Is The Svt Cobra A Shelby Or The Shelby A Svt Cobra

[1993cobramustan]

It seems to me that Ford is doing more damage to it's goodwill with us SVT guys by...
1. Closing SVT....(It's closed, don't let Ford B-S you)
2. Powerlease Option Fiasco (2-year delay).....
3. Allowing dealers to Rape and Pillage on Shelby's.....
4. Basically letting SVTOA die without a quick replacement organization.....
5. Screwing the original SVT dealers, buy allowing all Ford Dealers to have
1 Shelby allocation each.....
6. Delaying shipment of cars to many dealers....
7. Not enough cars to meet demand....

A lot of loyal SVT guys have switched off on the 2007 Shelby.....It's weight, cheap interior (too much plastic). Base mustang black rear-view mirrors, and a lot of styling cues that were not carried over from the concept, or from the 69/70 Shelby GT500's.....Putting a "Shelby" badge on a Mustang Cobra decklid, does not make a true "Shelby", just the next SVT Mustang with a Shelby badge.....What do the rest of you outhere really feel???? Lighten the car with aluminum, put some brake cooling ducts on the rear quarters, something different on the rear passenger side window, a better hood, and a more unique interior....Right now, the Roush, Saleen and Foose cars look better, and I have been told the Saleen Extreme is faster????

 

[eci]

Ford can't fix the pricing, it's illegal. I'm also stunned that you think the interior is cheap when compared to previous SVT's...

I' can't seem to find a terminator with a leather dash....

 

[jtfx6552]

It seems to me that Ford is doing more damage to it's goodwill with us SVT guys by...
1. Closing SVT....(It's closed, don't let Ford B-S you)
2. Powerlease Option Fiasco (2-year delay).....
3. Allowing dealers to Rape and Pillage on Shelby's.....
4. Basically letting SVTOA die without a quick replacement organization.....
5. Screwing the original SVT dealers, buy allowing all Ford Dealers to have
1 Shelby allocation each.....
6. Delaying shipment of cars to many dealers....
7. Not enough cars to meet demand....

A lot of loyal SVT guys have switched off on the 2007 Shelby.....It's weight, cheap interior (too much plastic). Base mustang black rear-view mirrors, and a lot of styling cues that were not carried over from the concept, or from the 69/70 Shelby GT500's.....Putting a "Shelby" badge on a Mustang Cobra decklid, does not make a true "Shelby", just the next SVT Mustang with a Shelby badge.....What do the rest of you outhere really feel???? Lighten the car with aluminum, put some brake cooling ducts on the rear quarters, something different on the rear passenger side window, a better hood, and a more unique interior....Right now, the Roush, Saleen and Foose cars look better, and I have been told the Saleen Extreme is faster????

I agree, putting the name "Shelby" on the car has ratched up the hype, HTT promised a car under 40K, and I wonder if it was just the 2007 Cobra, what the sticker and going rate would be.

Looking at the cars listed in your profile, and considering the cars I have owned (82GT, 83GT Conv.,89 5.0 LX, 93 Cobra, 96 Cobra, 2003 Cobra), Ford really needs to implement a way to reward their loyal customers, not have them get steam rolled to the back of the line by a bunch of speculators.

 

[Snakebite]

It seems to me that Ford is doing more damage to it's goodwill with us SVT guys by...
1. Closing SVT....(It's closed, don't let Ford B-S you)
2. Powerlease Option Fiasco (2-year delay).....
3. Allowing dealers to Rape and Pillage on Shelby's.....
4. Basically letting SVTOA die without a quick replacement organization.....
5. Screwing the original SVT dealers, buy allowing all Ford Dealers to have
1 Shelby allocation each.....
6. Delaying shipment of cars to many dealers....
7. Not enough cars to meet demand....

A lot of loyal SVT guys have switched off on the 2007 Shelby.....It's weight, cheap interior (too much plastic). Base mustang black rear-view mirrors, and a lot of styling cues that were not carried over from the concept, or from the 69/70 Shelby GT500's.....Putting a "Shelby" badge on a Mustang Cobra decklid, does not make a true "Shelby", just the next SVT Mustang with a Shelby badge.....What do the rest of you outhere really feel???? Lighten the car with aluminum, put some brake cooling ducts on the rear quarters, something different on the rear passenger side window, a better hood, and a more unique interior....Right now, the Roush, Saleen and Foose cars look better, and I have been told the Saleen Extreme is faster????

1. Bold moves is dead...so is SVT. It's 2006 and Ford is a US automaker.
2. What fiasco? They made good on the deal...the "next" just happen to be 07.
3. FMC has no muscle when it comes to pricing. Remember...it is M.Suggested.R.P.
4. There will be no replacment. It is called consolidation in this day and age.
5. Screwing who??? It's a matter of survival.
6. I am unaware of any intentional shipping delay. I am still waiting for mine and know exactly why I don't have it.
7. This may be a supplier and logistics issue. The speculated production #'s have actually increased from 7500 to possibly as high as 10000 units in year 1.

