Talked to lots of Ford guys and you could tell when they were towing the corporate line as the answers were almost word perfect. It was the inconsistencies I found interesting. IRS, planned doesn't guarantee it will make it to car. Lighter, likely. Smaller, not necessarily. Some talk of new car as '14.5, most '15. Changes front and maybe rear for '13 car. Global platform for '15. Possibly enlarged global market for Mustang, definitely shared platform with local derivatives. Final car is not yet locked down so plenty of room for spec changes. Any one else get anything?

 

It is really par for the course. They still have to sell a current product line yet keep the life of the product somewhat exciting going forward.

 

I'll add one thing that really stuck out; a comment from Pericak about going forward. Basically he said "I'm not going anywhere, and I'm committed to making better and better vehicles".

The other comments made are probably 50% true. There's a lot more hammered out than they want you to believe, because lead times, validations, and testing all take time. Granted, more modeling can be done in CAD/CAE than ever before, but you still have to build a physical prototype and test it.

That said, '13 doesn't interest me too much, but '15 and beyond really pique my interest. I hope that the 50th isn't a "greatest hits" version of the first 50 years. If they come out with a 15+ that goes to the next level, I'll gladly trade mine in.

 

At the briefing before the track event, we heard from Raj Nair (Vice President, Engineering, Global Product Development, Vice President), and during the Q & A session, somebody asked if the current globalization approach would affect future Mustangs, possibly watering them down by sharing a platform with another car, and he said definitely not. He went on to say (and though it's borderline marketing speak, but was said with conviction) that the next Mustang is going to be "Better. Better performance, better design, better power, better... better than the Camaro!" He's a former racer as well, and said they'd be stupid to mess up the Mustang.

 

I learned that reving your engine in the underpass closest to Mustang Alley will spark others to do the same...and make you deaf.

 

And this is about the most consistent truism from Woodward and Mustang!

 

Lol, it is very contagious

 

The last several Mustang Chief Engineers had short rotations, so I will be curious to see if that plays out. Continuity would certainly help!

 

I mean I wish the guy success in whatever he does, but I hope he's in for a long haul!

 

The last guy who had a fairly long haul with the Mustang did some great things (Coletti).

 

I learned that if you keep your foot in it just a little bit longer, you can scare the s**t out of a lot of people.

 

Ain't THAT the truth!

 

What is Woodward?

 

A Road in the Detroit area where muscle cars were cruised and developed back in the 60's and beyond, and now hosts a huge cruise every year called the Woodward Dream Cruise. Ford hosts a section called Mustang Alley:

https://themustangsource.com/f726/20...photos-499020/

 

Oh, I didn't know people still live in Detroit.

 

We don't advertise to California, since we thought it fell in the ocean..

 

I'm waiting for it to crack off and become it's own island. LOL

 

I think you just proved it doesn't have to crack off physically to become its own island

 

 

Oh, if only that were true, I wish people would stop moving here.