Anyone care that a gt500 is coming?

In the end you’ll never have the most modern, fastest, lightest etc etc car on the market. I’m assuming the GT500 will be in the high 70s to low 80s, that would push me over into looking at a Viper.

I think it will be a great car but there are other cars I’d look at in that price range.

My number one concern and curiosity is how the GT500 does on the road course in 100F heat.

stanglife said:

The only problem I've always had is that it SOUNDS like it has 1000hp - and I imagine POs for a mile radius looking around every time I get on it. ;) I think the 500 is going to rip - but will be even MORE limited as to where you can use it.

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Funny you mention it.... I had a long layover in Tampa and I heard the distinctive sound of a 350 letting loose, and you were the first person I thought of.

HizliBullet said:

Im reading these comments about how people at emotionally tied to their car..but when the new ones out, half of them will switch I guarantee it... we saw this happen at the end of 2014

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True in many regards, but Ford has not produced a mustang this special in decades. What other Mustang has had Porsche, BMW, and exotic car owners buying a measly Ford product?

And the GT350R has received high accolades from numerous credentialed car reviewers, with just about all of them picking the GT350R over cars that may be faster or worth $100K's more. Some were so impressed by it that they proclaimed they were going to personally buy one. The GT350/R is truly a compelling car car with the flat plane crank, one-off aggressive looks, and impressive/surprising track presence. On top of that, it's an incredible drivers car that delivers the intangibles that aren't easily obtained that everyone wants (look at the new M3 and how it falls flat for example). I also believe the carbon-fiber wheels on the R are something special that has yet to be replicated on cars anywhere near this price range.

Am I excited about the new GT500? Yep. Any plans on getting rid of my R for one? Nope. The GT500 I get will be the wifes car since it will have an automatic.

The 350/R normally aspirated FPC motor as well as overall chassis capabilities is what drove many to the model (and from some well respected marques). As the last of the high displacement, high revving N/As it already has its place in automotive history. As for the GT500, is completely insane (in a good way) and while not my cup of tea, you have to completely respect what Ford (and Chevy with the 1LE) are doing for automotive enthusiasm. Can't wait to see the final product!

Tomster said:

Funny you mention it.... I had a long layover in Tampa and I heard the distinctive sound of a 350 letting loose, and you were the first person I thought of.

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I HAVE been driving it a lot the last couple weeks . IM me next time you’re in town.

Robertscz said:

I'm reading the thread in the 500 board and it almost seems as some are laughing and looking forward to a price drop in the 350... Of course non of the people that are making such comments own a 350 so it's almost like they are saying crap to make themselves feel better? I for one don't care what the 500 brings, it will not be worth the $60k markup over my 350 and I absolutely LOVE everything about the 350... Is anyone looking forward to actually selling the 350 to get into a 500? Or do we all understand the special characteristics of our cars that will probably never be recreated?

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WHoopty F'ing DOO!

stanglife said:

I HAVE been driving it a lot the last couple weeks

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Lucky! Mine has been in the garage since Dec 26th...and that was just a quick 1/2hr jaunt so my Dad could drive it while he was in town. :tsk::tsk::tsk:

We have a nice gated lot at work and I usually park way in the back. December, I won a raffle that gave me the closest, protected, covered spot in the company - so December, it saw some miles! 6500 currently.

I'll trade a few months of driving for your roads, though. They are smooth here but all of the streets are straight with no great driving areas unless you count on/off ramps.

stanglife said:

I HAVE been driving it a lot the last couple weeks . IM me next time you’re in town.

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All day Friday the 26th. They usually put us up downtown, but since there is dome kind of pirate festival or something gong on, they have us at the airport.

I just hope it causes enough people to want to sell their gt350's so that I can better afford one in the next year or two. It may sound like automotive purist drivel, but there's something appealing and unreplaceable about an NA high revving flat plane crank v8.

Even if the gt500 has the same engine, just supercharged and higher performance numbers. It will have lost something in my mind. The gt350 exhaust note and engine melody (yes I used the term melody for the engine) is I think as good as we will ever hear a domestic v8 sound.

