Tony Alonso

The biggest impacts to us, the consumers, are the loss of the marketing connection and support (SVTOA, SVT dealer program) and vehicles that are badged with "SVT". Ford's financial situation obviously has had an impact. However, I do believe that some of the engineering staff, while "mainstreamed" into the Ford Performance Group, will continue to play a role in upping performance in select Ford Division vehicles.

It is sad to see happen, but so long as higher performing Mustangs keep coming, there is at least some consolation.

1 COBRA

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tony Alonso @ March 7, 2006, 9:47 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
... there is at least some consolation.
[/b][/quote]
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yup.gif[/img]

There sure is! I really look forward to the New Shelby Miata GT005 from Carroll Shelby, designed, produced and discovered by Carroll Shelby, for Carroll Shelby fans and of course, the $10K AMVs. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nixon.gif[/img]

Can anyone guess who will be driving in the new Cornfield Commercial, or at the very least, getting the credit for it?


[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrinjester.gif[/img]

Tony Alonso

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(1 BULLITT @ March 7, 2006, 10:10 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yup.gif[/img]

There sure is! I really look forward to the New Shelby Miata GT005 from Carroll Shelby, designed, produced and discovered by Carroll Shelby, for Carroll Shelby fans and of course, the $10K AMVs. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nixon.gif[/img]

[/b][/quote]

Uh, I was thinking "Boss"... [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/04.gif[/img]

Here is another sad article.

jsaylor

This wont be especially popular with many on this site. But, I have long been a proponent of getting rid of SVT as a brand unto itself for a long time. Don't misunderstand me, I still want to see vehicles like the Lightning and the current GT500, but IMO SVT has been as big a pain in the rear as a help at times.

One exmaple is the Mercury Marauder. This was a car that was well conceived, well executed, and then doomed by the fact that SVT...who had a hand in developing the car...wasn't pleased with the idea of one of "their" motors being used in a product that wasn't a Ford and wasn't going to be indentified with SVT. So instead of a revised Terminator mill we get the Mach-1's motor...an SVT hand me down that was not nearly up to the task of powering the Marauder.

Yes, this is just a rumour but it definately had legs. And frankly, I believe it largely because it sound exactly like the response I would expect from SVT over an issue like this. The tuning arm that is supposed to help Ford as a whole can't be bothered to help Mercury. Huh? Isn't this just a bit of the tail wagging the dog? Call me old school but if these guys were answering to me there would have been some fire and brimstone to pay. You do it because Ford needs you to and because, if I'm the boss, I said so. If things like this hadn't been occuring in Detroit for decades I would never believe them.

I also think older, and far more legendary, performance monikers that would have brought as much and more credibility to high performance models were largely ignored because SVT had a fascination with top billing within the performance lineup. For an example take a look at the birth of the GT500, and note that at times there were plans to potentially build a SVT model to slot above the GT500...and essentially respresent a slightly juiced version of the Shelby. IMO it's pretty obvious that this car was likely conceived exclusively within the halls of SVT because, well, if they are going to build a Shelby Mustang there has to be a SVT model to slot in above it.

Again...huh? Make fun of Shelby for being a bit eccentric and for pimping the name a bit too much over the years. But, placing the Shelby moniker on a Mustang is solid gold when the car is worthy, and this car is worthy. Considering that the current Edsel, who is likely the most powerful man currnelty in FoMoCo after Bill, worked at the Shelby shop in the sixties and that both he and Bill are huge Shelby fans and then tell me how men with that much respect for the Shelby name, and who witnessed what the team accomplished in the 60's, is going to think of that kind of arrogance and disprespect?

Seriously, the best I can tell is that it was all they could do to birth a proper Shelby Mustang amidst the SVT discontent. If the Shelby scraped by then what are the odds that we were ever going to see a true revival of monikers like Boss, or SHO, or even the emergenace of Cosworth on small American Fords or the continuation of Shelby badged Mustangs? Don't get me wrong, we might see those cars, but how worthy would they be when they would have to play second fiddle to the latest SVT incarnation? And I absolutely do not see that SVT had the kind of cred that most of those monikers do, largely because there is a credibility that only comes with time and because Fords wearing both the Shelby and Cosworth nameplates have conquered the world in racing and on the street more than once. SVT was alright, but they were a looong way from that.