I bleed blue...but you need to keep all things in perspective. FMC is treading water. The auto industry is all about turning a profit in order to survive. I am thankful that in these desperate times they are still producing the most powerful factory Mustang ever. Could things be better...absolutely...but we need to count our blessings and deal with American Auto Industry 101 in the year 2006.:beer:

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

It seems to me that Ford is doing more damage to it's goodwill with us SVT guys by...
1. Closing SVT....(It's closed, don't let Ford B-S you)
it was merged with FRPP. if it is gone then who the hell developed the GT500. and if it wasnt SVT, why the hell does it matter who developed it as long as it pleases people(it sure does me and lots of others, to bad that you dont like it) and sells? SVT is mearly a name, and that is all. a name means nothing.

2. Powerlease Option Fiasco (2-year delay).....
i shouldnt comment on this since i know next to nothing about it but... what were you going to do with it in those 2 years that you didnt have it?

3. Allowing dealers to Rape and Pillage on Shelby's.....
if only the dealers could do something. isnt it common sense that they cant do anything? the dealer pays a set price for each car that ford sells to them, ford doesnt see any of the extra cash. if anything the + on the price tag by the dealers is deturing people, and ford WANTS customers.

4. Basically letting SVTOA die without a quick replacement organization.....
i dont know a who lot about this, but from what i do understand this whole thing is a bunch of bullshit. i agree with you on this one.

5. Screwing the original SVT dealers, buy allowing all Ford Dealers to have
1 Shelby allocation each.....
i also agree with you here, the SVT dealers really took one up the ass on this one.

6. Delaying shipment of cars to many dealers....
so you think they should ship them all out and THEN recall them? that doesnt make any sense and would lead to more negative publicity than the delay has lead to.

7. Not enough cars to meet demand....
supply and demand, thats how hype is increased and cars get sold. you cant blame ford here.

if this thing isnt a shelby then the, what, 69-70 "shelbys" arent either, right? ford were the ones that produced those(pretty sure it was the 69-70s, i could be mistaken), not shelby.
and your comment on the interior just made me laugh. if the current interior is too cheap to you then you need to start packing up right now and heading towards BMW.

what do people not understand about CONCEPT car?!?!?! im curious to see how many examples of productions cars that look EXACTLY like their CONCEPT cars people could show me. if anything, this is one of the cars that has stuck closest to the concept compared to many many others. the hood can be explaind(underhood air pressure, ford is not BSing on this one. one of the FR500 stangs lost a hood during one of the grand-am races last season due to extreme underhood pressure), the rims went from 19" to 18" big deal, the shelby lettering is squished on the left side instead of the whole way across, i think it looks better that way but thats just me, and the stripes are vinyl instead of painted. that i do think is BS, although from a production stand point is understandable.

 

[WDW MKR]

Has anyone reported the exact cause for the last shipment hold? What was so important that a recall would have been necessary if the cars went out?

 

[drmustang]

It is highly unlikely that there are intentional production or shippings delays without good reason. The delivery rate at this time does appear to rather slow giving the retailers a significant amount of price control for the short term.

The 1st year production numbers have gone from foolishly low estimates to 10,000 units. Would it even be possible to sell 10,000, $45,000-$50,000 Mustangs a year? A logical answer is not what you will expect from your neighborhood retailer. Lets not forget what happened to the previous king of the hill SVT Mustang at $10,000 less. It fell out of bed at mid 30s pricing.

 

[svtcobra2k3]

I don't consider it a true SVT. Yeah it's splattered all over the car, but it doesn't mean anything.

A true SVT is exclusive to SVT dealers only, not all Ford like the Shelby is. A true SVT was not allowed to have an outrageous mark-up or else their rights would've been taken away.

 

[ac427cobra]

I don't consider it a true SVT. Yeah it's splattered all over the car, but it doesn't mean anything.

A true SVT is exclusive to SVT dealers only, not all Ford like the Shelby is. A true SVT was not allowed to have an outrageous mark-up or else their rights would've been taken away.

Don't kid yourself. SVT designed this car. SVT developed this car. :read:

FYI, Terminators sold for MUCH over sticker when they first came out! The identical "supply and demand" principals applied back then as they do now! Not quite at the numbers the Shelby is bringing because there wasn't NEARLY the hype for the Terminator as there is for this car! :idea:

 

[eci]

Don't kid yourself. SVT designed this car. SVT developed this car. :read:

FYI, Terminators sold for MUCH over sticker when they first came out! The identical "supply and demand" principals applied back then as they do now! Not quite at the numbers the Shelby is bringing because there wasn't NEARLY the hype for the Terminator as there is for this car! :idea:

$5k over < $50k over =)

 

[ac427cobra]

$5k over < $50k over =)

IMHO very few GT500's are selling for 50k over! :read: They might be asking that, but they sure as hell aren't selling for that!

