Ford Motor Company (F)

[Seminole Red]

•Ford Mustang GT Aluminator XS to Pace Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington: When the gleaming ruby red Mustang GT Aluminator XS paces the field of thundering NASCAR Sprint Cup machines at the Bojangles' Southern 500 on Saturday, April 12, at Darlington Raceway, it also will be waving the green flag for a year-long recognition of Mustang's 50th anniversary. U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is the honorary pace car driver for the event and will start the race behind the wheel. NASCAR veteran Brett Bodine will pilot the Mustang GT Aluminator XS pace car for the remainder of the event. The Mustang GT Aluminator XS pace car started its life as a 420-horsepower 2013 Mustang GT, but with the Aluminator XS crate engine and a mix of parts from the Ford Racing Boss 302S and the Cobra Jet programs, it makes 500 horsepower. The Aluminator XS engine itself features a lightweight aluminum cylinder block with cross-bolted main bearing caps and thick main bearing bulkheads for bottom-end strength. It has four-valve-per-cylinder BOSS, fully CNC-machined aluminum heads. In addition, the 5.0L, 302 cubic-inch powerplant features forged pistons with low-friction coating. Mustang's 50th anniversary celebrations will begin with concurrent events April 17-20 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ford Motor Company and its dealers will host other national and local anniversary events throughout 2014