So, if this is the end of SVT, but the tuning continues, I don't see why this would be anything but a vast improvement.

Fordracing200

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jsaylor @ March 9, 2006, 4:14 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
This wont be especially popular with many on this site. But, I have long been a proponent of getting rid of SVT as a brand unto itself for a long time. Don't misunderstand me, I still want to see vehicles like the Lightning and the current GT500, but IMO SVT has been as big a pain in the rear as a help at times.

One exmaple is the Mercury Marauder. This was a car that was well conceived, well executed, and then doomed by the fact that SVT...who had a hand in developing the car...wasn't pleased with the idea of one of "their" motors being used in a product that wasn't a Ford and wasn't going to be indentified with SVT. So instead of a revised Terminator mill we get the Mach-1's motor...an SVT hand me down that was not nearly up to the task of powering the Marauder.

Yes, this is just a rumour but it definately had legs. And frankly, I believe it largely because it sound exactly like the response I would expect from SVT over an issue like this. The tuning arm that is supposed to help Ford as a whole can't be bothered to help Mercury. Huh? Isn't this just a bit of the tail wagging the dog? Call me old school but if these guys were answering to me there would have been some fire and brimstone to pay. You do it because Ford needs you to and because, if I'm the boss, I said so. If things like this hadn't been occuring in Detroit for decades I would never believe them.

I also think older, and far more legendary, performance monikers that would have brought as much and more credibility to high performance models were largely ignored because SVT had a fascination with top billing within the performance lineup. For an example take a look at the birth of the GT500, and note that at times there were plans to potentially build a SVT model to slot above the GT500...and essentially respresent a slightly juiced version of the Shelby. IMO it's pretty obvious that this car was likely conceived exclusively within the halls of SVT because, well, if they are going to build a Shelby Mustang there has to be a SVT model to slot in above it.

Again...huh? Make fun of Shelby for being a bit eccentric and for pimping the name a bit too much over the years. But, placing the Shelby moniker on a Mustang is solid gold when the car is worthy, and this car is worthy. Considering that the current Edsel, who is likely the most powerful man currnelty in FoMoCo after Bill, worked at the Shelby shop in the sixties and that both he and Bill are huge Shelby fans and then tell me how men with that much respect for the Shelby name, and who witnessed what the team accomplished in the 60's, is going to think of that kind of arrogance and disprespect?

Seriously, the best I can tell is that it was all they could do to birth a proper Shelby Mustang amidst the SVT discontent. If the Shelby scraped by then what are the odds that we were ever going to see a true revival of monikers like Boss, or SHO, or even the emergenace of Cosworth on small American Fords or the continuation of Shelby badged Mustangs? Don't get me wrong, we might see those cars, but how worthy would they be when they would have to play second fiddle to the latest SVT incarnation? And I absolutely do not see that SVT had the kind of cred that most of those monikers do, largely because there is a credibility that only comes with time and because Fords wearing both the Shelby and Cosworth nameplates have conquered the world in racing and on the street more than once. SVT was alright, but they were a looong way from that.

So, if this is the end of SVT, but the tuning continues, I don't see why this would be anything but a vast improvement.
[/b][/quote]

SVT didn't deserve to go, as for the marauder, yeah well thats politics, we can't change that, and without svt their wouldnt of been a terminator mill in the first place. Also, Shelby's name shouldnt be on a car he didn't build, hes morphed into a greedy sob. Also, You should give SVT more cred, they did build 3 cobra R race cars which did very well in many series of racing.

jsaylor

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Fordracing200 @ March 9, 2006, 4:51 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
SVT didn't deserve to go, as for the marauder, yeah well thats politics, we can't change that, and without svt their wouldnt of been a terminator mill in the first place. Also, Shelby's name shouldnt be on a car he didn't build, hes morphed into a greedy sob. Also, You should give SVT more cred, they did build 3 cobra R race cars which did very well in many series of racing.
[/b][/quote]

I see no reason why SVT couldn't have simply been a tuning arm that developed high performance cars for Ford but that wasn't a brand/marketing scheme unto itself. The same guys could have been building the same kinds of cars powerd by the same motors....but with Shelby, SHO, or Boss badging instead of SVT badging. Also, what else did we miss, besides a Marauder that was actually fast, because of the politics game it seemed SVT was so consistently playing?

