2017 GT350 - To be, or not to be... That is the ?

[Twin Turbo]

There is one concern I have...

Should Ford really switch to a boosted V6 to power the GT500, the diehard V8 club would likely shift to a Hellcat or the Camaro... The only Ford v8 Mustang option would be the 350 and sells would be necessary then.

Me too.

I'd welcome a boosted V6 to the Mustang family (whether that by a 2.7 to become the new midrange offering........or even the 3.5, although that'd be very close to the current Coyote power and torque, so a little too close for comfort)...........but the V8 HAS to live on.......ideally into the 7th gen Mustang. A supercharged Coyote or Voodoo CPC would do nicely. I'd happily have such a car (likely the GT500 or Mach 1) on sale at the same time as the GT350, just as we had both Boss 302 and GT500 towards the end of the S197's life

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[mattlqx]

There is one concern I have...

Should Ford really switch to a boosted V6 to power the GT500, the diehard V8 club would likely shift to a Hellcat or the Camaro... The only Ford v8 Mustang option would be the 350 and sells would be necessary then.

It's not going to just affect Ford. It's going to be an industry shift like how we've seen high-end luxury cars ditch V10s and V12s in favor of forced induction V8s and turbocharged 4s displacing NA V6s. It will all meet in the middle to push the NA V8s out in the end.

Whomever the last holdout will be doesn't matter, the NA V8 will be a thing of the past eventually, it's just a matter of when.

 

[Blk2015GT]

It's not going to just affect Ford. It's going to be an industry shift like how we've seen high-end luxury cars ditch V10s and V12s in favor of forced induction V8s and turbocharged 4s displacing NA V6s. It will all meet in the middle to push the NA V8s out in the end.

Whomever the last holdout will be doesn't matter, the NA V8 will be a thing of the past eventually, it's just a matter of when.

Tis true.

With the new standards coming in just 10 years it's going to very hard to keep a V8 in the lineup.

I wouldn't be against a twin tubro/SC V6 like the Ford GT has if it produces good power. The GT even sounds good for being a V6.

You may actually get a more powerful Mustang GT without a V8. There's only so high a NA V8 can go (factory built not aftermarket built for $10-20k) and stay within average consumer affordability.

 

[Twin Turbo]

Time for Ford to start working on a 4.0 to 4.7 Twin Turbo (in the vee) V8 then. Even if it means the V8 is only available in "speciality" Mustangs, then so be it.

Let the GT become an Ecoboost V6.........make the GT500/Mach1/Halo-Stang a Ecoboost V8.

 

[nastang87xx]

I wouldn't be surprised if the next gen Halo Mustang was a 2nd Gen 3.5L Ecoboost. It's just the way Ford is moving. I also wouldn't be surprised though if the next Halo Mustang was a V8 because it's a traditional car platform and there's a statement to be had. Innovation can still be hand with a classic formula, just different thinking (ala GT350 for example, front V8 engine, rear wheel drive). They have the GT again to show off extreme and radical thinking like putting a V6 in a $400,000+ supercar that weighs supposedly under 3000lbs (Raj Nair said it, not me... )

 

[GT-keith]

I agree with the 'in the "V"' configuration. A hot-v configuration will kill turbo lag.

 

[DrumReaper]

Time for Ford to start working on a 4.0 to 4.7 Twin Turbo (in the vee) V8 then. Even if it means the V8 is only available in "speciality" Mustangs, then so be it.

Let the GT become an Ecoboost V6.........make the GT500/Mach1/Halo-Stang a Ecoboost V8.

Agreed... I mentioned this some time ago and people hacked me for it. It's very possible to have a HiPo Stang with a 4.0-4.2L v8 w/ TT+DI+VVT technology obtaining 28-30mpg. People wanna hate for this concept but Audi has done it... Why can't Ford?

 

[Derk]

Agreed... I mentioned this some time ago and people hacked me for it. It's very possible to have a HiPo Stang with a 4.0-4.2L v8 w/ TT+DI+VVT technology obtaining 28-30mpg. People wanna hate for this concept but Audi has done it... Why can't Ford?

I really wish we could cut the size of the car down.

