The official Twitter account of the Ford Mustang, called X, posted a teaser photo of a pushrod suspension. The photo suggests that Ford will unveil a new track-focused variant of the Mustang on August 17th. The suspension component in the photo is labeled with the name Multimatic, accompanied by a caption saying, “This isn’t progression; it’s reinvention.”
Ford already has a lineup of high-performance Mustangs, including the Dark Horse, Dark Horse R track car, and the GT4 and GT3 race-ready models. While it’s possible that the Multimatic pushrod suspension could be introduced as an option, it is more likely that Ford is launching a new track-ready Mustang.
In March, Ford CEO Jim Farley tweeted a video of the Mustang GT3 being tested at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida. He later retweeted the video with the question, “Should we make a road version?” Motor1.com reached out to Ford for confirmation, and a spokesperson stated that they didn’t have any additional information beyond Farley’s tweet.
The Mustang GT3 is more than just a more powerful version of the Dark Horse. It features a 5.4-liter Coyote V8 engine built by racing specialist M-Sport, a rear-mounted transaxle, and a bespoke short-long arm suspension. The car has more aggressive bodywork with flared fenders and a large rear wing. Ford Performance plans to race the Mustang GT3 in the IMSA GTD Pro class in 2024, including events like the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Multimatic is a well-known name in motorsports and produces dynamic suspension spool-valve (DSSV) dampers for various high-performance cars, including Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz. Ford has previously collaborated with Multimatic on projects like the Ford GT, so the two companies have a history together.
In the UK, businesses make up nearly half of the new car market. With over 700,000 company car drivers, the government has been using tax incentives for the past two decades to encourage the demand for vehicles with low CO2 emissions.
Company car tax bands are regularly adjusted each April at the start of the financial year, and they are subject to constant change. These tax bands have stimulated demand for diesel and hybrid cars in the past, but currently, the biggest savings are offered for electric vehicles. This has led to more businesses opting for battery-powered vehicles, with over half of new business contract hire deliveries being electric, according to the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association.
Due to the increasing selection of electric vehicles, improved range capabilities, and better charging infrastructure, electric company cars are becoming an obvious choice. Here’s why:
How much cheaper is the tax on electric company cars?
If you have a lot of business mileage, you might be fortunate enough to have a company car provided by your employer. These cars, often considered a top-tier job perk, are typically brand new, fully maintained, and accessible outside of work hours, much like privately owned vehicles. However, opting for a company car comes with tax implications.
HMRC categorizes company cars as a “benefit in kind” (BIK), which includes most perks provided on top of your salary. Tax bills for company cars can vary significantly, but the system heavily favors cars with lower tailpipe CO2 emissions. This means that electric vehicles, which produce no tailpipe emissions, receive the largest tax discounts.
The calculation for company car tax is simpler than it may appear. Each company car is assigned a “taxable value,” which is a percentage of the list price based on its CO2 emissions (ranging from 2% to 37%). These tax bands will remain frozen until April 2025, meaning that electric vehicle drivers are currently taxed based on only 2% of the list price until that date. In comparison, even the most fuel-efficient petrol, diesel, or “self-charging” hybrid cars are taxed at 25% or more.
Getting that driver’s permit does not come all easy. A lot is taken into account by instructors during driving tests to ensure learners make good drivers. You earn a license for following rules and codes and being competent behind the wheel. However, driver education is not as effective for road safety since few driving hours mean drivers gain fewer hands-on driving skills. Being a good or skillful driver comes much later after understanding your car and experiencing different roads and driving conditions. It takes some getting used to, and this is the phase where most develop good or bad driving habits.
Developing bad habits comes easy once you’re no longer a learner driver. It may be as subtle as driving with one hand to being as crude as taking your eyes off the road. Whichever the case, it’s important to understand that driving is a serious affair, and sharing roads with strangers will never always be business as usual. Awareness of your surroundings, doing the right thing while on the road, and being mindful of other motorists and pedestrians is encouraged. So, if you’re guilty of any of the following bad driving habits, it’s time to break the cycle.
Front shot of a Chevrolet Lumina turning left with the left blinker on
If you frequently drive, you probably understand how important it is to act right for yourself and other road users. And yet, most Americans fail to use turn signals correctly. Why is that? Not using turn signals is not only annoying to drivers behind you, but it’s also dangerous at unsafe separation distances and intersections. It’s also considered illegal in most states and may lead to a fine or ticket from law enforcement officers.
Turn signals are how drivers communicate their intentions on the road. Instead of merging into lanes without warning, using a blinker can improve road safety by letting other drivers know that you intend to merge, exit, turn left or right, or change lanes. It’s just common courtesy. If turn signals are not your thing, why not try to mix them up with hand signs?
9Tailgating
Bill Abbott via Flickr””>
A rear shot of a white Datsun 280Z tailgating a red SUV
Tailgating is defined as closely trailing the vehicle in front of you by matching its speed and movement. Not only is this illegal, but it’s also dangerous since there’s a higher risk of rear-ending the other car if it brakes unexpectedly. Most tailgaters are either oblivious to the risks involved or do it because they are in a rush, impatient, or think the vehicle in front is hogging the lane.
To avoid tailgating, it is advisable to keep a three-second driving distance behind the vehicle in front in low-traffic conditions. The distance between you and the other vehicle should be greater if you’re behind a truck or in bad driving conditions, such as icy roads. This distance is essential in helping avoid collisions by ensuring your reaction time allows your car to stop safely.
