Extreme makeovers for historic rides

What weighs as much as 25 commercial airliners, produces the power of 85 Hoover dams and was considered the premier people mover in the early 1970s, but eventually became a neglected breeding ground for mold and vermin?

No, it's not the bloated '72 Mustang sitting on your neighbor's lawn. Try a Saturn V rocket at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which fell into disrepair but is now being restored to its former glory. According to this Associated Press report, a Houston lawyer spearheaded efforts to restore the rotting rocket with $3 million raised from various grants and donors.

Another $1 million and the work will be done, meaning that tourists may soon be able to get up close and personal with an engineering marvel that propelled 24 men into the moon's orbit, including 12 who walked on the surface (not this actual rocket, but its sister vehicles did).

But back to the Mustang, a road rocket for the rest of us. This week marks the reunion of high-performance car designer Carroll Shelby and Ford Motor Co., after a 35-year separation. At the New York Auto Show, the automaker will unveil the Ford Shelby Cobra GT500. With 455 horsepower, even Neil Armstrong might appreciate the power.