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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
Consider this:
1) Gas is 4 bucks a gallon. International turmoil in any of the World's oil rich regions could send oil prices surging again. 2) GM is rumored to be very seriously considering, and perhaps have already made the decision, to offer the Sky's/Solstice's 260HP turbo- four cylinder in a base Camaro. 3) Hyundai's new RWD Genesis coupe offers a 212 HP 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. 4) There's a huge group of young 20-year/young 30-year olds who love sporty 4-cylinder/turbocharged cars. Cars like the VW GTIs, Civics, Eclipses/Talons, Miatas, etc. 5) Ford has now a long history of retro re-dos to keep stoking interest in their ever-popular pony car. I say it's time for Ford to build a new SVO Mustang. Here's the formula I propose: The Road Racing Element Engine -- new EcoBoost four-cylinder. It's rumored to put out 250 HP and 300 lb-ft of torque, in pickup truck form. I suggest a Ford "tuner package" to pump it up to about 270-275. Then offer an over-the-counter Motorsport upgrade package for about 350. Brakes -- steal the GT-500's calipers/rotors. Then add air-dam fed cooling hoses for the front brakes / rear quarter panel scoops/cooling hoses to feed the rear brakes. Shocks/struts - Konis ---- Driveline Driveshaft - Motorsport aluminum Gears - use the Bullitt's 3.73s/Tremec 5-speed --- Interior Seats -- Fronts = Recaros / Rear - deleted, but optional. Gauges -- Boost gauge mounted to window pillar. Tachometer located dead center of the driver. Shifter -- Hurst Interior carpeting/insulation - deleted. Thin rubber matting is standard flooring material. Interior mission - create a "gutted" feeling and use a little carbon fiber trim. ---- Exterior Hood - Carbon-fiber w/"SVO" hood scoop Rear spoiler -- SVO bi-plane Paint -- matte finish (This car should be all business.) ---- The Numbers Price -- the same, or just under, the standard GT Mustang. Production - first year should be a "half year" and only build 1984 of them to commemorate the first year of the SVO Mustang. Then subsequent years build as many as will sell. --- Thoughts...? Patrick |
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
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#4
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
"Gill" > wrote in message
... > wrote: >> >> Shocks/struts - Konis > > I'd go with an IRS, Bilstein coil-overs and maybe a tubular K-member. IRS in a Mustang? Are you nuts? That would spoil the whole retro approach and go against generations of Mustangs. Might as well add automatic parking and slap a Lexus label on it. dwight |
#5
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
dwight wrote:
> "Gill" > wrote in message > ... >> wrote: >>> >>> Shocks/struts - Konis >> >> I'd go with an IRS, Bilstein coil-overs and maybe a tubular K-member. > > IRS in a Mustang? Are you nuts? Well, that's not really up for debate. But you DO know that the 03,04 Cobra's were equipped with IRS? You want a total retro, buy a kit car or something, otherwise paying homage to the marque is just some visual cues on a MODERN chassis. P.S. THEN slap an SVO label on it :] > > That would spoil the whole retro approach and go against generations of > Mustangs. Might as well add automatic parking and slap a Lexus label on it. > > dwight > > -- Tropic Green Y2K Mustang GT W/bits & pieces http://tinyurl.com/2uqoat |
#6
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
"Gill" > wrote in message
. .. > dwight wrote: >> "Gill" > wrote in message >> ... >>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Shocks/struts - Konis >>> >>> I'd go with an IRS, Bilstein coil-overs and maybe a tubular K-member. >> >> IRS in a Mustang? Are you nuts? > Well, that's not really up for debate. > But you DO know that the 03,04 Cobra's were equipped with IRS? > You want a total retro, buy a kit car or something, otherwise paying > homage to the marque is just some visual cues on a MODERN chassis. > > P.S. THEN slap an SVO label on it :] >> >> That would spoil the whole retro approach and go against generations of >> Mustangs. Might as well add automatic parking and slap a Lexus label on >> it. >> >> dwight Sometimes I wonder whether satire is worth the effort... Seems to me that Ford is still building the Mustang as cheaply as possible, within reason. It's important, after all, to keep the selling price down - not in the grocery-getter category, but certainly within reachable limits for possible buyers. IRS at this point is a non-starter for the Mustang. It's selling just fine without it, and adding it wouldn't increase sales appreciably. And I know that "retro" applies only to the body styling. All that aside, I have no problem with a 4-cylinder SVO-style current model. A 4-cylinder engine doesn't have to be boring, but I wonder whether the Mustang is too hefty for this approach. The Focus, even the Fusion, would be a great little car in SVO clothing, and probably more appealing to that market segment. If you're looking to maximize fuel mileage, the Mustang - SVO or otherwise - would be a rather poor choice. dwight |
