Robert

thats what i am starting to think - we will have a SVT Cobra, and then SVT Cobra's will be sent to "Shelby" to be upfitted (tuner / small volume manufacture - what ever u want to call them) such as Saleen, Steeda, Rousg etc and the "SVT Cobra Shelby" will be able to be bought and financed thru (Ford) SVT dealers, just as Saleen's,Steeda's and Roush's are, this could work
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This could be it on the nose. Two trim/performance levels of Cobra. A normal, SVT Cobra priced close to last year's car with around 465 bhp for the "regular" Cobra crowd...and an uprated Shelby Cobra for the ultra high-performance/collectible crowd with about 550 bhp. Just as there was once a Shelby GT350 and GT500...now you will have an SVT Cobra and a Shelby Cobra. I suspect basic underpinnings, mechanics and body style for both will still begin with the SVT version, however, and then Shelby Cars will modify them and sell them through Ford.

Either way, I suspect Shelby has been working very closely with SVT on this car from the beginning - whatever it turns out to be. After all, both he and Steve Saleen worked with the SVT team on the Ford GT supercar, so I'm sure SVT and Shelby are in bed together on the Mustang "Cobra" too.

slavehand

Wow! you are the eternal optomist aren't you
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W/ everything that is bad and corrupt, you NEED optomism in order to survive, otherwise, whats the point of livin'?

jsaylor

I have actually thought, and hoped for, exactly the same thing on more than one occasion. In this role the Shelby model could be to the new SVT Cobra what the Cobra R has been in the past performance wise. Of course the Shelby would not be the stripped-down race ready car the Cobra R's were, but i think you get the idea. I am also virtually certain that you and I are not the only two who cinsidered the possibility.

However, the minute it popped into my head and made perfect sense upon doing do, I just assumed it was doomed because as the guy above said it indeed "makes too much sense" for me to believe it will happen. I cannot shake the fear that somehow Ford is destined to screw this up at least a little.

If by some odd miracle Ford manages not to screw it up and indeed produces these two cars in the manner that you and I have both apparently been dreaming of......Ford's turnaround will be complete for me and my confidence in the company will be 100%.

00StangGT

here's my take on it all....two models, SVT and Shelby.

SVT - Solid rear, 450hp N/A 5.4L, full interior....drag racing car
Shelby - purpose built IRS, 500+hp s/c 5.4L, stripped interior......road racing car (homage to the racing days)

that or you can buy your SVT Cobra and have it sent to shelby for the road racing package

00StangGT

and look where it got them....horrible Quality Checking from Saleen who can't see cracked Control Arms and bad weaving in the seatbelts.......


Ford should've just done it in-house....

slavehand

Actually, MT has reported a "beefed-up" solid rear axle for Shelby. But, like I said, MT.......

lanecl

B) What I think is that everyone is just thinking to hard about it all. lets think this through why do you think they started in '05?
here is my take on it they are trying to copy there line of production in '65 (one small change) they didn't want to give you all the answers so they are making us wait until they introduce the Shelby they will make more money this way in the long run because everyone is just so darn excited about the car. any who if they follow the timeline it should look like this with....

'05___________'06_______________________'07
V6, GT V8______V6, GT V8, S/C GT350 V8____V6, S/C GT350, S/C GT500

'08
V6, S/CGT 350, S/C GT500, S/C COBRA WITH 550 HP

They will keep the V6 because they don't want to loose the bottom end buyers and they don't want to introduce the 500 or the new cobra from the get go because they want to keep your mouths salivating for more. So that they can get more people in the long run. price wise I think it will go in about increments of 5k package upgrades. But I guess we just have to wait it out......

Robert

and look where it got them....horrible Quality Checking from Saleen who can't see cracked Control Arms and bad weaving in the seatbelts.......


Ford should've just done it in-house....
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WTF?!!

How do you know it was the Saleen "process" end that missed those cracked control arms - or that it was somehow Carol Shelby's fault? That stuff is FORD'S responsibility. Don't blame Saleen and Shelby for the cracked control arms. After all, it's not like Ford hasn't had major quality issues of its own with other vehicles that have come off its assembly line over the past few years. And the SN-95 Mustangs are POS when it comes to fit, finish, INTERIORS and overall build quality (no offense to owners here, it's just reality).

Having said that - those things aside - the GT is one of the greatest supercars ever built, and THE greatest supercar in the world for the money. So obviously the team has done something right.

slavehand

WTF?!!

How do you know it was the Saleen "process" end that missed those cracked control arms - or that it was somehow Carol Shelby's fault? That stuff is FORD'S responsibility. Don't blame Saleen and Shelby for the cracked control arms. After all, it's not like Ford hasn't had major quality issues of its own with other vehicles that have come off its assembly line over the past few years. And the SN-95 Mustangs are POS when it comes to fit, finish, INTERIORS and overall build quality (no offense to owners here, it's just reality).

Having said that - those things aside - the GT is one of the greatest supercars ever built, and THE greatest supercar in the world for the money. So obviously the team has done something right.
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Yes, in fact Brad even stated that Ford is blaming the manufacturer of the arms, in Birmingham, AL. He's got a thread about it in th Southeast Forums: here