I'm going to buck the system here and add to the old man's comment here.


Even if Ford were to introduce a Mach/Boss, I would think that Ford would at least want to go with about 340-350 flywheel hp for the Bullitt and then Mach/Boss would be put at 400 hp. No competition for the GT500, but well above the stock GT.

As it stands right now, Ford is offering two "lower end" SE's that have very similar power outputs. With the ADM's the Bullitt will surely be somewhere close in price to the Shelby GT.

What I find most interesting is that a lot of Mustang fans were quick to dismiss the Shelby GT as just an overpriced Mustang with a few bolt ons and not worth the price, yet NOW I see a lot of people happy to fork over their hard earned cash for a very similar car.

I am not happy to swallow the same regurgitated over again. We as consumers deserved more and we need to demand more. But that's not gonna happen as long as we just keep saying "Oh well, it's not what I expected, but I'll give you my money anyway."

 

Well, considering the Bullitt is as good, if not better, than the SGT for $8,000-$10,000 cheaper, I don't see what's so outrageous.

 

Why does everyone keep thinking there will be ADM's on the Bullitt? Several of us dealers here online have mentioned we're selling at MSRP. For those who have contacted just their local dealer(s) and were quoted ADM's, you gotta move on to the next dealer.

With the power of the internet and shipping companies, you can buy from anywhere in the country! We recently sold our last 06 Shelby GT-H to a gentleman in Pennsylvania, and we're in the Pacific NW. He got a much better deal than he could find in his own backyard.

 

just to back up the last two comments i will say it again. the shelby gt is 8k dollars over priced. its the same package and the bullitt just with a different look. why again is one 39k and one 31k?
the bullitt can be found at msrp and or better! if your dealer adds adm to any vehicle you need to find a new dealer period!

lastly if the first test is any indication the 08 bullitt is really about 330hp and 350lb at the crank. a chasis dyno pulled 288hp and 308lb at the wheels off of 93oct! with a 15% drop this corralates to 338hp and 368lb!

 

I think there will be very few ADM's on the Bullitt. Only greedy dealers will be attempting this move. I've mentioned this many times before, but the re-introduction of the Bullitt is simply a flashback to 2001. The Bullitt is a tweaked GT which will be followed by a Mach1 and no doubt the Boss. And the Bullitt is a much better value than a Shelby GT without the dreaded ADM's, although it isn't a Shelby (which appeals to a lot of folks). It is Ford's version of a Shelby GT and more driver friendly. Remember that Ford has to protect the area of HP that encroaches the GT500, else they would not be selling as many GT500's as they have or are going to. Watch carefully, Ford will release the Mach1 with performance numbers very close to the GT500 only after sales/demand for the GT500 has dwindled. That way, they "create" a new passion for a model whilst not affecting the other too much. Then, they will move on to a Boss or a GT350, whatever. Timing is a crucial force in sales growth and Ford is a master of it.
I was probably more upset than most when the Bullitt wasn't going to be equiped with a N/A 5.4L. But then, I realized what Ford was trying to do with the model itself. Tweak it enough to create a "new" market while remaining somewhat true to the original (and 2001 Bullitt), and sell them in limited numbers to a limited audience. I spoke with my Ford dealer yesterday and all he knew about the Bullitt was that it was Green. I told him everything else about it. The new Bullitt represents a very good valued package in an exceptionally well-balanced car. It is a "drivers" car upon which owners can add various upgrades to enhance it's perfromance. I'm now glad it doesn't come with the mule heavy 5.4L which would skew the overall balance. You always sacrifice something with unbalanced power.
In a recent video featuring a Roush Mustang GT(415 S/C HP) Vs. a GT500, the Roush embarrassed the GT500 quite handily. One could slap a FRPP 400HP unit on a Bullitt and experience much the same results. A pretty good value I think. It all depends on what you want in a car. The Bullitt is a no-nonsense fun car to drive, at a great price!

 

I like the look of the GT500- but it's very front heavy and does not handle well (from all the reviews I've read). But it was probably never really intended to be a nimble daily driver. It's sole purpose is to be a 500hp monster that owners drive on local cruise nights.

Sticking a 5.4 into the Bullitt would've driven the cost of the car too high. Along with the engine you'll need bigger and better brakes to stop it.
It would not have made a very pleasant daily driver, and the Bullitt was made to be a daily driver.
If I wanted a GT500 I could buy one- but the car I own needs to be a daily driver. Living in an area that gets snow in the winter months I can only imagine the nightmare of trying to drive a GT500 around in it!
I don't have the money to store it all winter and drive another car in it's place. So I'm thankful the Bullitt will be well balanced enough to drive in the winter.

Ford had a real balancing act they needed to do and I think they did a good job. Those that wanted more HP- get a GT500. Or wait till next year- I'm sure a 400hp Mach1 or Boss is on the way.

The fact we don't know if they will be building these cars has more to do with marketing than anything else.
Not knowing encourages us to buy what is offered right now. And that's what automakers want us to do- they don't want us to wait 2 or 3 years.
They want us to buy today and then trade in after 2 or 3 years.
3 years ago I wanted/needed the 05 Mustang GT. Now I'm ready to move up, I want a little more and the Bullitt offers what I want.
Perhaps in 2 years I'll be wanting/needing a Mach1 or Boss.

