Robert Vasquez: 2016 Ford Mustang Galpin Rocket Speedster: Fisker’s Dream Mustang Loses Its Lid

Sunday, August 16, 2015

2016 Ford Mustang Galpin Rocket Speedster: Fisker’s Dream Mustang Loses Its Lid

-At the 2014 L.A. auto show, Henrik Fisker made big news as he showed a sexy, carbon-fiber-bodied Ford Mustang–based concept called the Rocket, which became a production reality with the help of Galpin Auto Sports of Van Nuys, California. Now, roughly nine months later—surprising no one—Fisker and Galpin have announced that the Rocket coupe (which we drove already) will be joined by a rather more extroverted variant, the topless Rocket Speedster, which made its debut on the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance.

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With a tonneau cover over the rear seat (which has not been deleted), the Speedster looks suitably exotic, thanks to fairings behind the front seats flanked by mesh vents that allegedly allow air to pass through the space rather than letting it become a huge pocket that increases drag. Remove the cover and the top still works, too, we’re told, so technically this is more like a regular convertible than a speedster in the traditional sense.

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This Speedster concept also rocks more body color on the exterior, including the taillamp surrounds and the spear that spans the hexagonal perforated carbon-fiber grille. The car’s interior features a different graphic treatment inside than the original Rocket coupe—body-color dashboard trim and two-piece seatbacks rather than carbon-fiber pieces and racing-style Recaros, although it appears to have the same Italian leather and suedelike upholstery package that purportedly costs $21,000 on the coupe.

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Speaking of price, a Galpin spokesperson tells us that the production Rocket Speedster’s sticker has not been set but shouldn’t vary much, if at all, from that of the Rocket coupe. That car currently stands at about $110K for models equipped with the base 425-hp Coyote V-8, rising to about $150K for the loaded, supercharged 725-hp version. Three coupes have been built so far, they said, with another 13 on order. With production capacity limited to just about half a dozen per month, according to Henrik Fisker, the Rocket will be a rare beast, no matter the roof design.

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