the hexagonal grill to the tonneau, and the exposed carbon fiber air ducts that are mesh-filled to improve airflow through the cabin. And yes, it still has that nose. Underhood is a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 725 horsepower, all that cavalry brought to a stop by 15-inch Brembo Gran Turismo brakes up front tucked behind 21-inch custom wheels. Although it is labeled a concept, it too will go into limited production like its hardtop forebear. The press release below has the info, the gallery above has the goods. Related Video: GALPIN FORD AND HENRIK FISKER UNVEIL ROCKET SPEEDSTER CONCEPT AT 2015 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE Acclaimed Automotive Designer and Visionary Customizer turn the Ultimate Mustang into a Stunning Speedster MONTEREY, Calif. (August 15, 2015) – Galpin Auto Sports and Henrik Fisker unveiled the latest iteration of the "Ultimate American Muscle Car" today at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance; the 2015 Rocket Speedster Concept. Following a short drive onto the legendary Pebble Beach Concept Lawn, Henrik Fisker and Galpin Motors President, Beau Boeckmann introduced the convertible carbon fiber-bodied super-Mustang, intended for low-volume production. The car was featured as one of only a few special designer cars in front the Lodge at Pebble Beach. Featuring a fully integrated carbon fiber speedster cover that transforms the four-seat convertible into a two-seat speedster, this new edition Rocket maintains exceptional visual drama and performance with the top up or down. As with the Rocket Coupe, the Concept carries a carbon fiber hood feeding air into the supercharged 725-hp V8 engine through two sculpted air intakes, aiding the grill and front splitter in maintaining optimal cooling and aerodynamics. Constructed by GFMI Metalcrafters, Inc.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #319 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #319 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
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Jeep checks out the Grand Wagoneer at Wagonmaster

These horribly misguided front-drive design studies nearly became the Mustang

As we eagerly await the unveiling of the all-new sixth-generation Mustang, Ford has been giving us some great information over the past few months showing what has gone into shaping its venerable pony car. As many changes as the Mustang has gone through in its 50 years, though, it appears the fourth-gen model played a decisive and pivotal role in the car's future.
As is part of Mustang lore, the front-wheel drive Ford Probe was originally developed as a next-generation Mustang in the Eighties before cooler heads prevailed. The Blue Oval has just released a handful of images showing how bad things could have been - including a full-scale clay model of a front-wheel-drive Mustang (shown above). Fortunately, the FWD Mustang plan was scrapped and Ford went to work designing a rear-wheel-drive replacement for the Fox Body Mustang, with three design studies making it far enough to become full-scale models. These include the soft "Bruce Jenner" Mustang, the over-the-top "Rambo" Mustang and the middle-ground "Arnold Schwarzenegger" Mustang, which finally became the basis for the 1994 'Stang.
By early 1991, the design language of the fourth-generation Mustang had been worked out, and the rest, they say, is history. Scroll down for the fascinating press release telling the story of the fourth-gen Mustang, and be sure to check out the gallery of horribly misguided sketches and various design studies that were all on the table in the late 1980s.