GPStang06

Very possible, it is confimed that in 2009 the Busch series is supposed to have a COT (Car of Tomorrow) design so who knows. Rumors Rumors

jenks

I'd love to see NASCAR go back to being actual "stock" car racing.

I'd really like to see Ford just bring back SVT. Not all this Shelby and Roush stuff. Don't get me wrong I love the Roush and Shelby versions. I just think Ford needs to have a strong in house performance division again.

05stangkc

Whatever Happens with the 2010 Mustang, Ford Needs to Continue To Lead The Pony Car Evolution as They did Bringing out the 05. I would Hate to see Them Be in third When the Camaro and Challenger Come out. Ford Has So Many Issues it is Dealing with at the Moment if I could Only Give them One Piece of Advice is to KISS. Keep it Simple Stupid. They Have Too Many Chiefs and Too Many Divisions. When it comes to the Mustang They Need Somebody on Thier Team That Knows The Mustang on a Day in Day out Basis whether it Be a V6 or a Gt-500. Somebody who Listens to Mustang Peoples Concerns on a Daily Basis from All walks of Life and Is a Die Hard Mustang Person themselves. A Ford Person from the Trenches who Knows what is going on at Dealerships every day.Somebody who also knows what is going on with aftermarket Mustang Parts companies. Does that sound like anybody you Know??

KC

Q`res

Yeah, but you know if Nascar does this it'll just be aero-formed blobs. And they'll all look the same, not to mention nothing like the car they're supposed to represent, with the only identifying marks being some headlight, taillight, and grille stickers. So I wouldn't hold my breath for something akin to the old Trans-Am racing inspired models.

V10

The GT-500 is made by Ford on the same production line with all other Mustangs and the Mazda 6. So Ford doesn't need Shelby to make cars.

Use of the Shelby name is mostly a marketing gimmic. As others have stated, the Shelby name only goes so far these days, so time to move on to something else.

Specialty car (Mustang) modifiers like Saleen, Roush & Shelby serve a purpose. Given the way Ford's production system works and the quantities needed for Ford to profitably manufacture any specific model, Ford cannot possibly meet all the niche market needs that Saleen, Roush, Shelby and others do.

Sharp

That is very true but Ford thinks it's more important to get ride of it's work force to get back to profitability than use them to make great products. We have proven we can make Lighting and air cleaners cheaper and better than out sourcing but they don't want to hear it. They are going to sell or close the Sandusky, Ohio plant by the end of 2008.

Moosetang

I'm proably alone in this, But I'd like to see SVT merged into a new US FPV branch. Money's been a big problem getting new SVT products out, but Prodrive takes part of the burden in developing FPV vehicles. Besides, can you imagine a Mustang FPV with SVT-style power and Prodrive-style handling? Makes me tingly just thinking about it.

GTJOHN

As much as I love SVT, I would rather see Ford concentrate on strengthening their normal line-ups first. I would much rather see improvements to the Mustang GT - Handling, increased H.P. etc., then see another SVT Stang get marked-up to $50k at the dealerships.

I think the current production system is working pretty well with the GT500. I do think it could be slightly modified to give us a Mach1 or Boss which a lot of us have been screaming for. I also read that C.Shelby would like to see a GT350 sitting next to the GT500 at the Dealerships. I don't think it would take much to make that happen.

I noticed on the 2008 Mustang brochure that if you let the Ford Dealership install your Ford Racing Super Charger, that they will give you a one-year warranty.
So I don't think a SE like a Mach1, Boss or GT350 is that far away.

Bottom-line, the SVT & Shelby name can still survive at Ford with some careful planning. Having SVT at full strength is not a priority right now. I think the priority is to satisfy the Mustang buyer first, before they start creating new vehicles like a SVT Focus or SVT Lightning. Although there is certainly a market for them as well.

