Another high performance V8 engine has fallen to the $4+ dollar gas prices. The Boss engine, which was slated to appear in the rumored Boss Mustang and F-150 will now only have a home in the Super Duty which needs a more efficient replacement for it’s 6.8L gas guzzling V10. The news isn’t really shocking to most of us, just disappointing, as gas prices were making a high performance, large displacement motor much less feasible for the Mustang. Ford will likely take the funding for the Boss engine and point it toward much more fuel efficient programs such as the Ford Fiesta which will be making it’s appearance in American soon.

Source: AutoBlog / Mustang Evolution / PickupTrucks

Jalopnik has captured several spy pics of a camouflaged 2010 Shelby GT500 test mule, though several of the shots do show some rather detailed interior pics. Check them out at http://jalopnik.com/395440/2010-shelby-gt500 and http://jalopnik.com/396008/2010-shelby-gt500-mustang-is-a-meshy-mustang.

The 2009 Mustang will be special for several reasons but it won't set any sales records as Mustang Marketing Manager Fritz Wilke has said Ford will likely only produce 45,000 Mustangs in an abbreviated model run. The main reason for the low production figure is the refreshed 2010 Mustang hitting dealers in early spring of 2009. Another reason for the odd 45K production run is the Mustang’s 45th-anniversary happens in 2009, so it would fitting to only produce that amount. To commemorate the 45 years of Mustang glory a special 45th-anniversary badge will be added to select Mustangs.

While real meat and bone information about the upcoming 2010 refresh of the Mustang is scant these days, we have some more insight from the team that is hard at work on it. The redesigned Mustang is due to hit showrooms early next year and will be facing off against both the new Dodge Challenger and the Chevrolet Camaro.

It seems however that Ford has read the tea leaves a bit with the current trends in the market that have been driven by high gas prices and more stringent fuel economy standards. At a recent event, Ford design chief Peter Horbury has said that the 2010 Mustang will have a smaller look than the current car. While it will be identical in size, clever design tricks are said to make the car appear less bulky and heavy.

The Mustang passed yet another landmark less than a week after its 44th anniversary on April 17 when production reached nine million units. The milestone Mustang, a GT Convertible, went to a dealership in Iowa for delivery to its lucky customer. As Ford's longest running nameplate, the Mustang had one of the best starts of any production car with over 22,000 sold on the first day and more than one million sold in the first two years. It's had its ups and down over the past 40+ years, but it's safe to say that the Mustang has enjoyed an upswing in popularity since its retro-restyle a few years back.