Another reason I think a 200lb. diet is more likely, and still impressive.

That's not to rule out a 400 lb. trim given the Stang's longer 10+ year shelf life, and thus the need to comply with tougher standards than the ~6-year cycle Mazda 6, and the higher performance requirements of a Stang. Perhaps Ford figures best to bite the weight reduction bullet one time now rather than being forced into either a premature platform redesign or an unpopular reduction in performance.

Also, this platform may underlie a number of vehicles, worldwide, unlike the current bespoke S197 Mustang only platform.

All this might be compelling Ford into a greater weight reduction than might be first expected.

 

But the padding appears to add height in rear window/trunk area, not width or length.

We know that it will have the Coyote V8.
We know it will be RWD with IRS.
We know the fuel tank will not be mounted behind the rear axle*.
We know it will probably have wheels no smaller than current.
The odds of retiring the basic 8" rear diff that served ford for decades is unlikely.
Expensive, small space front suspension design is unlikely. Traditional struts is probable.

So, we have mechanically defined the minimum size of the car by these things.

We can see from the mules that the front overhang is about what is shown in the renders. The trunk looks shortened. The hotel photos give us a good idea of scale:

http://www.carscoops.com/2013/08/gro...pes-spied.html

We've got people standing next to them. We have painted parking spot lines.

I think we are looking at a car that is not as tall in the back and has a smaller trunk than current. Mildly shorter in length, probably better visibility out the back. Maybe a touch narrower mostly due to styling differences. Possibly a bit shorter in height/lower.

*I don't think Ford is about to design any new car with a fuel tank behind the rear axle given the media flack it got for the last of the SN95s and living fossils like the crown vic.

 

IIRC, crash regs require the fuel tank to be placed inside the frame and ahead of the axles as the case may be (BOF or uni) so zero chance of the fuel tank being in the rear. Its a worthwhile safety improvement but the move pretty much killed the signature sound of the Mustang when the mufflers were moved from under the seat to the rear of the car.

200 pounds would be pretty impressive if the car is SN95/New Edge sized given the added safety and equipment content.

That might not seem impressive but the fox and SN95/New Edge cars have about as much structural rigidity as an acid dipped and dented beer can.

 

It's hard to tell anything under that padding.

That could be a fake nose. The grill seems to stick out 6"-8" beyond the headlights.

We know the engine compartment is narrower that the current car. There are pictures of a prototype with the hood open somewhere on this site.

If Ford spent the money on some serious engineering, and since they intend to sell this car in europe and australia they might have, it is possibe to get some serious weight savings.

There's alot of flab that can be trimmed from the current old Lincoln LS platform.
Add in a little aluminum here and a bit of high boron steel there and its possible to get to 300-400pounds.

 

The 400 pounds is the magazine writer who composed that article in Edmunds. Tell him to take the bus or walk and you will indeed shed the weight.

 

I am going to remain skeptical and optimistic about the changes in the new Mustang's weight and size, but here is some food for thought.

Everyone is so worried about how light the new Camaro will be because of it being based on the lighter ATS chassis. A look at current ATS weights shows it coming in at a little over 3,300lbs for the base non-turbo 4cyl and a little under 3,500lbs for the V6 model. Light yes, but think about the additional weight of the V8 plus the beefier drivetrain needed to support that. 3,550-3,600 is realistic, so the Camaro will be close to the current Mustang weight, but I believe it might be even more (or have less base HP than the current C7 LTI) and here is why: The C7 Vette weighs in at a a hair over 3,400lbs for an optioned Z51 (although Chevy lists a base Vette at a little over 3,200lbs). This is according to recent tests.

Now, Chevy is not going to want an SS Camaro with acceleration and performance on par (or at lease pretty close) to a Z51 Vette. Thus I will be very surprised if the upcoming Camaro SS will weigh any less than3,550-3,600lbs. If it does, it will have the same HP as the current SS, which I highly doubt.

Next, the new Mustang WILL be lighter. Heck they can do that with the current chassis and just a change in metal composition. Look at the weight difference between a 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv and a regular 2012 Mazda 3. It is around 200lbs and the change is mostly due to high boron steel and a lighter engine.

 

Seriously, they could shed 400 pounds by making thinner and cheaper plastic parts on trim and body. Remember, The front end will be more open than in the past, smaller headlamps, smaller rear seat due to redesign, lighter wheels and overall drive train. Of course we will see an entirely new streamlined interior. It's logical to say will will get a streamlined lighter passenger seats in the 15s. You would be surprised and how heavy a stock car seat is once removed.

All of that "little stuff" will slowly add up... Just like the price.

 

By using the rear license plate (Federally regulated to be 12 inches), the mule looks to be using a close to a 66 inch track and has a 76 inch width. Now, the blue bar that measures the plate is a little short on the right side but, it isn't insane to think the S550 below has a 63-64 inch track (2 inches wider than the S197) and about a 74-75 inch width.

Another measurement shows that the S550 will be pretty close to the S197's 107 inch wheelbase.

What Ford has is pretty much the exact same wheelbase and track/width of the new C7 Corvette...

400lbs from the GT? Probably not, but I can see a good 250lbs coming out making life miserable for the Corvette. Ford could remove 10 inches from the rear (mostly protruding bumper space) and 5 from the rear getting very close to the Stingray as far as length... Although, I don't see them going lower than 180 but ya never know. With thinner interior seats and the Control Blade IRS, the interior could actually be more roomy than the S197.

 

You know my friend's Infiniti G35 coupe is smaller in every dimension than my 2011 Mustang yet interior volume seems bigger especially the back seat (Althought the Mustang may have an advantage in headroom & trunk space)

 

I see no reason at all why Ford could not cut 15 inches out of the front of the Mustang. The current Mustang is longer than it needs to be except for creating a slick stylish look. A shorter Mustang with a four cylinder engine and every part and piece redesigned to be lighter could be close to 400 pounds lighter than the current Mustang. The current Mustang is wider than it needs to be and feels less sporty with all the inside width. Look at a Model A Ford and you will see how narrow the inside was on them. You will then see how sporty a car can feel inside.

 

the current mustang is indeed husky and could lose 15-20% mass and lose nothing on the track.

 

I sold my Honda S2000 to make room in the garage for my Mustang. I loved driving the S and it did indeed feel sporty inside, but the word cramped also comes to mind.

 

Trim 15-20% of the mass and the Mustang would gain immensely at the track.

 

I doubt it would get S2000 tight, but perhaps a sit in a 1965 Stang may give a good impression if the Edmunds rumors prove correct.

 

A slightly more accurate reference might be to use the readily visible license plate bolt holes, which are mandated at 7" apart, center to center. That way, no guessing about how much of the plate itself might be hidden under the camo.

 

I really don't think this report is all that unbelievable. I certainly hope it's true!

 

From what I saw today I'd say the real nose is easily 6" further back if not a bit more. Heck the headlights are easily 6 inches further in than the cladding would have you believe.

 

The base weight is 3290 lbs on the C7 without options.

 

I'm still holding out for something more like this:

 

If Ford could do a Lotus Exige sized 2-door with a 450hp V8, I'd be all over it, lol. 2400lbs, 450hp, $35K. Ya, I could do that. And it would get excellent fuel mileage too.

Hell, make it AWD with 275's at all 4 corners with an additional 200lb weight gain and you would have a destroyer.


Seriously, why the f not?