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Saleen previews new 302 Mustang

The introduction of a new generation of a model like the Ford Mustang may be exciting enough in its own right for enthusiasts, but that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, because you know that Ford itself as well as numerous aftermarket tuners will soon follow up with even more desirable versions. And few Mustang tuners carry quite the same clout of Saleen.
Recently reunited after its previous split, Saleen is back on the map and hard at work on new aftermarket modifications for a wide array of muscle cars. We knew it would only be a matter of time before it would release a new 302 Mustang, and now it's sent out the first image to show us what to expect.
Details are scarce, but House that Steve Built says the 2015 Saleen 302 Mustang "is perfectly positioned as the next American exotic." And it should know, considering that it's the same outfit that produced the Saleen S7 that really was a true American exotic. From the teaser image above we can see that Saleen has given its Mustang a new front air dam, a very wide air scoop on the hood and of course Saleen's trademark slat grille.

Malcolm Gladwell reflects on engineering, recalls, and compromise

Journalist Malcolm Gladwell has made a career taking on big, complicated topics and humanizing them to make the unwieldy understandable. He has already done this in bestsellers like The Tipping Point and Outliers, and now he has brought the same approach to automotive recalls in a long piece for The New Yorker. The article titled The Engineer's Lament is framed around an interview with the former head of Ford's recall office about the famous Ford Pinto campaign where the position of the compact's fuel tank could cause it to explode in rear-end collisions. Plus, there are detours into Toyota's unintended acceleration cases and the General Motors ignition switch problem. While all the history is illuminating, the heart of the story comes from an examination at the thought process of engineers, and how their thinking differs from other professions. Gladwell comes off as sympathetic to auto engineers in this piece. While he admits that they often approach problems in a sterile way, the writer doesn't try point that out as a failing. It's merely a fact to be understood. The story itself is quite lengthy, but well worth a read if you have the time for an insiders view into how these recalls are assessed on the inside.

Camouflaged Shelby GT350 seen on the street

The Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang made a grand debut at the 2014 LA Auto Show, and its more extreme GT350R sibling bowed at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. With the order guides already leaked and the R lapping the Nurburgring in a claimed 7:32.19, many of the big questions about the high-performance pony cars have already been answered. However, when they aren't showing up at events, Ford apparently still sees reason to keep the models fully camouflaged on the street. Case in point: this recent video showing off one in testing. With the design already fully unveiled, there's not much left to spy under all of the concealment. This short clip does provide a real-world opportunity to hear the song of the 5.2-liter V8 with its flat-plane crank, though. As a development car nothing here is final, but based on this video, Ford is definitely making sure the Shelby's engine sounds great. Related Video: