Yes, we know, Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier every year, but don’t blame us—blame retailers like Neiman Marcus, which just put out its annual Christmas Book that’s brimming with high-end gift ideas. We’re not here to regale you with tales of fur coats, eel-skin wallets, or whatever else the upscale department store stuffed into the 2015 Christmas Book. Instead, we’re here because Neiman Marcus’ catalog has long featured special cars, and the $95,000, 700-hp custom Ford Mustang GT convertible in this year’s issue is the latest.
-Last year’s automotive saliva-generator was a $300,000 slot-car track, while previous vehicular gift ideas have included a Maserati, a Ferrari, a Camaro, and others. The custom Mustang is assembled by Downforce Motorsports, a company that—going by its seemingly one-month-old website—has produced only one other product, a Warhawk-inspired Dodge Challenger (the Warhawk being a World War II–era Curtiss P-40 fighter plane).
-Starting life as a Mustang GT convertible, the Neiman Marcus Mustang is given a supercharger and long-tube exhaust headers to produce a claimed 700 horsepower and 600-plus lb-ft of torque—jumps of 265 horsepower and 200 lb-ft over stock figures. It also runs Brembo brakes, Hawk Performance brake pads, Nitto NT05 tires, and a “performance racing suspension and sway bars.” Those should come in handy when probing the claimed 195-mph top speed. Somewhat bizarrely, the windshield and side-window glass has been swapped for Lexan, too.
-Most suspicious, the Neiman Marcus catalog even lists “all-wheel drive (AWD) technology” among the Mustang’s features, but there’s no evidence to support this claim; no mention is made in a video of the car included on the retailer’s website, and Downforce Motorsports didn’t answer their phone or respond to our e-mailed inquiries. We’re guessing the copywriter was just confused—perhaps it’s a reference to the fact that the Neiman Marcus Mustang comes with all four wheels.
-As you’d expect from the Dallas-based retailer, this pony has plenty of show as well as go. The convertible also features a carbon-fiber tonneau cover with speedster-style humps that extend all the way to the front seats’ headrests. And there’s a wild, blue-and-silver two-tone paint treatment.
--
- -
- 2015 Ford Mustang GT Convertible Manual Tested: See the Sights, Swiftly -
- Fine Whine: A Semiserious Proposal for Rationalizing Speeding Fines -
- Ford Mustang Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More -
-
And now for the positives—well, besides that engine: Only 100 will be made, a six-speed manual is standard, the exhaust exits from the rockers, and a two-day Ford Racing School class is included. Also, the Neiman Marcus Mustang badges are pretty darn cool, from the classic tri-bar red, white, and blue emblem in the grille to the round, GT-style badge on the trunklid.
-Still, $95,000 for this apparently misrepresented modified pony car seems fishy to us. After all, when the Mustang Shelby GT350 exists, why bother with half-truths and fuzzy details?
-
No comments:
Post a Comment