futuresvt

Now the whole post is gone altogether!

confused! [sparks from ears]...

AFBLUE

Because I was getting emotional and had to cool off, + I have moderator editing/delete ability of my posts.

Gotta run do some family fun stuff. I will reengage later today.

AFBLUE

Understand that you are not a fan of the original Shelby GT-350 (non-R). That's fair. I am a big fan of that car.
I agree, but can you get a dealership to install packages that are covered under the Factory warranty even if you get service done at a different Ford dealership? I don't know. Just asking. If the answer to my question above is, no you can't get a dealer to install Ford Racing parts that is covered under warranty at any dealership, then Ford racing parts installed by Shelby that have factory warranty at any Ford dealer is unique and has a certain value attached to it. Hence the reason I said 90% similarity in concept. But as I stated, the 1966 GT-350 was substantially more expensive percentage wise, over the 1966GT, than the Shelby GT will be over the Mustang GT. Sure you can up the power on the 3v even more, put on an aftermarket hood, etc. but you will also up the cost to the point of being pretty close to the MSRP of the GT-500 (yeah I know that is a rarely seen actual selling price for the 500) I agree that it's much cheaper to buy aftermarket parts and do it yourself. If the Shelby GT has a lot of AMV, I will be right there with you and I will do it in colors more to my liking (Satin Silver, Blue LeMans, spoiler delete etc.), but I will only do the cosmetic parts while my factory warranty is still valid, and will have to wait to do the performance upgrades when the warranty ends. These weren't my thoughts in quotes. I was quoting from a book Standard Catelog of Mustang , 1964-2001, by Brad Bowling. Page 171. I won't attempt to defend the author's viewpoint as I don't profess to know the thoughts of Shelby buyers 40 years ago.

I hope that my responses above are taken in a nonoffensive manner because that was my intent. Just PM if I have failed in my intent.

w/r

Mark

jacostang

Thank You yur1279!!!!!

amyb

Guys, I want to thank you all for the posts. I think your confusion lies in the similiarities of the GT/CS. I am not aware of any power upgrades to the GT/CS. If their is, my appologies. And infact the original CS did use shelby parts as well. So it was natural to share them.

That aside, we use the ford racing power upgrade kit, the FR suspension upgrade, the drag pak on the manuals, with the hurst shift kit, the x pipe, the 3:55 rear in the Gt-H and hopefully the 3:73 in the GT. Theres some other parts, but I dont have the list here.

I also agree these are all ford parts, but we built this car to conform to all regulations and warrenties in Ford. It is also a car built in partnership with ford. So it should share style, just like the GT/CS shares some of the vintage shelby. We did this to be ford's partner the way Carroll did it 40 years ago. The easier route is to do like roush and saleen, we chose this route as it secures the legacy of carroll Shelby, he should be with ford and shelby Autos should be with ford. Also We didn't want to be like the other manufacturers we wanted these to be sanctioned and warrentied. Ford made a great car in the GT500, but it also made it hard for us to deliver our first retail car. Do we do more HP and features, or less. We chose less so everyone who ever dreamed of shelby, could possibly have one. Then they can buy the shelby gauges, the shelby wheels, the shelby brakes, the supercharger and all the other stuff we are making. and not ruin the registry, or they could leave it be and enjoy it. I have driven this car and its a great car, if you haven't driven it, you are selling it short. To some its not that great, because its simple, but sometimes simple can be great, we put this combination together and it works, and its affordable, and it's a true shelby.

Now, on the comments, I agree in that they weren't "personnal" persay, but I think they were harsh and I think a lot of good people who worked on these projects whether from shelby or ford, would be hurt. and I am not sure who here is a team leader wouldn't stand up for their team.

My team might not be hitting home runs yet, but there are plenty of at bats left. 40 years ago Carroll had a lot of different cars, some were big HP monsters, some sucked, but all are loved by someone today.

Maybe most of you didnt know shelby was 5+million in the hole 11 months ago, 2 years of backordered cobras, almost out of business. Not a way for a legend to go out. Now, cobra backorders are almost complete, a new deal with ford and a legacy secured...Im ok with the baby steps. As I already know there will be some, I will never please, hopefully they will one day build their own shelby using Ford and shelby parts.

you know, when you take a step back, Some people Fill up twice from LA to vegas, Some do round trip with one tank...lol Neither is better or worse. I would rather take a hit on a car like the Shelby Gt then only make 500 of something so cool only 1% of the population will get to see it, forget about buying it. I think the post about me lurking is a good one, I definately made a mistake in jumping in so fast, so much. I do appreciate the coments, and I have ready made a call into detroit about the fender badge.


Anyway, I appreciate all the feedback, I will think about as we start on the next project...