In real short order, I would be surprised to see them going for more than 10k over? Cars are really starting to get out there in the marketplace now! :coolman:

 

[JEllis]

I am not a Ford owner nor have I ever owned a Ford. In fact I never used to like the Mustang until this new S197 came out. I also dont even own an American car. With that said, what brought me to the new Mustang was a magazine article that came out about a year ago with pics of the concept Shelby in it. Since then my anticipation for this car has put countless 5.0, and MM&FF mags next to my toilet and keeps me coming to websites like this one to get every scrap of info I can on the Mustang GT, GT500, Shelby GT, and future speciality stangs. My love for the current stang and GT500 has even brought me to appreciate many of the older generation stangs. If Ford was able to get someone like me stoked about a car that I never used to even consider owning then I think they are heading in the right direction. I dont really care who built the "Shelby" because its bada$$ either way. I dont think I need to speculate on its performance capability because it is quickly buidling a performance reputation on its own. Could it be better? Sure, It would be great to see an aluminum/composite body, an engine with an aluminum bottom end, Independent rear suspension, and an interior that is overflowing with leather. However, this GT500 is what it is. And its a bada$$ street bruiser with gobs of power and the potential to run 11 second quarter miles with only a grand or two of performance modifications.

Jason

 

[P49Y-CY]

Don't kid yourself. SVT designed this car. SVT developed this car. :read:

you are right, svt (as we knew it) designed and developed this car, but did not complete production and marketing or the remainder of the process. after svt dissolved and lost political power, parts became watered down and absorbed into the mainstream of the company

for example, svt designed this car to have an irs.

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

I am not a Ford owner nor have I ever owned a Ford. In fact I never used to like the Mustang until this new S197 came out. I also dont even own an American car. With that said, what brought me to the new Mustang was a magazine article that came out about a year ago with pics of the concept Shelby in it. Since then my anticipation for this car has put countless 5.0, and MM&FF mags next to my toilet and keeps me coming to websites like this one to get every scrap of info I can on the Mustang GT, GT500, Shelby GT, and future speciality stangs. My love for the current stang and GT500 has even brought me to appreciate many of the older generation stangs. If Ford was able to get someone like me stoked about a car that I never used to even consider owning then I think they are heading in the right direction. I dont really care who built the "Shelby" because its bada$$ either way. I dont think I need to speculate on its performance capability because it is quickly buidling a performance reputation on its own. Could it be better? Sure, It would be great to see an aluminum/composite body, an engine with an aluminum bottom end, Independent rear suspension, and an interior that is overflowing with leather. However, this GT500 is what it is. And its a bada$$ street bruiser with gobs of power and the potential to run 11 second quarter miles with only a grand or two of performance modifications.

Jason

very nicely put, man! and welcome to this site, and to the other side of the automotive world:banana:

 

[1993cobramustan]

SVT Rumblings cont'd.....

Ford can't fix the pricing, it's illegal. I'm also stunned that you think the interior is cheap when compared to previous SVT's...

I' can't seem to find a terminator with a leather dash....

Previous SVT's were a hell of a lot less expensive.....Compare the interior and electronic conveniences to C6 Corvettes, BMW 3 Series.....the list goes on.....The Shelby Interior is dull....dull.....dull....IMHO

Ford can't fix prices, but it certainly can advise and recommend that dealers keep pricing within reason, not to alienate long-time customers...I had a fellow call me from the midwest, his family and friends had bought 100's of cars from a local Ford Dealer....He got screwed on the promised Shelby deal, and decided never to buy at that dealer again....35 years of goodwill down the tubes on one car deal......The Dealers should sell the cars on a lottery basis to their oldest repeat customers at MSRP......IMHO

 

[ON D BIT]

$5k over < $50k over =)

local svt dealer in dec 02 would not sell 03's coupes for less than $7500 over msrp. these cars had been out for seven months already and the the big greedy svt dealer would not come down one dollar from the 7500 over asking price.

this is a big reason i never liked the svt dealer concept. :bored:

 

[Zalec]

A true SVT was not allowed to have an outrageous mark-up or else their rights would've been taken away.

are you forgetting that when the SVT contour first came out, dealers were gettin at best 8k above sticker for them?

 

[Whitten]

I have been paying very close attention to this car in relation to other cars that carrried the same kind of hype as well as past and present market trends. I agree with AC427 about the price starting to come down along with who ever made the statement that cars are just now starting to roll into dealerships.


So here it is for all of us who are desperatlely wanting this car but can't afford to pay over sticker and would rather pay below sticker.

