Some food for thought about SVT being shutdown..

[saleenster]

brought to us from Jan,

Gosh, you'd think that the world is coming to an end...I remember when they killed the SVO Mustang, and I figured that there would be no hard core performance Mustang ever again, and I OWNED an SVO...I ended up with a Saleen a few years later. It was sort of an SVO, with a V8. (That the SVO never ran right, and spent 8 months of its 12 months of ownership shop bound with various problems, which sort of kept me away from Fords for a couple of years)

As for the Truck, well, you can just survive with out the Lightening, and perhaps live with a Dodge with the V10, and the 6 speed, or the automatic version. Besides, they handle better than the Lightening...

You don't have to gut your Cobra to make it hard core. You may one day want to recoup your investment at some time. I built a full race Mustang, and it still had A/C, power windows and the heater. Nobody wants to buy a cut up car.

In any case, if they feel that there is a market, they will build what they can sell. Also, by the time that you graduate, you may have an entirely different idea as to what you might want to drive. There are quite a few really great cars out there. Think of it as evolution.

I even bought a Porsche 911 Carerra, once. Kept it for 18 months. My best friends could not believe it. Neither could I, and I sold it to buy the Renault once I figured out how to get one into the country.

Look, if Ford was really serious, they would bring the WRC Focus here. The problem is that an AWD Focus, with over 280 HP would be FASTER than a Cobra Mustang...Oh, and they probably couldn't build enough of them to satisfy the demand. In fact, Mitsubishi and Subaru can't fulfill the demand for the STi and EVO as it is. Having a Focus rallye car would be just fine with me. In fact, I would buy one.

The Ford management are not fools. GM and Daimler Chrysler are all bringing out more performance models. Ford made a big mistake with the 500, especially considering that Chrysler, with the 300C is really pushing Livery/Taxi and Special Duty Police cars, sending the Crown Vic and the Town Car to the scrap heap. Hopefully, we will start to see modern, rear wheel drive, independent suspension high performance sedans and coupes from Ford in the next couple of years.

 

[saleenster]

and,


The idea of an N/A 400 HP Cobra is fine with me. Blowers just add weight, and no amount of blower HP is worth the same N/A HP, especially when it comes to throttle response. See, Ford is learning from GM and the still relevant Small Block, now grown to 7 liters, and 500 HP, with an ALMS championship (beating Saleen's S7, and the Ferraris).

I don't care who does the high performance Mustangs, or dumb blower trucks. Just as long as there is a good performance car that is available.

It is not as though you were going out to buy a new Lightening or Cobra anyway.

Now, if Shelby is given a contract to develop some cars, how is that different than contracting Saleen to build the GT? Shelby is not just that old geezer with the borrowed heart and kidney, Shelby is a company that does specialty construction and development. Ford has entered into similar development projects with Saleen over the years. For them to do something outside with Shelby is nothing new. Remember, Shelby gets a couple of bucks for every car badged "Cobra". This is quite an old agreement. It made Shelby, the old man, rich.

SVT will still exist under some other name, just as SVO was replaced by SVT. Coletti was a good guy, but not the only guy there. There were lots of project managers and engineers that did the hard work. I am sure that Coletti will resurface somewhere. Probably at GM or Daimler Chrysler, but you didn't hear that from me. If you really want to know, I can ask around...

See, there is still FRPP, and that is the key to a hot Mustang. You can still build one yourself, or we can hope that Saleen might see this as an opportunity and offer the IRS, 5 liter DOHC, 400 HP, big brake Mustang that we have always wanted. Hell, if they did that, I would even buy one.

I understand opinions, but really...It is not as though you had your heart set on a new Lightening or Cobra this spring...Wait a couple of months. The Z06 is coming, as is the 400 HP GTO and the 500 HP 7 liter Cad V.

Ford will catch up. Don't you worry.

 

[Rootus]

Not much to worry about, all of the rumors about SVT going away have been disproven. They're still in business.

And to add some info to that post ... the Cobra from 94-99 was not made by SVT anyway, it was just a badge.

Dave

 

[Darkness]

They should bring Cosworth into the equation instead of Saleen, Roush, etc...
Cosworth has given more victories to Ford than all of these companies and subsidiaries combined.

