I was fortunate enough to attend the NAIAS in Detroit this year to see the brand new '05 Mustang Concept Car. It was a fantastic experience - much more than I ever expected. The Ford area was the most impressive of all of the manufacturers, and I spent a lot of my time there. There was so much to see that I had to break the day in half so I could get a nap in!

I had seen several pictures of the Mustang Concept on the web and was very anxious to see it when I arrived at the show. There was an incredible amount of people at the show on opening day, so it was an event to just push up to the front to see it. When I returned a bit later in the day, the crowd had gone down substantially and I was able to spend a bit more time with it.

I am happy to say that I liked the Concept Car much better after seeing it in person. Here are some personal thoughts after seeing it:
Likes: I really like the lines of the car, the classic styling, the aggressive stance. I found the "greenhouse" roof rather interesting. I liked the interior styling, as that type seems to be very popular in many of the new concepts.
Dislikes: The badging was disappointing - decals on the front fender. I ended up not caring much for the C-pillar scoops being in line with the 1/4 panel scoops. I do hope they change one or the other so that they don't look so similar. The taillights were not my favorite. While the shaved door handles are nice to look at, they are very impractical for production cars.

These pictures are broken up into three sections - the Concept Mustang, the Ford Booth, and the rest of the show. Be sure to click the thumbnail for a larger picture. Please excuse my memory for some of the pictures - I was on information overload and have forgotten some of the models pictured here.

'05 Concept Mustang	Rear tails and C-pillar/quarter panel	Closer shot of the C-pillar/quarter panel
Rear end of the Concept - note 20" wheels	GT badging on the Concept was little more than a sticker	The Concept engine was a 4valve supercharged 4.6L rated @ 400hp
Nice front end	Functional hood scoops	Interior with lots of billet/brushed aluminum. Seats looked like recovered Recaros - nice
Note the nice door sill	Sequential turn signals, solid brake lights	This was a very nice piece on the Concept
A rear view. The spare tire is showcased in the rear of the vehicle	roush2k, shaymart, and RPS2 blocking out the tail lights	Shaved door handles. There was a button in the quarter panel scoop to open the door
Lots of aluminum	I just had to touch it   ;-)