The only major difference here is that, in my scenario above, politics likey wouldn't have gotten in the way of a proper Marauder or the use of older, more storied names on Ford products. Again, if this is just the end of the branding and marketing of Ford's highest performance cars as SVT models I see no reason to shed a tear here..

Route 66

Personally, it's irrelavent to me whether it's SVT producing a great car, or FORD. If FORD puts together a winner, we'll buy it....

Now back to the origianl question. We can go ahead and assume without Brad saying anything, SVT is dead. If Brad doesn't know, which is a possibility, he could just as easly say, "I'm not sure".

stang22

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jsaylor @ March 9, 2006, 6:14 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Again...huh? Make fun of Shelby for being a bit eccentric and for pimping the name a bit too much over the years. But, placing the Shelby moniker on a Mustang is solid gold when the car is worthy, and this car is worthy. Considering that the current Edsel, who is likely the most powerful man currnelty in FoMoCo after Bill, worked at the Shelby shop in the sixties and that both he and Bill are huge Shelby fans and then tell me how men with that much respect for the Shelby name, and who witnessed what the team accomplished in the 60's, is going to think of that kind of arrogance and disprespect?

Seriously, the best I can tell is that it was all they could do to birth a proper Shelby Mustang amidst the SVT discontent. If the Shelby scraped by then what are the odds that we were ever going to see a true revival of monikers like Boss, or SHO, or even the emergenace of Cosworth on small American Fords or the continuation of Shelby badged Mustangs? Don't get me wrong, we might see those cars, but how worthy would they be when they would have to play second fiddle to the latest SVT incarnation? And I absolutely do not see that SVT had the kind of cred that most of those monikers do, largely because there is a credibility that only comes with time and because Fords wearing both the Shelby and Cosworth nameplates have conquered the world in racing and on the street more than once. SVT was alright, but they were a looong way from that.

So, if this is the end of SVT, but the tuning continues, I don't see why this would be anything but a vast improvement.
[/b][/quote]Totally Agree 100%!!...And I have said this before on my other posts about the possible Real Shelby influenced GT500 sold through Ford by Carroll Shelby!!... svt can go and do lighter projects,...because now we got The Man!!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img] Total Improvement by far!!

1 COBRA

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stang22 @ March 10, 2006, 8:50 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
... about the possible Real Shelby influenced GT500 sold through Ford by Carroll Shelby!!... svt can go and do lighter projects,...because now we got The Man!!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img] Total Improvement by far!!
[/b][/quote]
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

I am starting to wonder about your age and you should wonder what it might be like being in the 80s. Have you had the chance to see Carroll Shelby being helped out of a car? Is it possible that a man in his physical condition with his brain cell count declining by the day can do better than some of the world's best field proven designers and engineers?

I mean, how many naive statements are you planning to make?

crazyhorse

Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of respect for Shelby. I am thrilled this car has his name on it. I think he did put worthwile input into the car, but, SVT engineered this car, not Carroll.

Now assuming the core SVT engineers and designers stayed with Ford, this could possiblly be a chance for them to grow with Ford Racing. First, however, they have to get over the financial troubles. Dissolving SVT was one ctitical step in that direction. Ijust hope the spirit (support, muscle car attitude) lives on.

stang22

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(1 BULLITT @ March 10, 2006, 11:14 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

I am starting to wonder about your age and you should wonder what it might be like being in the 80s. Have you had the chance to see Carroll Shelby being helped out of a car? Is it possible that a man in his physical condition with his brain cell count declining by the day can do better than some of the world's best field proven designers and engineers?

