wmccormick

I saw this on svtperformance.com

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...d.php?t=179075

I just got back from the SVTOA Sebring event. Late Sat. the GT500 showed up! I talked to a few of the head people at SVT. They confirmed that the supercharger was a whipple, and the production model will be a whipple! In fact the car that you see in the pictures in just about true to the production model. The car will have Brembo brakes and a solid rear. They said the IRS will not make it into production, they also said that there was not much difference in performance compaired to the solid rear. The IRS also would add about $8,000 to the sticker price. Which gets me to the sticker price, they said it would be $40,000 or less. When I said "What do you mean by under $39,995" They chuckled. They also said the Cobra production will run for 3-5 years. One thing that they where unsure about is that they may sell the Cobra's at all Ford dealerships which means they will bring a premium (for the first year). But they did say that they will be a Cobra for everyone that wants one!

1 COBRA

Thanks for the info.

It quenches a few rumors, specially about availability and a 3 - 5 year run.

Putawaywet

What about the tires man? My god, we need some stinking info on their intentions with the rear tire width.

one2gamble

8,000 for IRS is simply a lie, that number seems to keep growing

Robert

Yeah, that's a total load of horsepucky!

Almost NO cars use SRA suspensions anymore - and none from outside North America that I can name. The $8K more figure is either ignorance, exaggeration, or a sad example of shyte flowing downhill.

Given the combination of primitive + relatively run-of-the-mill technology being used in this car, I hope to god no one is stupid enough to pay more than $40K.

Now, when can I get me one?!

P.S. Any word on the convertible...?

mr-mstng

Great news Bill! Thanks!

Topnotch

Wheels will be 18" with same design.

Colors(optional hood,roof,and rear deck):
Red w/white
Blue w/white
White w/blue
Silver w/black
Black w/silver

bob

So everybody who buys a top of the line Saleen, Roush or Cobra with the invevitable "dealer market adjustment" has all the mental capacity of a potato?

ArkAngelx3

It better be a Tungsten Silver, cause the GT Silver, just wont do for Project Eleanor, Part II!!!!!

new22003

So many people have been soooo wrong about 2005+ mustang information and this is just another one to add to the list. $8000 for an IRS setup I guess they must have been losing a heck of a lot of money on the 03/04 cobras then as the price increase over the base gt would hardly cover the IRS let alone the supercharged 4 valve, the wider tires, the better brakes, and all other upgrades.

bob

Or maybe the SVT and Mustang guys are sick and tired of answering the same old IRS question so they just say "yeah we could'a but it would have jacked up the price of the car by XXXXXX amount".

Everything I read says the IRS doesn't offer enough performance vs. cost to justify its inclusion at this time, apperently even if they could add this feature for a few pennies.

Again I will note for those poor individuals with permanent blinders and acute tunnel vision that this car doesn't off an SLA front suspension either which apprently doesnt bother folks as much as the stick axle out back does, despite the fact that a mac strut suspension isnt much of an improvement over a covered wagon either. About all you can say for it is that a mac strut front end is independant.

FireDragon

I'd second that. It'd be nice if they had Tungsten Silver with Satin Silver stripes like the preproduction Mustang GT showcar. Otherwise I'd be more than happy with Black w/ Silver stripes.

bob

Hertz colors for me

rhumb

Do I hear $10,000, how about $12,00, going once, going twice...

How about we get Coletti and team back in there, they did a very credible IRS -- for a chassis never even intended for one -- for LESS (20% price premium) of a premium over the standard GT than the previous live axle Cobra (27% price premium). Now HTT and team can't seem to pull that off even at a heady 50% premium over a standard Stang GT, a full 15% percent higher than the next most dear Cobra, the DOHC, supercharged, IRS, Brembo, etc, 2003-4 models.

Year -- GT -- SVT -- $ Premium -- % Premium -- Major SVT Features
‘98 -- $20.2 -- $25.7 -- $5.5 -- 27% -- Al block, N.A. 4.6, live axle.
‘01 -- $23.9 -- $28.6 -- $4.7 -- 20% -- Al block, N.A. 4.6, IRS.
‘03 -- $24.9 -- $33.4 -- $8.5 -- 34% -- Fe block, S.C. 4.6, IRS.
’07 -- $27 -- $40 -- $13.5 -- 51% -- Fe block, S.C. 5.4, live axle.

While that IRS wasn't quite state of the art, understandable given the canvas they had to paint on, it was a huge improvement over their stock GT's. But even at, now, $8K and this clown group can't come up with an IRS that any substantial improvement over a 19th century buggy axle? While SLA's up front would have been sweet, especially on the Cobra, the MacStruts aren't nearly the dynamic detriment as a leaden live axle.

I'm glad they didn't revert to drum brakes as the 4-wheel discs must have easily run up the price $2-$3K, what with the current team doing the engineering.

And they wonder why people keep questioning them on this???

Maybe the cold, hard specs, numbers and costs/value just don't jibe as well as they did in the past. Seems the earlier Cobras offered much more bang for the buck -- a notably more significant step up from their GT counterparts for not nearly so much green. Perhaps if we'd just conveniently ignore the past SVT Cobras so as not to be so uppity as to question Ford's absolute wisdom.

Maybe we're actually looking beyond the uni-dimensional performance confines of a drag strip -- about the absolute least-challenging test of suspension performance conceivable beyond parallel parking -- and seeing what just about every other manufacturer in the world is readably able to suspend their performance rides with for even $25-$30K. Or even less if one looks at GM's new Kappa platform at $20K.

But if the sheep on the board want to go, sweaty checkbook in hand, and give Ford an unquestioning bye on the GT500, well, who am I to stand in their way as they throw their money to Ford with the unquestioning glee of a teeny bopper flinging her undies to the latest boy band heart-throb.

Myself, I’ll judge these things with a bit more clear-headed scrutiny rather than pubescent abandon. And lining up the spec sheets and pricing of, say, a 2004 Cobra over its GT counterpart against a 2007 GT500 over its GT counterpart just does not give nearly the bang for buck factor. Sure, few cars will offer ~500 hp for ~$40K, but then again, in 2003, few cars offered ~400 hp for ~$35K.

But the 2003 was able to achieve this level of performance over its contemporaries, with an IRS to sweeten the pot, for a 35% price premium while the GT500 jacks that premium up to 50% for a similar level of performance relative to its contemporaries, sans IRS.

burningman

Theres the Rhumb we all know and love. I thought you were getting soft man. Good to have ya back mate!

BTW well said on every point

Wolf

Thanks for the info. I will definitely be getting mine after the first year and I hope they offer it in black with silver stripes, otherwise mine will be solid black. And as for the SRA vs IRS debate, I doubt I would be able to tell the difference driving in my real world conditions.

1 COBRA

As some of you guys probably have noticed, some of the GT500 hoopla has died down. It will resurrect a bit once it hits the showrooms. There will be some fools as well as a lot patient well informed buyers.

mheiss5555

The interest will be fever pitch in February 06 at the Chicago Auto show. Won't see one of these in a dealer showroon till the late fall 06 or January of 07.
Interesting about Ford not deciding on distribution though.

foxhtn

Hopefully there will be more of the latter!

foxhtn

Thanks for the info Bill. Did they say if the Whipple will be of the "Polished" variety?