 

[Tony Alonso]

I wouldn't even have to say they would have to be profitable if they were doing like a batch of 200 or 300 of a special car, as long as they weren't losing a lot of money. But 99.9% of the time yes, they have to be profitable.

Ford might have operated like that with Mustang at some point in the past, but every Ford person I have talked to about special edition cars since the '01 Bullitt had business cases that showed profit. The '00 Cobra R was a low volume model, but it's price was up there. That likely was to amortize costs and make money, as opposed to showing a loss.

But, weren't all 4v Cobra motors hand assembled through atleast 2004? So, hand assembly isn't too much of an issue as they mad a couple thousand of those every year.

Yes, they were. If we are lucky, we might get above the 5500 volume that was referenced in an SAE article. Whether or not that is an artificial limit or there is some other constraint, hard to say at this point.

 

[ohtobbad]

That is what I recall as well so lots of new high performance vehicle coming out from Ford in the next 4 years and it will be interesting how these new performance vehicles impact the production of the present GT350 during that same time?

BTW, any word on your R model?

:shrug:

Yes its built and waiting for shipping, looks like
Dec 12-18 for arrival. Getting garage ready now.
Got the new Shelby poster today.
Feel like Christmas when I was 10

 

[Twin Turbo]

Agreed... I mentioned this some time ago and people hacked me for it. It's very possible to have a HiPo Stang with a 4.0-4.2L v8 w/ TT+DI+VVT technology obtaining 28-30mpg. People wanna hate for this concept but Audi has done it... Why can't Ford?

Absolutely!

Ford have proven they can produce an "exotic" flat plane crank, normally aspirated V8, so they are more than capable of producing a smaller capacity TT V8

And in order to keep up with the CAFE regs (as someone is bound to mention).....fit a 2 litre 4-cylinder to the range. Hopefully it'll sell a tonne and would negate any impact of a "thirsty" TT V8.......

 

[Trackaholic]

Agreed... I mentioned this some time ago and people hacked me for it. It's very possible to have a HiPo Stang with a 4.0-4.2L v8 w/ TT+DI+VVT technology obtaining 28-30mpg. People wanna hate for this concept but Audi has done it... Why can't Ford?

The idea seems great, but which Audi are you thinking of? I just looked at the S6, and it makes 450 HP and gets 18/27 MPG. The economy is definitely better than the GT, but the power isn't enough for a HI-PO version. I'd expect the economy numbers to drop a little bit if the boost was cranked up to hit higher power numbers, but maybe not. In any case, maybe putting two EB 2.0 or even 2.3 engines together for a FPC 4.0 to 4.6 TT V8 would be cool. Seems like your need the 2.3's to get close to the 650 HP needed to compete with an LT4 powered Camaro.

-T

 

[DrumReaper]

The idea seems great, but which Audi are you thinking of? I just looked at the S6, and it makes 450 HP and gets 18/27 MPG. The economy is definitely better than the GT, but the power isn't enough for a HI-PO version. I'd expect the economy numbers to drop a little bit if the boost was cranked up to hit higher power numbers, but maybe not. In any case, maybe putting two EB 2.0 or even 2.3 engines together for a FPC 4.0 to 4.6 TT V8 would be cool. Seems like your need the 2.3's to get close to the 650 HP needed to compete with an LT4 powered Camaro.

-T

FPCs traditionally don't get great mileage...

The Audi A8 v8 is rated at 450hp and the car weighs over 4500lbs but gets 19/30mpg. If the Mustang shaved 200-300lbs and wet-weighted to 3550-3600, Ford could implement a v8 as such, get a little more radical on the cams and easily punch out 500+hp and there's your rocket.

 

[PP0001]

Yes its built and waiting for shipping, looks like
Dec 12-18 for arrival. Getting garage ready now.
Got the new Shelby poster today.
Feel like Christmas when I was 10

Outstanding news Trevor!

I suggest that you may be one of the very first Canucks to receive an R model in the Great White North.

Keep us all posted and can't wait to hear the good news as to when it arrives?

:cheers:

 

[ohtobbad]

Outstanding news Trevor!

I suggest that you may be one of the very first Canucks to receive an R model in the Great White North.

Keep us all posted and can't wait to hear the good news as to when it arrives?

:cheers:

As of today, no update on shipping, but still showing, due to arrive Dec 12-18
I can't wait.

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