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
On Jul 19, 1:41 pm, "dwight" > wrote:
> All that aside, I have no problem with a 4-cylinder SVO-style current model. > A 4-cylinder engine doesn't have to be boring, but I wonder whether the > Mustang is too hefty for this approach. The Focus, even the Fusion, would be > a great little car in SVO clothing, and probably more appealing to that > market segment. > If you're looking to maximize fuel mileage, the Mustang - SVO or otherwise - > would be a rather poor choice. Dwight, But here's the thought. A modern SVO/4-cylinder Mustang could help change the minds of a certain market segment who view the Mustang as nothing more than a gas-guzzling muscle machine or a retro V8 dinosaur. I think an SVO model would change the imagine of the Mustang as being "in step with the times" AND help get the young, road racing, 4-cylinder tuner market to consider a Mustang. Patrick |
#8
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
> wrote in message
... > On Jul 19, 1:41 pm, "dwight" > wrote: > >> All that aside, I have no problem with a 4-cylinder SVO-style current >> model. >> A 4-cylinder engine doesn't have to be boring, but I wonder whether the >> Mustang is too hefty for this approach. The Focus, even the Fusion, would >> be >> a great little car in SVO clothing, and probably more appealing to that >> market segment. > >> If you're looking to maximize fuel mileage, the Mustang - SVO or >> otherwise - >> would be a rather poor choice. > > Dwight, > > But here's the thought. A modern SVO/4-cylinder Mustang could help > change the minds of a certain market segment who view the Mustang as > nothing more than a gas-guzzling muscle machine or a retro V8 > dinosaur. I think an SVO model would change the imagine of the > Mustang as being "in step with the times" AND help get the young, road > racing, 4-cylinder tuner market to consider a Mustang. > > Patrick That may be true, but probably not in sufficient numbers to make it worthwhile. I just don't think that the Mustang is the vehicle for this approach, precisely because it was designed to be the polar opposite. If the idea is to deliver high fuel efficiency together with high performance, while at the same time attracting the tuner crowd... then it seems that you want that silk purse from a sow's ear here. In that brave new world, the Mustang really IS a dinosaur. I think the SVT folks did a pretty nice job with the Contour (but they should also have offered something other than a manual shifter). If they could do a similar makeover with the Focus, while aiming for 35mpg, eye-opening performance, and a retail price under $25,000, they'd have a winner. A small-market-segment winner, but still a winner for today and going forward. Put your 4-cylinder in a Mustang, along with all of the other SVO goodies, and how many copies would you realistically expect to sell? dwight |
#9
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
dwight wrote:
> > wrote in message > ... >> On Jul 19, 1:41 pm, "dwight" > wrote: >> >>> All that aside, I have no problem with a 4-cylinder SVO-style current >>> model. >>> A 4-cylinder engine doesn't have to be boring, but I wonder whether the >>> Mustang is too hefty for this approach. The Focus, even the Fusion, >>> would be >>> a great little car in SVO clothing, and probably more appealing to that >>> market segment. >> >>> If you're looking to maximize fuel mileage, the Mustang - SVO or >>> otherwise - >>> would be a rather poor choice. >> >> Dwight, >> >> But here's the thought. A modern SVO/4-cylinder Mustang could help >> change the minds of a certain market segment who view the Mustang as >> nothing more than a gas-guzzling muscle machine or a retro V8 >> dinosaur. I think an SVO model would change the imagine of the >> Mustang as being "in step with the times" AND help get the young, road >> racing, 4-cylinder tuner market to consider a Mustang. >> >> Patrick > > That may be true, but probably not in sufficient numbers to make it > worthwhile. I just don't think that