Portalgun said:

I just hope it causes enough people to want to sell their gt350's so that I can better afford one in the next year or two. It may sound like automotive purist drivel, but there's something appealing and unreplaceable about an NA high revving flat plane crank v8.

Even if the gt500 has the same engine, just supercharged and higher performance numbers. It will have lost something in my mind. The gt350 exhaust note and engine melody (yes I used the term melody for the engine) is I think as good as we will ever hear a domestic v8 sound.

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its not the same engine.

Zitrosounds said:

its not the same engine.

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Even makes me want the gt350 more then! thanks for pointing that out to me.

Some of us older guys on our forum had the opportunity to grow up in Muscle Car era of the 60's and early 70's and during that great time we were able to see and experience the GT350 and GT500 cars from that era and during that time created some very strong and lasting impressions.

During those early years I developed a very strong passion and interest for the small block 1965 to 1967 GT350's and once Ford took complete control away from Carroll and his team in LAX starting with the 1968MY I lost interest in the 3 remaining model years.

When the first big block GT500 came out in 1967 with two 4 barrel carburetors and a Police Interceptor engine it was a pretty cool car but nothing more than a boulevard cruiser and for me could not hold a candle to the small block GT350 cars especially the 1965 GT350 which has to be my favorite car of all time therefore never became a big fan of the GT500 cars.

Again when the GT500 reappeared in 2007 I waited a year and purchased a 2008 convertible and then in 2009 I purchased a coupe and a convertible. I enjoyed each of those cars but can honestly say that they were really nothing special unlike the feeling that I get from driving a Boss 302 and now the GT350/R cars.

Within the last year I have driven supercharged Petty Mustangs along with experiences in a 900 HP Hellcat and a brand new Camaro ZL1 after which time they all really reminded me just how much I still enjoy a NA small block Mustang compared to supercharged HP vehicles.

It is interesting to note at least for the car guys that I hang with that most of us bought some of the new generation GT500 and Boss 302 cars when they first came out. With that being the case I cannot think of any of my car buddies that still own a GT500 but with many of them still owning their Boss 302 cars which indicates to me that we look at each of these cars in a similar light.

Those lasting impressions of the small block GT350's from '65 to '67 carried me right through to todays GT350/GT350R's and I have a very similar passion and feeling for these new Shelby's just as I had for the first generation Shelby's.

Like many of you I am also waiting patiently as to what the new GT500 will bring us within the next year but can honestly say that I have absolutely no interest in the new GT500 and am more than happy with my NA Boss 302 and GT350/GT350R's as they still continue to bring a big smile to my face each day of the year.

Having said that I wish Ford nothing but great success with the new GT500 and hope that all interested parties have an outstanding time with their new rides.

:ford:

Interesting direction this thread's going as far as performance cars vs. mainstream. The mainstream is going self-driving electric over the next 30 years or so. That future looks like this to me:

- electric cars everywhere
- no gas stations
- autonomous vehicles with no driver intervention
- possible laws that make it illegal to operate a vehicle manually within city limits

From a user standpoint, there's a lot to like. People won't own cars at all. If you want to go somewhere, you summon one, it picks you up and drops you off. It's a transportation-as-a-service model. Cars as we know them today will have very limited uses, and owning one means you're an antique collector.

This leaves companies like Ford with a dilemma. If they move too quickly, their "base" will abandon them for other brands. If they move too slowly, they'll be stuck with a loyal base that will gradually stop buying cars.

The question for TODAY for Ford is not "can we cut funding and staff in FP so we can fund electrification and automation?", it's "how does FP create a category of electric performance vehicles that will give us the market share we need to lead the mainstream market?"

That's relevant to today's situation - if someone who owns an M4 is going to buy an SUV, they'll buy an X5 or maybe a Cayenne. If they just traded up to a GT350, they'll probably buy an Explorer, or maybe an F150. If Ford wants to keep taking market share away from BMW and others, they need FP. Without it, they have nothing.

stanglife said:

The only problem I've always had is that it SOUNDS like it has 1000hp - and I imagine POs for a mile radius looking around every time I get on it. ;)

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There's a nice backroad loop with a combination of twisties and elevation changes near my home - it's always funny, to me, coming out out of there onto the main drag all sheepish with the exhaust on quiet after absolutely screaming back in the woods.