SVT Mustang?

[RangerGT]

I saw this on The Car Connection:

All Ford Dealers to Get SVTs When Shelby Goes on Sale

When Ford rolls out its high-powered Shelby GT500 this summer, it will, for the first time, let all of its 3777 U.S, Ford Division dealers sell all vehicles badged as Special Vehicle Team (SVT) cars. In disclosing the change in a dealer-wide e-mail last week, Ford scrapped a process of limiting SVT vehicle sales to selected dealers. Only about 600 Ford dealers were franchised to sell all three SVT vehicles - Focus, Mustang, and the F-150 Lightning. Another 700 were certified for the Focus SVT alone.

The Mustang is the only survivor of the first SVT group. The Focus was discontinued in 2004, and plans to replace the Lightning with the Sport Trac Adrenalin were canceled as part of Ford's new "Way Forward" turnaround plan. A total of 144,994 SVT vehicles have been sold since the SVT program began in 1992.

Ford has not identified what additional products could be added to the SVT portfolio, beyond the Mustang and the Shelby GT500. Approximately 7200 SVT Mustangs have been sold each model year. "This will further strengthen the Ford brand by enabling us to drive more showroom traffic," said Darryl Hazel, president of Ford's customer service division. -Mac Gordon


So is there still supposed to be a SVT Mustang besides their development work on the Shelby?

[Oz98Cobra]

...
So is there still supposed to be a SVT Mustang besides their development work on the Shelby?

No - the Shelby won't even carry an SVT badge.

According to Autoweek this week, SVT is still alive - just - but with almost no staff other than a director, and there are no new vehicles currently under development. SVTOA is also being morphed into something new on July 1st. Despite someone in Ford saying that there is equity in the SVT brand and they intend to use it, Autoweek writer didn't express much hope that the brand will continue - and from a marketing point of view, once you have lost momentum with a brand, most of that equity goes out the window.

[RangerGT]

Yeah, I saw on the SVTOA site where it appears to be changing to a Ford Performance Club and they are extending memberships during the interim....

[sdean]

I talked to Bob Tomes at Bob Tomes Ford and he showed me that there were 7,000 planned units of the Shelby GT500 and according to what he showed me that the only dealers getting the cars were the dealers who were certified SVT dealers and those who could show SVT trained mechanics and who would pay the fee to be enrolled to get the car..interesting

[Bowtie Killer]

site where it appears to be changing to a Ford Performance Club


Gee, where have I heard that name before, DARON:speechles

[Oz98Cobra]

Gee, where have I heard that name before, DARON:speechles

Who me? :paranoid: must have been ESP? ;)

[Venix]

R.I.P. SVT:sleeping:

[JKD]

From what I understand Sam Pack (local dealerships owner) is suppose to be getting four of them and he will be keeping allof them. None of them will be for sale at any point. I know that he is a big car collector which is fine, but hogging four of them? Some things just arent right.



Steve

[burlesonsnake]

From what I understand Sam Pack ............... None of them will be for sale at any point. I know that he is a big car collector which is fine, but hogging four of them? Some things just arent right.



Steve

Having gobs of money allows you to do whatever in hell you want and everybody else can go to.......:mad:

[sdean]

I think some are betting on the collectable potential of these cars..Since they carry the Shelby name...when Carol Shelby dies the car could be an instant big investment...and worth a whole lot more

[Bowtie Killer]

These cars won't be the cars of the 60's. While I do like the look of the cars, he is not building these cars, Ford is just putting his name on it. Have the Cobra R's held thier Value? I know when they came out poeple where paying 85,000 plus for some of them. IMO, The R was more of the old way, Shelby did things, Only what you need to go fast and handle. While the new car is VERY cool, I'm like some of the others, I'll take a Foose Stang please. He did what Shelby did in the 60's, take a stock car and make it look mean, sound mean and go like hell. I feel Ford should have just left the new Cobra an SVT.

[Oz98Cobra]

These cars won't be the cars of the 60's. While I do like the look of the cars, he is not building these cars, Ford is just putting his name on it. Have the Cobra R's held thier Value? I know when they came out poeple where paying 85,000 plus for some of them. IMO, The R was more of the old way, Shelby did things, Only what you need to go fast and handle. While the new car is VERY cool, I'm like some of the others, I'll take a Foose Stang please. He did what Shelby did in the 60's, take a stock car and make it look mean, sound mean and go like hell. I feel Ford should have just left the new Cobra an SVT.

Amen to that!

No doubt when these things ship there will be plenty of greed on one side - the Ford dealers ripping it into their customers - and all sorts of "more money than sense" on the other side - dumbass wealthy customers who just have to have one of the first.

I agree with Micheal - it's just a freakin Mustang people - a sheep in wolf's clothing. Yes they will be somewhat collectible, but ultimately no more than our SVTs, and perhaps less - and in fact, if Ford delivers on it's promise that after the first year it "will build as many GT500s as people want to buy" - then that will really dilute the collectibility. Another factor that is going to erode it's "uniqueness" is that there are other Mustangs being built with a Shelby badge - and one could argue that they are closer to REAL Shelbys than the Ford product since they are being produced by Shelby Automotive. These will certainly be the last "Shelbys" released if Carrol kicks the bucket, not the Ford product?

The collector car market is a hoax anyway - look at the crazy prices some people are paying today for what was just pretty ordinary stuff when it was around in the 60s - 10 years ago, who would have predicted that this was the way the market was going to go - where a hemi Cuda with an unknown history but a new coat of paint and chrome would outsell an original 60s Shelby Cobra by more than 3 or 3 times the price! Original 60s Shelby Mustangs are not even close to the top of the price scale of collectible 60s muscle cars right now, and people are paying more for a blingy movie car replica made from a rusted out chopped up 6 banger fastback, bolt on parts, and a body kit, than they are for the real thing!

Think about it - in 30 years time, what is likely to be the real valuable collectible modern Mustangs? 07/08 "Shelby" branded Fords that were produced in quantity and stashed away undriven in the hundreds by dumbasses with more money than sense who thought they had invested in something special - I think not. Perhaps a Foose Mustang - in 20-30 years time, he will be so much more of a legend and household name to the generation of kids now growing up watching him on Overhaulin than Carroll ever was to us old farts - and he will probably still be around to sign your dash as well! Or maybe one of the Cobra R SVTs - certainly exclusive - only hundreds produced, and a whole lot less that haven't been raced - and they certainly have a real performance pedigree. Compare these Cobra Rs to a an original Shelby GT350R or some of the GM CoPo cars from the 60s that are now extremely sought after and fetching huge money for a good example. What about the mystics - I bet if you owned one of these with perfect orginal paint in 30 years time it would fetch a pretty penny on the auction blocks? But you know, if history is a guide, the big money maker in 30 years time is probably going to be something as mundane to us now as a 2000 Bullitt, they might not have cost a lot new, but finding a good original low miles example in 30 years is not going to be easy! What's worse is that at Barrett Jackson in 2031, no original Mustang will sell for anywhere near as much that 99 Taurus restomod with Digital Hydraulic Suspension, and the 2028 Ford Racing Dilithium Trioxide big block fuel cell crate motor making 1500HP! :grin:

So if you want a collectible Mustang for an investment, buy a Foose - if you want a fun modern muscle car, wait for the hoopla to die down over the 07 GT500 and buy one in 2008.... or just buy another Foose ;)