I mean, how many naive statements are you planning to make?
[/b][/quote]
Carroll Shelby has forgotten more things than you have knowledge of in 3 lifetimes full,...as you surpass yourself with ignorant comments each time!...And I'm already wondering about your IQ?!...And talking about brain cell count..do you have any?!!... And what do you know about Carroll,besides your immature ignorant comments about an American legend!!...Have you ever seen or know about his designers and engineers!!!..Svt wish they had 1/8 the credentials as the living American Icon has,...not to mention his own engineers and technicians! Grow up!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

1 COBRA

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stang22 @ March 10, 2006, 10:41 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Carroll Shelby has forgotten more things than you have knowledge of in 3 lifetimes full,...as you surpass yourself with ignorant comments each time!...And I'm already wondering about your IQ?!...And talking about brain cell count..do you have any?!!... And what do you know about Carroll,besides your immature ignorant comments about an American legend!!...Have you ever seen or know about his designers and engineers!!!..Svt wish they had 1/8 the credentials as the living American Icon has,...not to mention his own engineers and technicians! Grow up!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]
[/b][/quote]
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rofl2.gif[/img]

It appears you have lost your composure, tiger.

To require four similar variations in the same paragraph to make one point will not get you a Pulitzer's any time soon. It was a mistake in politely labeling your elementary comments as naive, call it sugar coating but I didn't need four variations. And neither would Forrest Gump.

jsaylor

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(crazyhorse @ March 10, 2006, 9:27 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of respect for Shelby. I am thrilled this car has his name on it. I think he did put worthwile input into the car, but, SVT engineered this car, not Carroll.

Now assuming the core SVT engineers and designers stayed with Ford, this could possiblly be a chance for them to grow with Ford Racing. First, however, they have to get over the financial troubles. Dissolving SVT was one ctitical step in that direction. Ijust hope the spirit (support, muscle car attitude) lives on.
[/b][/quote]

I agree completely.

stang22

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(1 BULLITT @ March 11, 2006, 1:35 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rofl2.gif[/img]

It appears you have lost your composure, tiger.

To require four similar variations in the same paragraph to make one point will not get you a Pulitzer's any time soon. It was a mistake in politely labeling your elementary comments as naive, call it sugar coating but I didn't need four variations. And neither would Forrest Gump.
[/b][/quote]No common sense what so ever! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] Soo many idiots,soo few rounds!!I realize now that I'm talking to someone who's IQ equates to a half empty bag of marshmallows,..yo mama said!!...See ya Forrest! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rofl2.gif[/img]

stang22

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jsaylor @ March 9, 2006, 7:06 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Again, if this is just the end of the branding and marketing of Ford's highest performance cars as SVT models I see no reason to shed a tear here..
[/b][/quote]Amen!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img]

1 COBRA

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stang22 @ March 11, 2006, 3:42 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
No commom sense what so ever! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] Soo many idiots,soo few rounds!!I realize now that I'm talking to someone who's IQ equates to a half empty bag of marshmallows,..yo mama said!!...See ya Forrest! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rofl2.gif[/img]
[/b][/quote]
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/what.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/what.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/what.gif[/img]

commom sense... commom sense... commom sense...
idiots... idiots... idiots
IQ... IQ... IQ...
marshmallows... marshmallows... marshmallows...

... Polly wants a cracker... Polly wants a cracker... Polly wants a cracker...


[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrinjester.gif[/img]

Svtstinger

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jsaylor @ March 9, 2006, 1:14 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
...Considering that the current Edsel, who is likely the most powerful man currnelty in FoMoCo after Bill, worked at the Shelby shop in the sixties and that both he and Bill are huge Shelby fans and then tell me how men with that much respect for the Shelby name, and who witnessed what the team accomplished in the 60's, is going to think of that kind of arrogance and disprespect?
[/b][/quote]
You said it, in the sixties, they were sucesfull for about only 4 years. Then they were a sunken ship especially in the 80's with Dodge, and are nothing today.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jsaylor @ March 9, 2006, 1:14 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Seriously, the best I can tell is that it was all they could do to birth a proper Shelby Mustang amidst the SVT discontent. If the Shelby scraped by then what are the odds that we were ever going to see a true revival of monikers like Boss, or SHO, or even the emergenace of Cosworth on small American Fords or the continuation of Shelby badged Mustangs? Don't get me wrong, we might see those cars, but how worthy would they be when they would have to play second fiddle to the latest SVT incarnation? And I absolutely do not see that SVT had the kind of cred that most of those monikers do, largely because there is a credibility that only comes with time and because Fords wearing both the Shelby and Cosworth nameplates have conquered the world in racing and on the street more than once. SVT was alright, but they were a looong way from that.

