Up until now, one of the main attractions to the Roush Stage 3 Mustang was its exclusive suspension package. Only available on the Roush Stage 3 models, the suspension had been deliberately kept off the aftermarket shelves to make the $60,000 Roush Mustang that much more of a special investment.

While Roush has offered many suspension packages over the years, this one had been off limits to those wanting to add one of the most tested, researched and engineered set ups in the business to their Mustang. No free milk, you had to buy the whole cow. In a surprise move this week Roush has announced to the strong ire of many Roush Stage 3 owners, the true blue suspension package to the open market.

Developed by what Roush says is some of the top chassis engineers in the industry, the Stage 3 Suspension Package is the result of hundreds of hours of testing and thousands of miles on both the street and racetracks across the country. OEM level testing and proving was done including the use of data captured and evaluated using a DIVAS Data Acquisition System, the same equipment used by the Ford vehicle engineers. Overall, it took more than six months of non-stop research and development to create the unique driving experience the set up offers.

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Carroll Shelby returns to his roots in Texas to partner with Northeast Texas Community College to create the new Carroll Shelby Automotive Technology Center. Shelby’s donation of $525,000 will go a long way to offer young people an opportunity to learn valuable skills in the automotive field. The new Carroll Shelby Automotive Technology program will include a state-of-the-art facility with instruction in automotive and body repair. The intensive, hands-on program will be designed to train mechanics to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. The program is expected to enroll the first class in Fall 2008.

NTCC is located 2 hours east of Dallas in the small town of Mt. Pleasant just off Interstate-30.

“I want to help young people improve their lives through the industry that has been so good to me,” said Mr. Shelby. “By giving them valuable new skills, they can be proud, productive members of society.”

The program will be housed in a new automotive facility which features a climate controlled shop space, lifts, paint booth, three classrooms with roll-up doors to bring in cars, office and shower/changing rooms. The curriculum will include real-life experience, as students will build an automobile during their last semester. The goal is for these cars to be autographed by Mr. Shelby and sold. Proceeds of the sale will be used to help sustain the program.

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Three time NMRA National Champion and World Street Challenge Champion John Urist has joined the Steeda Autosports racing stable. Also known for his Hellion Turbo systems, Urist is now flying the Steeda colors on his 1993 Mustang LX Coupe. Powered with a 420 CID Windsor engine with over 35 PSI of hard charging forced induction, John’s Mustang puts out an estimated 2000 horsepower…..enough gallop power to propel his pony down the quarter mile in 7.40 seconds at over 193 miles per hour.

“With the outstanding relationship I have with NITTO Tires, it was only natural that I should align myself with the world leader in Ford performance – Steeda Autosports”, commented John. “They are the largest manufacturer of Ford performance equipment in the World and really know what performance is about, it is in their DNA”. Currently in first place in the Super Street Outlaw class, John is looking for his new relationship with Steeda Autosports to propel him to his 3rd consecutive and 4th overall National Championship this season.

Last week Ford finally gave dealers the news they had been waiting for, that the Mercury brand will not be killed off or allowed to die a slow unloved death. For the past year rumors had been laying low like a layer of fog that Ford was ready to pull the plug on the division which has seemed to lose its sense of purpose as well as sales.

When asked Ford officials gave ambiguous answers and there had been no new products in the pipeline to freshen Mercury’s product selection. As it turns out dealers fought hard for their entry level brand that compliments Lincoln at most of the dealers nation-wide.

Mercury they say, brings different buyers into the showroom than Lincoln does. They’re right as it turns out. Mercury had begun a couple years ago positioning itself as the “smart girl” brand. In commercials, print ads, and brand message was tailored to appeal to young women who shop, compare, and consider themselves more intelligent than others based on their buying decisions.