StangMahn

IMO NASCAR sucks anymore. There's nothing about it anymore that made it great. I wasn't even alive, and I know that the old days (in the beginning years) was the best. Back then, independents could run and place well. Whoever qualified qualifies, and whoever ran the best all season won the championship. These COT's suck. If you dont race for Roush, Hendrick, or Childress, you can't win anymore. I hate the fact that every car looks exactly the same. I wish the "what wins on sunday sells on monday" could come back. SPEED channel has a series where the cars are different, everyone has similar stuff, but all their own. Some cars have TC, some dont, some are AWD, some arent. The drivers drive, and the winner gets weight added to his car, and the teams have to compensate, it's so much better than NASCAR.

mach1fever

They never said what capacity this Rousch would take. I have a feeling they are going to be pushing new product development and expand their ties to frpp. There are already enough roush versions sitting at ford dealers. I was told that the gt500 name plate would continue into the next model. Gt500 stays and we start seeing bosses etc instead of shelby gt's. The gt's are sitting. The name has lost some of its luster. They need to do like toyota and push frpp. There is so much money to be made from cutting into the aftermarket. Look at the gta's. Everyone is buying them, but I never saw FRPP exhaust on an sn-95 except mine.

Roger

elcaminoguy

Exactly , THere would be no 2009 Camaro if Ford hadn't hit it out of the park with the Mustang restyle in 05. I do hope they keep the retro styling cues on the next Mustang incarnation though. The baby boomers are retiring and looking for the cars of their youth without killing themselves or their bank accounts restoring originals.

I do wish domestic automakers would get back in the game and stop pushing trucks and SUV's. One thing I've noticed is that import dealers seem to have a wider selection of different vehicles. I drive by a Ford, Chevy or Dodge dealer and see a bunch of trucks. How many people really need a full sized truck? Certainly not enough to justify the inventories I see. Where I live it seems dealerships changed ownership about every 9 months. If relying on trucks was such a great business model I don't think there'd be so many turnovers.

I don't know if the Shelby or Roush name is really going to sell any cars though. It didn't factor in with me. I liked the styling, powertrain and price and could care less about Saleen, Roush or Shelby. Just like I'd care less about a Dan Gurney 2009 Camaro SS or a Smokey Yunick GTO. Mystique does add something to a sales plan but you can't rely on it to sell any volume.

Tony Alonso

Time is money - I might be willing to do that on my lawn because I can get a cheaper rate!

I personally am not that expensive, hence, I do my own

Given the number of engineers that have left Ford, there also is a resource capacity constraint that is probably more significant than it was previously.

max2000jp

Hopefully Roush will add some of their knowledge on making the car handle better out of the box. The Mustang handles good, but is rough around the edges. I'd love to see the next gen Mustang to be a more dynamic and rewarding experience. Heck, give us an IRS! Ford should really concentrate on brake and steering feel. BMW and Porsche always seem to get that right!

The problem with Ford and their High Performance cars is that they don't have a champion for this niche. After Colletti left, no one was their with a true passion for building a well rounded car. The GT500 is a good vehicle, but leaves a lot to be desired. I'd love to see how it would have turn out under Colletti. GM atleast has Bob Lutz, Dave Hill, and John Heinricy to champion performance cars.

Hollywood_North GT

Seems unlikely to me that Ford and Shelby will completely severe their relationship where Mustangs are concerned. Shelby Automotive just got its business kicked back into high gear. If they leap out of bed with Ford now, what happens to Shelby Automotive's fledgling business?

Entropy, I presume.

elcaminoguy

I don't know how many Mustangs would sell if Ford made them too radical. I mean Mustangs are supposed to be the affordable performance ride. If they suddenly inherited the Ford GT running gear they'd have to price them like Chevy prices the Corvettes.

If Mustang is considered a volume product and not a niche product it's unlikely that it will ever have anything too wild for running gear. For one thing there has to be some interchange or parts between product lines to make the model a viable production car.

For example, the new Camaro wouldn't be possible if it wasn't being built on the Cadillac XLR roadster foundation. The new Dodge Challenger shares most of it's parts with the current Charger aside from styling and interior pieces that is. That's just Detroit bean counter thinking there. I'd expect innovation but not a 30K Ford GT equivalent in the next incarnation.

GTJOHN

I think the Mustang a lot of us are dreaming of is going to be the 2012-2013MY, with the new platform and GDI engine.
The million dollar question is how good is this 2010 reskin going to be? I am hearing its going to have a better interior and better suspension, but what about the engine?
Is the Mustang GT going to be embarrassed by the Camaro & Challenger?

mach1fever

They won't let that happen, unless they are only counting the shelby vs. the other offerings available.

Roger

Boomer

Short answer 2010...maybe...
2011...no
If all goes well

SuperSugeKnight

I wish it will look similar to this.

Wolfsburg

Hmm, what are we looking at there? Is that a body kit put out by someone?