The Bowtie brigade and the Dodge boys only can dream of the day when their beloved Camaro and Challenger might return to production. But in the summer of 2006, Ford faithful can buy the most powerful production Mustang ever to roll out of the factory: the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500.

Not only will this car be available with a price beginning in the low-$40,000 range, but it will be offered in both coupe and convertible body styles.

Powering this fastest of all factory built Mustangs is a 5.4-liter V8 topped by a supercharger that boosts its output to 475 horsepower. That necessitates the installation of a powerdome hood to provide room for the hopped up engine and its supplemental breathing device.

Power without control can be foolhardy, so engineers from Ford's Special Vehicle Team, better known as SVT, upgraded chassis components, revised suspension hardware and fitted the car with high-performance tires and big brakes so this most potent of factory Mustangs will be much more than a one-trick pony.

When the first Grand Banks 38 Eastbay was introduced in 1994, it brought a blend of performance and luxury in a semicustom design to a boat class that was once the exclusive domain of custom Downeast builders. With a seaworthy deep-V hull designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates that could top 30-plus knots and gleaming teak interiors that appealed to owners who prized accommodations finished in the traditional manner, the 38 Eastbay was the next evolution for a Seattle-based company well-established in the trawler market

Now comes the 39 Eastbay SX, the first significant redesign of the model that launched the line that has grown to include models up to 58 feet in length. The 39 SX is still the smallest Eastbay, but it has a terrific ride. And, because its dimensions are slightly bigger, it also has an interior layout comparable to one found on larger express cruisers in this category.

Twin Yanmar 6LY3 diesel inboards on hull number one, the boat I tested, spooled out continuous power with no flat spots in the acceleration curve. Hard-over turns at high cruising speeds produced no untoward lean and minimal loss of speed. On the day of my test drive, the well-flared bow had no more trouble deflecting the spray from the one-foot waves marching in toward Sanibel Island from the Gulf of Mexico than it did the wakes we crisscrossed. Given the care . . . .  More>>