Amy

USMC_LB

AWESOME !

Bring on that GT 350 !


Tim

StangFreak

So you are going to make a supercharger for this car??!! So one could load this car up with all the FRPP performance packs (ie drag pack, handling pack and supercharger which I believe is made by Whipple) and still keep the factory warranty!! This is sweet!!! Now if I can only get the internals upgraded to stand more than 8 lbs of boost.....hint hint.

One other request, please make one of the color options Alloy with Tungsten stripes.

Evil_Capri

Well . . . as an executive with my company I understand the level of civility needed to run my portion of the business and I also understand who and when to engage persons as needed. The simple fact is that on the public internet their may be opinions that may not align themselves with what I think and or feel and it's a personal choice as to whether I engage said opinions . . . . you know 'pick you battles', but to bring out the 'you haven't walked in someones shoes' is a bit tired. The same could be said on the flip side. Each person has their own experiences and far be it for ANYONE to tell others how they think they have lived their lives. Being in a mangagement position that should be obvious. But I digress . . . .

As much as I am appreciative of the effort Shelby has put into the Shelby GT in no means do I think any negative reflection by persons distracts from the car. It's called an 'opinion' and people have the right to voice theirs . . .

Big D

Not on this board...

1 COBRA

rhumb

Maybe a nice, 350+hp, six speed, Recaro seated, Brembo braked, real hood/brake scooped, IRS (I can dream, can't I) GT350 will get you around to at least and easy third -- slider into home for around $30K -- slammer into the bleachers with an IRS (for $32K, about what the IRS added to the SN95 Cobra's price).

Tough crowd to please here, no doubt, and I'll include myself in that. But as they say, "The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference," and for what its worth, you ain't getting much indifference here!

Nice job, really, given the very short development time, a real can-do job. Team Mustang proper would still be wallowing in studies, stats, and PowerPoint presentations trying to figure our what to do, never mind actually getting it done (that would take another two years and gizzillion dollars of development money).

05fordgt

Hey Amy, to start, I LOVE THE CAR!!! Its just like the 60's when they modified the cars in his factory in California. Hey Amy, do you think it may be a good idea for some of these "winey people" on here to pick up the book titled "Snake Bit"? For anyone who hasn't heard of it, it's the story of the Shelby Series 1, the car with the Olds powered Indy motor. Tells the entire story on how much money was lost getting the 250 cars to customers, with so much chaos, it was remarkable that car ever saw the light of day. Its a great read (once I started, I couldn't put it down). If they read this book, they can see just how bad off Carroll was at the time.

To the one fellow on here who stated that Shelby is just a "rebadger", and not a major auto company? Have you ever been in one of his CSX continuation Cobras. 289 and 427 powered cars, that are as close to the real thing without the heart attack of damaging a real one.

And to anyone on here who doesn't like the car. If you want the 375-400hp car that fits in-between a GT and GT500, keep your heart waiting for the Boss to arrive in '08 or '09. For now, this car is a great buy, and as she said, all the Ford Racing parts ARE WARRANTIED! If this doesn't build a dollar value for most people, I don't know what does . Plus the thing that really gets me with some on here who say its not a "real Shelby", this car (as seen in Bold Moves 9) has a REAL Shelby Automotive fender badge under the hood! COME ON, this is as authentic as it gets! If some of you may not have heard, you can't get his logos and badges ANYMORE, unless you have a valid owners registration card to a real car! This fender badge on the new one is great. This car will be just like the original, as the car is built in Detroit, and modified at Shelby Automotive. I know I would be gushing over this car AND that CS Automotive badge if I took one of these to a car show, and popped the hood.

I'm with AFBLUE, the original cars mean alot to me too, and Carroll is my idol, for what he had done in the business, and for not giving up when his health was terminal (I am a fellow transplant recipiant like Carroll). Way to go Carroll, and way to go Amy, I'm behind you on this car. Can't wait to see one and take it for a spin, and to see what is around the corner from you guys out in Las Vegas. Keep up the good work, and don't let the "tactless ones" on here get to you.

StangsUK

I like all Mustangs, through the sixties and seventies, Fox-body to the '05. I guess that's why I watch this site, although I don't often contribute I'm watching most of the time.

I also like the GT-H. It has a lovely front-end treatment, way better than the GT/CS. OK, it's only in black with Gold stripes and a bespoke hood and Hertz badges on the wings, but it's nice. I'm sure when Hertz come to auction their "used" cars off they will turn a nice profit on each and every one.

Shelby GT
So... do I like a few more HP? I think most of us do, and it's particularly helpful for you US-based guys if the warranty covers them. A 3.73 rear end would make it even better than the 3.55 in the GT-H, if that were on the options list it would be cool.

