It’s always entertaining to go to press conferences where the presenter isn’t following a teleprompter. The Ford SEMA press conference with Funkmaster Flex was especially entertaining.

The rapper/car customizer was showing off another customized, ah, Flex. He introduced the car this way:
"Ford will still be making vehicles in 2009-2010. Those other companies – GM, Chrysler – they may be making washing machines, but we’ll be making vehicles."

You might expect that that would generate some laughs and boos from the audience – and you’d be right.

What did Ford announce? More racing versions of the Mustang, the availability of a 69-70 Mustang bodyshell, and ramping up anticipation for the Transit Connect. Right now, it looks like the Transit Connect’s mostly aimed to commercial users, but Ford hinted that they wouldn’t mind if customizers worked their magic on it. The possibilities are intriguing...

—Tom Mutchler

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