 

[SLIGHTLY_INSANE]

They should bring Cosworth into the equation instead of Saleen, Roush, etc...
Cosworth has given more victories to Ford than all of these companies and subsidiaries combined.

mmm cosworth yum
H&R's cosie http://www.hrsprings.com/site/projects/cosworth/body.html

 

[89MustangGX]

This page has some good info on history on Ford's multiple Special Teams as well as how they developed and progressed.

http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/history_svt.htm

 

[SVTdriver]

They should bring Cosworth into the equation instead of Saleen, Roush, etc...
Cosworth has given more victories to Ford than all of these companies and subsidiaries combined.

That would be cool. But I thought I heard Ford was selling whatever stake it had in cosworth.

 

[gospeedgo]

That would be cool. But I thought I heard Ford was selling whatever stake it had in cosworth.

Taken from http://www.racingone.com/article.asp?artnum=21112

Ford Motor Company and Cosworth announced today that Cosworth has been purchased by Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, co-owners of the Champ Car World Series and heads of the PKV and Forsythe Championship Racing Champ Car teams, respectively.

..........We also intend to continue working with automotive manufacturers around the world on an even more expansive basis than Cosworth has in the past."

 

[tarch]

i think svt will stay

 

[fast99cobra]

the Cobra from 94-99 was not made by SVT anyway, it was just a badge.

Dave

Hmmm?

 

[Ethereal Zer0]

the Cobra from 94-99 was not made by SVT anyway, it was just a badge.

Dave

Hmmm?

Was thinking the same thing lol, Dave is more or less a half psychotic genius but i've never heard that one either

 

[Rootus]

Was thinking the same thing lol, Dave is more or less a half psychotic genius but i've never heard that one either

Yes, it's true. The 1993 Cobra was designed by SVT. The 1994-1999 Cobras were designed by Team Mustang, and SVT was just for marketing. In 2001 SVT took over engineering for the Cobra again, and still has it.

Dave

 

[Shangsta]

^IT was still built by svt though. I know this b/c on my engine there is a sticker saying it was hand built by RMP and sully( cant really make out that one by his signiture)

 

[Rootus]

^IT was still built by svt though. I know this b/c on my engine there is a sticker saying it was hand built by RMP and sully( cant really make out that one by his signiture)

What you have is a sticker that says SVT, which has as much meaning as the emblem on the back of the car that says SVT. Welcome to marketing. Your engine was built on the Romeo Niche Line, which builds engines "by hand" for more than just SVT vehicles ("by hand" in quotes because what they do just barely qualifies IMO...)

Dave

 

[WaterPog]

I was under the impression that it was just the '96-'98 cars that were team mustang and that the '99 was back to SVT, not that it really matters though. I do remember the big hullabaloo in '96 that SVT wasn't going to be involved with the car anymore.

 

[Rootus]

I was under the impression that it was just the '96-'98 cars that were team mustang and that the '99 was back to SVT, not that it really matters though. I do remember the big hullabaloo in '96 that SVT wasn't going to be involved with the car anymore.

I believe it was the fiasco in 1999 that caused the 2001 Cobra to go back to SVT control. There was an upside to having Team Mustang do the Cobra -- it was always released simultaneously with the V6 and GT. When SVT has control of it, they have to wait a year or so after Team Mustang releases the "regular" Mustangs for production before they come out with their enhancements. Makes perfect sense, but I do wish I didn't have to wait until 2006 to see what's next...

Dave

 

[fast99cobra]

Your original statement that it was just a badge came across as very missinformed. It is a badge, and a dual cam motor, and indendent rear suspension, and heavy duty springs, and increased brakes, and much better performance , and higher resale.
I see lots of people put svt badges on non svt cars, but they are in no way near the same league. I didnt realize any of the SVT cars were made anywhere other than the Dearborne plant. Just my $.02

 

[909]

The idea of an N/A 400 HP Cobra is fine with me. Blowers just add weight, and no amount of blower HP is worth the same N/A HP, especially when it comes to throttle response.

Whatever. I guess this is why John Force makes all of his motors N/A. Blowers RULE!

 

[The Factor]

Whatever. I guess this is why John Force makes all of his motors N/A. Blowers RULE!

Ditto Nothing like a whine of a supercharger when its pinning you to the seat.

 

[Rootus]

Your original statement that it was just a badge came across as very missinformed.

Go read my post again. And again, and again until you actually understand what I said. Nowhere did I say that a Cobra was just a badge. I said that the SVT badge was just a badge, and that SVT had nothing to do with the engineering of the car.

Dave