Hurst Shifter
Great move, the GT-H was auto-only; let's have a manual 5-speeder with a short-throw shifter. Now you're talking!

Colors
Oh dear. Why only 2 color options? OK, white can be very nice with different colored stripes (blue is my personal favourite for stripes), and black paint is just plain "menacing" - again which works for me. If Ford could get it built in any color that would surely make it easier to sell? It's my guess these will be at least 80% built-to-order?

Front End
The GT-500 has a unique front end, which I personally love, and the Shelby GT gets a billett grille which makes it stand out (which is good), but visually, the GT/CS front bumper/air-dam isn't different enough to give this car its' own presence.

Not a modern GT-350
This car isn't a GT-350; I guess there is a very good reason for that which may or may not be coming down the line in '07 or '08. As someone pointed out the GT-350's logical successor is actually the GT-500.

Premium Pricing
At the end of the day it comes down to pricing. The GT/CS is almost $2k, and the Shelby GT has to come in above that, folks are guessing $5k, hence you're paying a lot of premium to have the letters "B,E,H,L,S,Y" nicely spaced across the trunk lid, and a couple of plaques in the cabin, sills and engine bay that will make a huge difference to the desirability of this car.

It's my guess that most of the premium paid will be returned when selling on this car - as long as the Shelby GT doesn't get overproduced. Since these cars will all come through Nevada, I'm guessing the production run will be limited anyway, but will be more than the 9,000 GT-500s that will be produced.

Options
Shelby Wheels ought to be on the dealer options list.
Stripe colour options - this must be so easy to do, it will make cars more unique if there are more color combinations, particularly with a limited production run will help keep used values up.

Bottom Line
Would I buy one? Yes - but if I could have it in my favourite color combination (Blue with white stripes).

kkoch

I think the car is awesome IMO. Wouldnt buy it myself, but still a nice nice car.

3Mach1

What needs to happen to generate more interest in this car is power. Think about it. The 03/04 Mach 1 really did fill a niche in the mustang line up at the time. Different suspension, 305 hp that was underrated, 3.55 rear end that the Gt's didnt get, ect................

The Mach's had some substance to them way over and above what the GT's had at the time. Not just suspension componets, stripes, shaker hood ect.... It had the most important piece sitting under the hood. The Shelby GT does not have that imo. Im not knocking Shelby as Im sure that are dealing with what they have to work with. With that said, I like the car but I would never consider one until somebody wakes up and stuffs a 5.4 or larger engine in the car or at least put a blower on the 4.6. I want some go with my show and 325 hp is not enough given the price that being kicked around. Im not a hater and I may be in the minority but horsepower makes a huge difference to me.

I guess Ill hold out for the rumored Boss. It sounds like its more up my alley.

AFBLUE

Unfortunately there is already plenty of interest in this car. Like the GT-500, I think it will be initially hard to get one at a reasonable price. But I hope I'm wrong.

3Mach1

One minor thing that I would like to rant about is the choice of rear gears. The 3.55 was standard in 05 I think and it suddenly became an option later on. It doesnt cost Ford 1 cent more to put in a 3.55 vs a 3.31. Its all about them making more money to charge you for something they know is more desirable. Screw em. Ill take one with 3.31 and change them out to 4.10 in a heartbeat anyway.

3Mach1

AFBLUE, if your one of the first guys that has to have one be prepared to take some vasoline with you cause you will need it. I paid 21K and some change for a brand new Mach1. I remember dealers selling those for 5K over sticker when they first came out. I could have bought a 03 Cobra for 27K that same day. The bottom will drop out of all of em if you just give it some time. The shelbys are no different.

1 COBRA

Lets see here. The Cobra, the SEs, the T-Bird, the present gen Mustang GT, the GT500, and now the Shelby GT. All seen as opportunities by the dealers as a way to make a few extra bucks, and they have on occasions but in the process alienating propective customers on not just the lastest but other models.

This approach has ramifications which are partially affecting Ford's present economic chaos. If Ford goes down, the Mustang will go down with it as well, the unsinkable Titanic comes to mind. Yes, those who have the money best pay up and get it while you can. You might be buying a soon to be discontinued icon and we can thank the Ford dealers and the enthusiasts who have supported them.

Thanks Ford dealers! If I ever need advice on public relations' issues I will know who not to ask.

There is bright side though. Can guys imagine what our Mustangs will be worth? I'd even contemplate taking mine to Barrett-Jackson. Just to rub it in.

3Mach1

While I have a general dislike of all car dealers the root of the cause of the inflated prices is the ignorant consumer who is willing to pay 4 prices.