8Rolling Through Stops
Dmitry Mashkin via Unsplash””>
A rear shot of vehicles yielding to a pedestrian at an intersection
Most of us have done this often if not daily. You approach a stop sign, you slow down while checking your visibility area to confirm there’s no traffic, all while slowly moving forward. This is morally and legally wrong. Take stop signs for what they are and bring your vehicle to a halt before proceeding. Rolling through stops or even worse, blowing through them, especially at intersections, increases the chances of another ignorant driver crashing into you.
Stop signs are there to ensure the safe use of the road by all traffic at any time of the day. And since you won’t come across a speed hump to slow traffic before a stop sign on primary roads, it’s best to play safe and come to a complete stop. At intersections, give yourself at least three seconds after stopping to check for any oncoming or speeding traffic. It’s not that hard.
A side shot of a Dodge Challenger cruising on a road
Speed essentially helps in maintaining a uniform and predictable movement on roads. That’s why there are different speed limits on collector roads, parkways, highways, and freeways. Whether you are required to drive below 15 mph or not more than 80 mph, adhering to these speed limits is essential, but what’s even more important is being aware of your driving environment. Ask yourself, does my car match the speed limit? Am I driving too fast? Am I driving too slow? Should I be driving at this speed in this lane?
Asking yourself these questions and being aware will help you answer them. You should know that driving too fast or way above the speed limit puts your life and that of other road users at risk in case anything goes wrong. You should also be aware that driving too slow, especially on the fast lane, even if you’re just under the speed limit, holds up traffic and is unkind to those who intend to use that lane for its intended purpose.
6Needless Weaving
Mike Petrucci via Unsplash””>
An aerial shot of vehicles weaving through traffic on a busy New York street
We’ve all seen them, drivers that seem to be either in a hurry to get to their destination or simply love annoying other drivers around them. Unless you are on a race track, weaving through regular traffic in undesignated areas is frowned upon. It does not matter how skilled you are at changing lanes; one slight mistake could lead to a minor or major collision.
In low-traffic scenarios, weaving at high speeds may seem fun, but it puts your life in danger since you can’t accurately predict the behavior of motorists ahead or behind you at such speeds. In moderate to high traffic, you increase the chances of other vehicles colliding if they have to brake unexpectedly for you to merge. Remember, you are probably sharing the road with less experienced or less skilled drivers, so for safety purposes, it’s best to avoid weaving.
5Blocking Zipper Mergers
Oregon Department of Transportation via Flickr””>
A shot depicting a zipper merger
We can agree not all drivers are great at merging. And you’ve probably seen someone unskillfully merging into a highway while completely disregarding timing and speed. In the worst case scenarios, the merging vehicle gets rear-ended, or the other vehicle has to swerve to avoid an accident. Okay, we can probably blame that on the lack of skill. However, the worst of merging habits would be blocking zipper mergers since vehicle speed and timing don’t necessarily play a part here.
Situations like road work demand some lanes to be blocked. It’s okay to merge early into the open lane when there’s low traffic. However, in moderate to high traffic, drivers are encouraged to use both lanes and allow zipper mergers. A zipper merge intends to reduce traffic backlog so no one is trying to cut you off. Therefore, once you’re in the open lane around the merging area, it’s ethical for drivers in the open lane to leave room for those in the blocked lane to merge in an alternating fashion.
A front shot of vehicles passing a farming equipment
Some drivers will say they do not entirely understand what undertaking is and, as a result, find no fault in their actions. So, let’s start with the basics of passing or overtaking. Passing is legally done on the left lane on a dual-lane road or on the inner lane on a multi-lane highway or freeway. This is a rule all drivers must follow to enhance safe and efficient road use.
So, when you go against this basic rule of passing on the left, say you pass a vehicle while speeding in the right lane, you’re undertaking. It’s generally risky since most drivers expect you to come up on their left. Though it’s not entirely illegal to undertake, especially on multi-lane roads, it’s often discouraged. The worst form of undertaking is doing it on the shoulder. If you often undertake, it’s time to unlearn.
3Territorial Driving
Mubariz Mehdizadeh via Unsplash””>
A side shot depicting a frustrated driver checking his vent window
Being territorial is part of who we are as people. On the road, for instance, it might stem from an inner instinct to protect your car or set genuine or non-existing boundaries. This is why you’ll see some drivers on the road act up simply because you are trying to merge or because you honked at them because they are in the wrong.
Being territorial on the road does more harm than good. It makes you an aggressive driver, sometimes annoys other motorists, and could likely instigate road rage. It’s best for everyone if we’re accommodating in our driving. The road has enough space for us all, and sharing it respectfully means less chaos on the roads so everyone can get to where they are going.
2Driving Under The Influence
Marco Verch Professional Photographer via Flickr””>
A cabin shot depicting a driver driving with a bottle of vodka in hand
When will we learn? Driving is a serious business, one that we cannot afford to mix with pleasure. And yes, some may argue that they have a high alcohol tolerance and that a couple of shots or bottles of beer does not affect their sobriety while driving, but statistics don’t lie. In a world where truth can quickly be dismissed as hearsay, we can always rely on facts and statistics to make our point.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2021, out of 42,939 fatalities from road accidents, 13,384 of the deaths were alcohol-related. This was a 14 percent increase from 2020 figures, 11,654 deaths, which translates to 37 people lost to alcohol-related crashes daily. These are staggering figures, and it’s unbelievable that the same alcohol that lifts your spirits also sends many to early graves. If you’re guilty of this bad driving habit, it’s up to you to stop giving alcohol a bad name.