Will there be a 2009 GT500? I'll be in the market for either that car or the Challenger then.

 

Everything I have been told by different sources is a resounding yes.

Roger

 

I certainly hope there will be a 2009 GT500, but the contract we signed with Ford to be eligible to sell them only specified 2007 and 2008, so it has not been officially communicated to dealers as to whether Ford will continue building/offering GT500's past 2008.

I can't imagine Ford discontinuing such a popular vehicle. The dealers would scream bloody murder if Ford discontinued it as it's about the only vehicle we can sell above MSRP.

 

My opinion is drop the Shelby name make a few minor appearence tweaks and call it the SVT Cobra again. With the money saved on not using the Shelby name both Dealers and the consumer can still benefit and get the true performance bargain that the vehical was originally intended to be

 

Amen!!! I was effictively priced out of buying the car mostly due to Shelby's name on the trunklid. Previous SVT Cobras (even 03/04 Terminators) were affordable for the masses, while the Shelby GT500 is now a car that the average Joe just can't really afford.

 

I am still amazed at the notion that the GT500 wears a significantly higher sticker price than it otherwise would have because of the Shelby name. For comparison, the typical 04 Cobra coupe stickered for a tad over 35k and a comparable 07 GT500 stickered for a bit over 42k. Let's break down some of that 7k difference. First, the GT500's GGT was more than 1k above what was tacked onto the 04 Cobra, because uncle Sam decided to hit gas guzzler's a bit harder in recent years, so we're already down to a 6k difference and we are just talking about taxes. Figure in inflation to the tune of 3 years, which works out to about 9% overall or roughly 3 percent per year, and we have an 04 Cobra that would likely have been a 38.5k car by 2007 has production continued....and this just accounts for inflation as it affects the sticker price with the old GGT. Tack on the extra grand in GGT the GT500 wears in GGT and the SVT Cobra, in today's money and with todays GGT, was a 40k car give or take a few dollars. Were talking a couple to a few grand difference in sticker here folks.

Whatever Shelby may be getting per car it isn't changing the sticker enough to move the car out of anybody's price range. ADM's may or may not have lasted as long without the Shelby name or GT500 moniker attached, but that is another debate. True, the average Joe could afford the Terminator, but that was largely due to the rather large rebates that car wore for a good protion of it's tenure. A sticker a few grand less coupled with relatively large rebates and a lesser GGT all combine to make a big difference when you buy a car, but only a very small amount of that has to do with the Shelby badge.

 

This kind of exposure won't do anything to help lower prices either!

 

Unfortunately,

I think it would have cost that much for msrp anyway. Maybe 39k, but I don't think the adm's would have lasted as long, but sales probably wouldn't have been as good either. We all know shelby, has a long term contract with ford.

Roger

 

You do provide a compelling argument but I still feel Shelby's name is tacking on more to the MSRP than needed (i'm guessing anywhere between 1-3k per car). Anyone who has follwed Shelby's business tactics through the years knows that he sure does love his money. My opinion is this car would have sold itself without Shelby's name. I agree the Shelby name has a heritage in the Mustang community but so does the SVT Cobra. This car wasn't Shelby's, the development of this car was well underway before Shelby got into the mix. SVT built this car, yet don't get credit for it. Don't get me wrong I love the 65-70 Shelbys but myself being a fan of the late models have more of a softspot for the "SVT Cobra" name. Going only by MSRP I think dropping the Shelby name would either offer more content for the same price or even drop it by a couple grand...

 

I think that they should make the base model the "SVT Cobra" and then anybody that wants a Shelby can have theirs shipped to his facilities and get it turned into a KR or Super Snake, or just get the appearance and badge slapped on. So pretty much just the same operation as the Shelby GT. No disrespect to Shelby, but I too would have liked to see SVT continue on its own feet, I think that it would have been healthier for Ford and the Mustang in the long run.

 

If the 2007 car would have been "just" an SVT Cobra, but with the same drivetrain as the GT500, I imagine that the MSRP would have been about $40K (not $43K). Also, there wouldn't have been nearly the ADM's, if any. Rebates might even be available now, along with employee (and partner) pricing.