So, if this is the end of SVT, but the tuning continues, I don't see why this would be anything but a vast improvement.
[/b][/quote]

If there is no SVT then who would make those cars? Who will Shelby be able to steal from & put their name on, i'm sure they won't take anything from Saleen, Roush, or Steeda. Shelby is still stuck in the 60's making AC Cobra's and GT 350/500's.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stang22 @ March 10, 2006, 7:41 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Carroll Shelby has forgotten more things than you have knowledge of in 3 lifetimes full,...as you surpass yourself with ignorant comments each time!...And I'm already wondering about your IQ?!...And talking about brain cell count..do you have any?!!... And what do you know about Carroll,besides your immature ignorant comments about an American legend!!...Have you ever seen or know about his designers and engineers!!!..Svt wish they had 1/8 the credentials as the living American Icon has,...not to mention his own engineers and technicians! Grow up!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]
[/b][/quote]

You take every comment against Shelby too seriously. Face it he's nothing anymore. Nobody cares about him, they only care about what his designers and engineers(which his money was able to buy) did in the 60's. A true living American Legend today would be John Force, he actually went out & accomplished his own things. With the help of his crew members he has won the (him racing the mustang)NHRA Championsip 13 years & has the record for the fastest & highest top speed in the 1/4 mile, unlike Shelby who only puts his name on things. It seems not only Shelby is stuck with the 60's because you are too. Ignorant people like you will praise him no matter what [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nonono.gif[/img], one day you will have to step foward and move on with reality.

stang22

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Svtstinger @ March 11, 2006, 9:10 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
You said it, in the sixties, they were sucesfull for about only 4 years. Then they were a sunken ship especially in the 80's with Dodge, and are nothing today.
If there is no SVT then who would make those cars? Who will Shelby be able to steal from & put their name on, i'm sure they won't take anything from Saleen, Roush, or Steeda. Shelby is still stuck in the 60's making AC Cobra's and GT 350/500's.
You take every comment against Shelby too seriously. Face it he's nothing anymore. Nobody cares about him, they only care about what his designers and engineers(which his money was able to buy) did in the 60's. A true living American Legend today would be John Force, he actually went out & accomplished his own things. With the help of his crew members he has won the (him racing the mustang)NHRA Championsip 13 years & has the record for the fastest & highest top speed in the 1/4 mile, unlike Shelby who only puts his name on things. It seems not only Shelby is stuck with the 60's because you are too. Ignorant people like you will praise him no matter what [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nonono.gif[/img], one day you will have to step foward and move on with reality.
[/b][/quote]They seem to disagree with your comments over on the Shelby Automotive forum!..There's not one factory svt production car that was ever made in looks or performance that could ever match Shelby Automotive top high performanced machines,..EVER! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img] Matter of fact svt's design's suck soo much,that they(ford and svt) went back to Carroll's type of machines in performance design of the 60's and using his name to sell them...which at this moment is the very hottest car out there for the money!

crazyhorse

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stang22 @ March 11, 2006, 9:02 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
They seem to disagree with your comments over on the Shelby Automotive forum!..There's not one factory svt production car that was ever made in looks or performance that could ever match Shelby Automotive top high performanced machines,..EVER! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img]
[/b][/quote]
Gonna have to disagree with you here. The SVT Mustangs will outperform all those '60s Shelby Mustangs. I'm not sying I wouldn't give my left one for a '65 GT350R or a 67 GT500, but, they were not even on the same page performance wise as these cars.

stang22

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(crazyhorse @ March 11, 2006, 11:15 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Gonna have to disagree with you here. The SVT Mustangs will outperform all those '60s Shelby Mustangs. I'm not sying I wouldn't give my left one for a '65 GT350R or a 67 GT500, but, they were not even on the same page performance wise as these cars.
[/b][/quote]Not this one!!! As I own it with 700 rwhp,built by shelby! Apples for a apples comparison! Today's version kills all svt stangs!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumb.gif[/img]