the Mustang is the vehicle for this > approach, precisely because it was designed to be the polar opposite. I think you are right. The higher performance Mustangs are seldom bought by the youth crowd. The insurance rates and car prices combined prevent it for all but a very few people. They buy the rice rockets because they can be insured reasonable and purchased for well under $20k. IMO, the current Mustang is the ideal car for its intended market and purpose. If Ford goes after the youth crowd they will have to do it with the base model but even then I don't think they will find many buyers there. Then doing so will likely lose them more middle aged and over buyers thus resulting in a net loss in sales. > If the idea is to deliver high fuel efficiency together with high > performance, while at the same time attracting the tuner crowd... then > it seems that you want that silk purse from a sow's ear here. In that > brave new world, the Mustang really IS a dinosaur. > > I think the SVT folks did a pretty nice job with the Contour (but they > should also have offered something other than a manual shifter). If they > could do a similar makeover with the Focus, while aiming for 35mpg, > eye-opening performance, and a retail price under $25,000, they'd have a > winner. A small-market-segment winner, but still a winner for today and > going forward. Ford had a good moniker in the SVT name plate they tacked onto performance variants of their mundane cars. It also actually meant something regarding improved performance. Then like Ford typically does, they flushed all their hard marketing work creating the SVT mystic right down the toilet. > Put your 4-cylinder in a Mustang, along with all of the other SVO > goodies, and how many copies would you realistically expect to sell? I think Ford needs to put the Mustang on a serious weight diet and shrink its dimensions a little. Losing weight helps mileage and gives a great handling, stopping and acceleration boost. It would turn the base Mustang into a competitor with many imports, IMO. |
#10
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It's Time to Revive The SVO Mustang!
dwight wrote: > > wrote in message > ... >> On Jul 19, 1:41 pm, "dwight" > wrote: >> >>> All that aside, I have no problem with a 4-cylinder SVO-style >>> current model. >>> A 4-cylinder engine doesn't have to be boring, but I wonder >>> whether the Mustang is too hefty for this approach. The Focus, >>> even the Fusion, would be >>> a great little car in SVO clothing, and probably more appealing >>> to that market segment. >> >>> If you're looking to maximize fuel mileage, the Mustang - SVO or >>> otherwise - >>> would be a rather poor choice. >> >> Dwight, >> >> But here's the thought. A modern SVO/4-cylinder Mustang could help >> change the minds of a certain market segment who view the Mustang >> as nothing more than a gas-guzzling muscle machine or a retro V8 >> dinosaur. I think an SVO model would change the imagine of the >> Mustang as being "in step with the times" AND help get the young, >> road racing, 4-cylinder tuner market to consider a Mustang. >> >> Patrick > > That may be true, but probably not in sufficient numbers to make it > worthwhile. I just don't think that the Mustang is the vehicle for > this approach, precisely because it was designed to be the polar > opposite. > If the idea is to deliver high fuel efficiency together with high > performance, while at the same time attracting the tuner crowd... > then it seems that you want that silk purse from a sow's ear here. > In that brave new world, the Mustang really IS a dinosaur. > > I think the SVT folks did a pretty nice job with the Contour (but > they should also have offered something other than a manual > shifter). If they could do a similar makeover with the Focus, while > aiming for 35mpg, eye-opening performance, and a retail price under > $25,000, they'd have a winner. A small-market-segment winner, but > still a winner for today and going forward. > > Put your 4-cylinder in a Mustang, along with all of the other SVO > goodies, and how many copies would you realistically expect to sell? > > dwight Bring back the 2004-style Mustang as vehicle for the aero and engine improvements and you'll have a better chance of making a compromise product with decent economy/performance and sales prospects, my view. Much as I like my S197, it's too much like me (overweight and the wrong shape) to prosper in a reduced fossil-dependence world. -- Frank ess Forecasting is difficult. Particularly about the Future. -Deepak Gupta |
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