So, as an employee, I imagine a 2007 SVT Cobra priced in the scenario above would have cost me (as an employee) around $35K. However, as a GT500, I have to pay whatever we sell to the public (which has averaged around $55K), so I personally believe the 2007 GT500 would cost me $20K more than a comparable 2007 SVT Cobra would have!

 

I agree with the above statements. Though ADMs can be argued with the Shelby badge or not, my personal gripe is I don't care about Shelby and his name. I want an SVT Cobra! I think Ford catered this car to the baby boomers and ignored the customers of the last 20 years! Don't get me wrong I love the retro styling and all but I don't need a retro name on the trunklid of my car! In my opinion SVT/SVO has done just as much for the Mustang as Shelby, perhaps even more! As I recall Shelby lost all control of the Shelbys after 67'. So basically my favorite Shelby was actually made up by Ford (68' GT500KR) I really do hope that the Shelby thing is a fad so Ford can make another SVT Cobra to join my 03'!

 

I couldn't agree more. I've owned 6 mustangs over the last 20 years but knew very little about Shelby until the GT500 came out. I don't think I would buy one with his name on it 30 years from now based on what he done since the '07 GT500.

 

You guys really bring up valid points. As for me, i really fell in love with the s197 platform and i wanted to get something special. I was hoping for a Boss (with a totally different engine from the mustang GT). When i saw the GT-500 at the NYC Autoshow in March of '05, i knew i had to have that car. It was a mean looking s197 with a completely different engine than the regular mustangs. To me, it was a totally different car that was different from the rest so i got one.
If they do a Boss with something other than a 4.6L, i may want that too. It would really have to be done up like an old Boss.

All i wanted was a "specialty car". The GT-500 fits that bill.

 

Your right about the adm's etc. But it was a sure bet for ford (selling at msrp) and a cobra wouldn't have. It doesn't pay to sell an se at rebate. Part of the reason svt couldn't hold its own. Now more than ever ford needs every penny.

 

I agree with you on the adms. It was a sure bet for ford. Now that they are in a financial bind they can't afford to pay rebates like they did on previous svt models. They are still getting full price which svt was not able to provide.

Roger

 

Ford did not need rebates on SVT products until the S197 '05 Concept Mustang and 550hp '08 Concept Lightning hit the car shows. Then, people started telling us they would wait for the new body styles instead of buying 03/04's. So, rebates came out to clear them out, as well as special Power Leases to encourage people to buy the '04 Cobras and Lightnings.

Also worth noting, SVT never advertised (except the later SVT Focus), whereas the GT500 got plenty of hype.

 

I agree 100%! When I was in the market for an SVT, Ford originaly planned to have an SVT version of the Mustang 6 months after the launch of the 05' ( It was suppost to hit market the same time as the 05' convertibles). Back in late 04' instead of buying an 04' Cobra I put down a deposit on an 05' Cobra (which took two more model years to come out). A couple years later Ford decides to name the Cobra a GT500 and the dealer told me to take my deposit back or give him $25,000 above MSRP........ My point is that i'm one of many who decided to hold off on an 03-04 Cobra to wait for the next gen Cobra, I know many who did the same thing holding off for the next gen lightning. I'll admit the SVT Focus was not quite as popular as the Lightning and Cobra. My opinion is that dealers are capitalizing on the whole classic muscle car craze. People see a 65-70 Shelby worth six figures consumers think that the 07-08 GT500s will do the same (current sales figures show that the GT500 is the highest produced SVT Mustang, perhaps less valuable in the future compaired to the early 5.0 Cobras of 93-95). I have posted in another thread that the best way for Ford to settle this dispute is to make the SVT Cobra and the GT500 as seperate models one as a $40,000 car while the other can be further upgraded (Ford GT motor, IRS perhaps AWD) and sell for 75-80k (Ford learned that people are willing to pay this much for a Mustang so they should offer high performance Mustangs to meet demand for those that want more than a hopped up GT (bullitt, shelby GT)

 

Here locally they were selling them with rebates at the end of 2003 before they offered power lease etc. But then again we do 10% of mustang sales in central florida.

 

Alas, we have the Knight Rider gig. The Attack mode GT500 makes TF&TF look like a Pebble Beach get together. With that kind of exposure ADM's likely have the life expectancy of a bottle of Jack in Boris Yeltsin's cabinet.