The Mustang Corral was a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the GTP Mustang. This particular Mustang won its debut race at Road America. We will get a chance to check out the production version of the 2010 ‘Stang when it is revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November.

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Steve Saleen has created a new company - the SMS. It’s debut will be the SMS Twenty Fifth Anniversary Mustang concept. As with any Saleen car this new concept will be incredibly strong and fast. It will come equipped with a 5.0 liter V8 engine that pushes out 720horsepower when at the crank and 612 in the rear wheels. The torque is rated at 670 pound-feet.

“My Anniversary cars were always the most powerful of the breed and this car continues that tradition,” boasts Saleen. He has not released any specific numbers yet on how fast the car can rev from 0-60 - but he did give us a little teaser when he said that the concept has “nearly the same levels of performance” as the legendary S& Twin Turbo.

Visually, the Concept has undergone a number of striking changes, notably including a “light blade” lighting system and sequential rear turn signals. There are functional carbon fiber pieces and numerous billet aluminum design accents. The vehicle is completed with SMS “Chromosome Silver” paint with Saleen’s signature anniversary yellow, white, and black graphic accents.

While this car is being dubbed a concept it would not surprise us to see it on the market within the next two years.

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Later this summer Ford will be bringing back yet another variant of the Mustang from the first generation - the Cobra Jet. The original Cobra Jet was designed and built as a drag race car that was special with high-torque long-stroke 428 cu. in. V8. Close to 40 years laterFord will be building a brand new Cobra Jet.

The new Cobra Jet will be powered by a supercharged 5.4L 32-valve V8 based on the GT500 engine. This engine, dubbed the Romeo 605 by Ford Racing officials, will use an upgraded supercharger as compared to the GT500. The car will come from the factory detuned to a mere 400 hp in order to meet NHRA rules. The 605 gives an indication of the true power potential of the engine with only minor tweaks from the competitor. Ford is only planning to build 50 new Cobra Jets at the behest of a handful of dealers, who may end up buying all the cars and then re-selling them. The new drag racing specials are expected to be priced at $69,900.

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The spy photographers from KGP also caught the rear of this Shelby GT500 prototype with the camo lifted just a bit to reveal some unique detailing on the car’s lower rear valence. Perhaps most significant is the view we now have of the car’s interior, which is the first to be seen uncovered.

The dual-cowl dash remains, while the entire instrument panel flows seemlessly from one side of the car to the other. The two giant gauges we saw earlier are also present here along with the rectangular air vents atop the center stack, and this model also features a steering wheel sporting a Cobra badge in bright brushed metal.

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It is a surprise that they have decided to do this because last year alone they sold 130,000 Mustangs. Many people have asked why they have made this drastic decision. Could they be celebrating the 454 years that they have been in production or is there a much larger reason?

More likely they know, probably from people drooling over 2010 Ford Mustang headlight shots, that it isn’t going to sell as well as this past year. So rather than produce a ton of cars they’re going to have to discount like day-old bagels priced to move after the introduction of the new Mustang they’re instead going to try and actually satisfy perceived market demand. That would be a nice change.

Of course another possibility could be the need to re-tool the production lines to get ready for the 2010 model year. Either way we’re speculating, because who knows what really lurks in the minds of Ford’s crack team of product planners. And by crack, we’re pretty sure we mean the drug. But again, who knows?

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