 

Oh, one other point...can you imagine having a 68 GT as your daily driver today? Forget about it being a classic, just set that aside and view the car as a vehicle.
It would be rattling and noisey. Cheap vinyl seats. Poor suspension and handling. Absolute hell to drive in winter time.
The 08 Bullitt is better in every single way and would be a pleasure to drive every single day.

 

Here's a link to that video-

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/339391...ustang_shelby/

 

Absolutely!

 

This is another area Ford wasn't thinking. They should have been prepared to meet demand better.
They could have easily planned to be able to sell 18,000 GT500s a year.
18,000 seems to be the magic number for specialty cars (with their own model and order guide). They couldn't sell 18,000/year Marauders (only just over 11,000 were sold over the 2 1/2 year run) and Pontiac couldn't sell 18,000 GTOs, but GT500s would have flown out the door.
It still would be 'exlusive' and they would have actually sold cars, which is what it's supposed to be all about.

 

you're whinging.

I don't see "a lot of people happy to fork over their hard earned cash for a very similar car '

I don't see people lining up to buy the Bullitt, or dealers keeping lists of buyers.

The Bullitt is not a Shelby although since they are based off he GT Mustang there are obvious similarities. The Bullitt also has a much lower price tag, and as for ADMs, it will be/is very easy to find a dealer willing to sell one at MSRP or lower.

No one is forcing you to 'give you(r) my money anyway'

A 400 flyweel HP BOSS/Mack 1 from Ford would be so closely priced to a GT500 (not considering ADMs) everyone would complain the GT500 was a better deal and the BOSS/Mach a huge rip off. You know it.

 

Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. Keep in mind that SVT had been selling about 6,000 to 8,000 Cobras per year, so planning for 9,000 GT500's for 2007 wasn't a bad plan, or was it?

Some will say that the 13,476 supercharged 03 Cobra production (big spike over average annual production) should have predicted the market for the supercharged 07 GT500. But, The 2003's were actually built in two waves. The early batch in the spring of 2002 while 2002 V6's and GT's were on the assembly line, then again starting in the fall of 2002 when 2003 V6's and GT's were on the assembly line, so the 2003's were built during two different model years, but all titled as 2003's.

The big drop in 2004 Cobra sales (about 4K) was due to the anticipation of the all new "retro" body style, and the possibilities of an SVT Cobra on that body style. Lots of pent up demand for the retro Mustang. Then add the Shelby name and even more pent up demand came out of the woodwork. Not to mention, Barrett-Jackson craziness for classic Shelby Mustangs, and Ford missed the boat and underproduced the GT500. Gotta give 'em credit for increase 07 production in the end, though, as they ended up building a few thousand more than originally planned.

 

believe me ford will make as many gt500 as they can sell! yes i dont see 50,000 units out of the question in a 4-5 year run. it is their single best money maker for ford on a per unit basis. yes they make more money per gt500 than any suv or truck!

 

Only when you factor in the rebates they give away to sell big SUV's or trucks. If they didn't need a rebate to move a Super Duty truck, Ford would make more money on that line than on the low volume GT500.

And, in the grand scheme of things, making 30-50% more (or whatever the number is) on each GT500 versus a Super Duty, for example, is just plain nothing when you compare the sheer numbers and not just a per unit basis: 10K GT500's per year vs 900K + F-Series trucks per year. That's 90 F-series trucks for each GT500 sold.

 

oh no doubt about total revenue!

but the key is that ford is making well more the 10k for each gt500 even after holdbacks. the gt500 is a gold mine, and ford will continue to make the gt500 untill people stop buying it!

 

Too bad it seems the dealers make most of the profit it seems.
market adjustment poop

 

To me, the GT500 was a little bit of a disappointment. All that horsepower and no handling... I think people paying astronomical markups on those are sending a message to ford/shelby that the current handling and such is fine as long as it has a Shelby nameplate on it. Someone on here said the same thing about the Bullitt... the problem is that the bullitt is actually balanced and can go through a road course, haha.

 

And of course, you post this data because YOU do have first hand experience driving the GT500 and along with your expert opinion your assessment must then be factual.

 

Hmmm, you post a lot of negatives regarding the Bullitt with no first hand experience.
But let's not go down that road again.

I think most can objectively see that the GT500 is lacking in handling. Every review I have read on that car mentions that it's front end heavy and isn't very nimble on corners.
The video with the Roush stage 3 offers up some visual proof of how the 2 cars compare handling wise. The Roush simply out drives the GT500.

 

You obviously don't know 1Bullitt's experience with Mustangs my friend.

When I joined the site, I have known him to own an 01 Bullitt, an 04 Mystichrome Cobra, two 06 Mustang Gt's, and now two GT500's. I'm sure he's had countless others that I am unaware of but I think the most recent 6 Mustangs can speak for themselves.

But I digress...

If you can tell yourself you're 100% happy with the new Bullitt, hey whatever. But I think you're fooling yourself to think there won't be any ADM's.

There are good dealers out there like 05FordGT, but unfortunately, there are many more greedy ones.

Oh, and by the way, in my junior and senior year of high school my buddy and I carpooled in a 66 GT to school ALL YEAR ROUND! If we knew it was going to snow he'd lend it to me and I'd put it in the garage overnight, then it was off to school. Rain, snow, or shine. It's not the car, it's the driver.