The first cars started rolling in to dealerships mid to late July, these were the 1st 100 or so off the line and were sold to people who were well connected.

Figure this, that means that the first cars were being built back in late May early June and being held for testing and quality checks...slow going as to be expected.

Production kicks into full swing late June and cars wait a period of about a month or so before they even ship which can take a week more in transit time depending on destination. There is a limited number of cars that have been produced up to this point and that is coupled with a part shortage.

These cars built in June are what have carried dealerships and consumers until now, because you have to remember that during the first 2 1/2 weeks of July all production shuts down so that UAW can go on vacation. If you figure that they more than likely came back to work on Monday July 17th of this year that means with the minimum hold time of 4 weeks on the car for quality checks the earliest anyone would see their car that was built in July would be August 17...and that isn't figuring in travel time. Add a week to August 17 and where does that put us?...That puts us into last week which is coincidentally when alot of people started recieving their cars :idea:.

So what does all of this jibba jabba mean? What it means is that the car got off to a slow start since it was just being put into production. Add in the fact that workers hadn't really gotten used to the new car, and all of it's unique processes and that they also went on a two week vacation and you can see the reason for the shortage.

As time progresses, and workers become more comfortable, the time of which they can put the car together will decrease. Coupled with the fact that since production has been steady now for over a month you are going to see a steady stream of these cars arriving in dealerships through out the next couple of months.

So...in essence have patience with this car, with more and more cars arriving and dealers not wanting to deal with the hassel of waiting for a buyer to buy 1 car at 15K over sticker vs. people who will pay 1-5K over sticker you will see prices comming down quite quickly.
I suspect that when it is all said and done everyone that wants a shot at this car for a reasonable price will get it before the end of the year or closely there after.

Just hold on, prices are comming down because there are alot more cars availible.

 

[JETSOLVER]

More than anything, this car goes to show how quickly customer loyalty can be erroded when it is not a priority in the automotive world. It took ten years to build the brand and less than 2 to destroy it. The concept Shelby GT500 SVT COBRA was shown as the replacement car to existing SVT owners. It was descibed as 80% production ready and at "UNDER $40k". What was lost between that show and the final car was the aluminium block, the twin screw blower, the leather interior(now an option), the hood and the integrated rear spoiler. If that is 20% by Fords calculations, it goes to why they have some financial trouble. And they missed the price target. Not by much, but they did. But even more important is the loss of credibility with past owners re the core tennets of the SVT BRAND. The organization was built on the back of an entire experiance, from only letting the best dealers sell these premium products(on average about 30% more expensive than the top of the line plebian model) to knowledgable enthusiasts and letting those people "polish the brand" by driving them at a level for which they were engineered. Most were sold on the idea of a unique concept in American cars, a balanced product in which no one system overshadowed any other. And the worst part is, they made a go of it. They built the best cars FoMoCo ever created and now(direct quote coming up); "Is there a way for SVT to exist in an atmosphere of belt tightening? Apparently in name only. Thai-Tang told SCI that SVT is essentially "ducking and covering," keeping a low-profile as the cost-cutting spreads to every corner of the Ford empire. SVT's offices have been cleared, its staff dispersed to Ford's mainstream departments. Future high-performance wehicles wearing the SVT badge will be developed by Ford's main pool of engineer's, not a dedicated group of car nuts." Even the SVT event trailer has been sold. Any new product will use mostly off the shelf parts, and at that point SVT will be just a badge. The GT500 represents the end of an era. And this as the rest of the market is poised to capture the very same high profit, brand polishing type, educated, enthusiast customer that Ford created the market for.(All the rest, from Audi's S and RS, to NISMO, TRD, Chevy's SS and Dodges SRT,Saturn's Redline, plus others I don't want to type) came to be because Ford benchmarked BMW's "M" cars directly in the development of the SVT COBRA. So yes, the GT500 is the best Mustang ever. But it is definately NOT the best SVT, and as such it leaves the brand with an asterisk beside it(think Barry Bonds) , knowing that we never got what should have been. So if Ford chooses this car to be the "halo" car for the Bold Moves, Way forward, then it is indicative of a future where it's most enthusiastic repeat customers are not a consideration. And for that, they should be ashamed. (quotes from the Sept 06, Sports Car International review of the GT500. Sidebar)

 

[ac427cobra]

It was descibed as 80% production ready and at "UNDER $40k". What was lost between that show and the final car was the aluminium block, the twin screw blower, the leather interior(now an option), the hood and the integrated rear spoiler.

In today's automotive manufacturing World, it was very hard to keep this car under 40k like HTT promised. They didn't miss the mark by that much?

The leather interior is standard BTW. The leather dash is an option however.

So yes, the GT500 is the best Mustang ever. But it is definately NOT the best SVT,

Before anyone says this car is not the best SVT, they really need to drive one! :idea: