SkillmanPerformance
Member
I saw this thread and thought I would throw something in it to get it started.
I have been running the Performance Division of Ray Skillman Ford for 11 years. I have been with Ford for 18 years.
Here is what I am seeing and hearing and guessing based on the information I have, history of what Ford has done in the past with new release specialty Mustangs and their similar patterns...
Of course I could go back a lot further, but lets start in 2009. 2009 was a SHORT model year because Ford wanted a FULL year of the new 2010 bodystyle Mustang. So 2009 model Mustangs only ran about 6 months so Ford could bring the 2010 models out early in June.
This has become more and more practice throughout the years as opposed to bringing out new models in the fall. Carryover models typically do run through the fall. The 2014 Mustangs actually came out in March or so of 2013 (way early) so they could get a full year in of that model year and leave plenty of time to transition to the new body in 2015.
Some key things here are the GT500 stopped production as of the 2014 model and were not released in 2015. The GT350 was announced in 2015 as a 2 year model intended to run 2016 and 2017 (though they did a small run of a couple hundred 2015's at the very end). Interestingly enough, Ford coded the GT350 with the same body code as the GT500 which is P8J. This kind of tells you as long as the GT350 is around, Ford would not be producing a GT500 along side it. The early speculation was the GT500 was supposed to be a 2017. In fact, the body code conflict told us early on, that would not be the case unless Ford completely recoded it which was unlikely. It will be a 2018 as this thread suggests but it should be out in the summer of 2017 (June or July) because Ford wants an early start with it.
The 2016 model year, like the 2009 model year will be short. Final orders should cease to be accepted around March to April at the latest and orders for the 17's should begin around there or soon after. Expect to see the first 2017 Mustangs around June, or July at the latest tis year. This gives the 2016's a short year, but more than the 6 months of the 2009. Then the 2017 model Mustangs should run a full year so the 2018's can be released in June or July.
Expect to see the 2018 GT500 in June or July of 2017 with a little over 700HP. My sources do NOT expect a GT350 motor to be installed in the 2018 GT500. Rather, the speculation is a turbocharged 5.0. Of course it is still early so Ford could revert back to the supercharged platform. Also, expect a slight freshening of the 2018 model Mustangs similar to what happened in 2013 over the 2010-2012 body.
Other than that, only time will tell... but feel free to throw in any information any of you may have to add.
John Trischler
Ray Skillman Ford
I have been running the Performance Division of Ray Skillman Ford for 11 years. I have been with Ford for 18 years.
Here is what I am seeing and hearing and guessing based on the information I have, history of what Ford has done in the past with new release specialty Mustangs and their similar patterns...
Of course I could go back a lot further, but lets start in 2009. 2009 was a SHORT model year because Ford wanted a FULL year of the new 2010 bodystyle Mustang. So 2009 model Mustangs only ran about 6 months so Ford could bring the 2010 models out early in June.
This has become more and more practice throughout the years as opposed to bringing out new models in the fall. Carryover models typically do run through the fall. The 2014 Mustangs actually came out in March or so of 2013 (way early) so they could get a full year in of that model year and leave plenty of time to transition to the new body in 2015.
Some key things here are the GT500 stopped production as of the 2014 model and were not released in 2015. The GT350 was announced in 2015 as a 2 year model intended to run 2016 and 2017 (though they did a small run of a couple hundred 2015's at the very end). Interestingly enough, Ford coded the GT350 with the same body code as the GT500 which is P8J. This kind of tells you as long as the GT350 is around, Ford would not be producing a GT500 along side it. The early speculation was the GT500 was supposed to be a 2017. In fact, the body code conflict told us early on, that would not be the case unless Ford completely recoded it which was unlikely. It will be a 2018 as this thread suggests but it should be out in the summer of 2017 (June or July) because Ford wants an early start with it.
The 2016 model year, like the 2009 model year will be short. Final orders should cease to be accepted around March to April at the latest and orders for the 17's should begin around there or soon after. Expect to see the first 2017 Mustangs around June, or July at the latest tis year. This gives the 2016's a short year, but more than the 6 months of the 2009. Then the 2017 model Mustangs should run a full year so the 2018's can be released in June or July.
Expect to see the 2018 GT500 in June or July of 2017 with a little over 700HP. My sources do NOT expect a GT350 motor to be installed in the 2018 GT500. Rather, the speculation is a turbocharged 5.0. Of course it is still early so Ford could revert back to the supercharged platform. Also, expect a slight freshening of the 2018 model Mustangs similar to what happened in 2013 over the 2010-2012 body.
Other than that, only time will tell... but feel free to throw in any information any of you may have to add.
John Trischler
Ray Skillman Ford
