OK you caught me. I punished myself by watching the Tigers and Lions all year!

 

That was the report from one news source but not confirmed by Ford.

 

Weight reduction is the new age horsepower war. Basically it gets companies an easier way to increase performance and increase fuel efficiency while keeping HP down.

So I won't be surprised to see a good 200lbs lifted from the mustang.

 

Sorry, my comment meant to say the 400lb figure was not confirmed by Ford. I believe there has been plenty of comments regarding weight reduction in general from representatives of the company on this new Mustang.

My personal guess is that they got the weight down enough to offset any substantial increase from the IRS and hopefully show a net reduction on the GT models. I think we will see more based on the 4-cylinder engine.

 

I could see them still inviting a select group of journalists to view the car to have their articles prepared prior to release embargo... especially if it is a small group of top writers there is minimal chance of leaks vs showing the entire dealer base where there will almost certainly be leaks... i believe when the 14s came out we had an almost exact description of the car within 2-3 days after the dealer mtg.

 

Which in turn the 2015 is also based. The excellent Chazcron renderings, although from CAD drawings, don't tell the whole design either. CADs are emotionless. They lack the sculpture, detail and feeling the car will have. That photoshop tries to bridge the gap.

The devil is in the details. Google "CAD 1965 Mustang" and you'll see what I mean. Even after 40+ years some CADs still aren't right! Or look at the "authorized" blueprint 1/25 scale model of your favorite car......often still off. In either case there is no guessing involved as with the 2015 Mustang.

 

This is further proof to my theory the released front end pics are a ploy to throw people off the sent of what the real car will look like. Note the Fusion and Mustang are made in the same plant.. They could easily borrow parts to put on the front for the test track.. We will see.

 

If this came to be ford would be the biggest troll in a long time.

But how does that article help solidify your theory to throw us off the "sent" of the car?

 

Because they are still keeping a very tight lid on things even after the so called leaked photo's...

 

The current Mustang prototypes we've seen have likely been built in the pilot plant, not Flat Rock. Even if they had been, it would not seem to be feasible at this point in the development process to attempt this. There is less than 7 months to the time rumored for production release. Fit and finish testing, production process design, tooling for parts, etc., are not short cycle-time items, at least as I understand them from conversations with various Ford folks I've talked to over the years.

 

So far from what I have seen looks like a S197 with a Fusion looking front. Hardly a major change from what they were eluding to. Time will tell, but I have to say they are keeping people guessing.

 

I am loving the suspense. Go Ford.

 

They say in Vegas you can bet on anything and everything...
I wonder what the odds are on "mule face" being the end deal, released in December?

 

You've heard correct. Several tools have long lead time, sometimes over 6 months. That's just for the design.

 

Welcome over

 

Indeed welcome!

 

I'll believe it when I see it, as I understand it the S550 is an evolution of the current S-197 car and not a clean sheet design. I'm not doubting Ford can get some significant weight savings in there but I'm thinking no more than 200 pounds give or take.

Might be more but it all depends on what they are trying to achieve. The C7 Corvette for example is heavier than its predecessor with much of that weight gain attributed to trying to please picky buff rag editors and consumers.

 

Welcome to TMS.

 

Man, just give it up already.

 

The front end may be similar to the fusion but it's not just a fusion front end grafted on to the car. It is clearly a unique front end that looks more 2014 Mustang than fusion IMO. As far as the S197 body, how can you tell the only part of the car that anyone has gotten a good look at is the front end! If your not liking the look I suggest you pick up a 2014 model before its to late. They have smoking deals on all models right now.