End of the GT350 Production. What is Ford's plan?

[newmoon]

So now with the model year 2020 being the end of production for the GT350/R, what is Ford’s plan? Ford will have no N/A answer to the 2021 Camaro 1LE which will likely be faster with the announcement of the A10 now being an option. Ford will no longer have a GT350, no Boss, just a PP2 that can’t run consistent laps due to lack of proper coolers. Could the Mach 1 be the answer?

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[martinjlm]

So now with the model year 2020 being the end of production for the GT350/R, what is Ford’s plan? Ford will have no N/A answer to the 2021 Camaro 1LE which will likely be faster with the announcement of the A10 now being an option. Ford will no longer have a GT350, no Boss, just a PP2 that can’t run consistent laps due to lack of proper coolers. Could the Mach 1 be the answer?

Personally, I doubt Mach I will be Ford’s answer to the 1LE. Mach I will likely be a performance hybrid. With GT350 out of the lineup, Ford can finally put coolers in the PP2, or at least make it an option. Bam! Instant track car.

I have been very vocal about the curious decision Ford made to put Cup 2s and NOT coolers in the PP2. I think the intent there was to not create a PP2 that would outperform a GT350 in acceleration and be within a razor’s cut on the track. They even said that it wasn’t meant to be a track car (even though they put track tires on it). Since tires are consumables, I felt they should have put the coolers in and let the buyer decide if and when to put Cup 2 on it. In any event, there is enough space between the GT500 base and the PP2 that making coolers optional on PP2 gets you a cool track car without crowding a higher priced, higher profit vehicle.

 

[svttim]

If the 350 is really done, I would assume the Mach 1 will have the coolers at some level.

 

[Frank.Herbst]

If the 350 is really done, I would assume the Mach 1 will have the coolers at some level.

It won't be long and Ford will have a fast electric car. I'm keeping my Shelby.

 

[Venomous Pony]

They’ll just come out with a PP3. Coolers ,voodoo
But no GT350 body pieces. Just remember you heard it here first.

 

[johnny1]

They’ll just come out with a PP3. Coolers ,voodoo
But no GT350 body pieces. Just remember you heard it here first.

Unless Ford secretly fixes the reasons people have the voodoo blow no matter how driven, since they haven't so far and won't let Ford dealerships go internally to find and see if can be fixed voodoo is a thing of the past when GT350 production ends.

 

[Frank.Herbst]

Unless Ford secretly fixes the reasons people have the voodoo blow no matter how driven, since they haven't so far and won't let Ford dealerships go internally to find and see if can be fixed voodoo is a thing of the past when GT350 production ends.

Maybe get another brand then. This is just kicking a dead horse. The majority are doing fine.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

The broken record posts get old. Kind of like a nagg’n wife. Mine is the exception of course.

Maybe get another brand then. This is just kicking a dead horse. The majority are doing fine.

 

[Schwerin]

My thoughts regarding Handling:
With the fact the PP1 is now the same price, or more than the PP2. I suspect the current PP2 will turn into just "PP" and a NEW PP2 will be introduced(perhaps standard or optional on the Mach1) that will bring it more up the the Shelby GT350 level. May have SOME of the additional GT350/500 coolers. I don't expect it to have ALL of them. The New Mach1 is rumored to have the PP2, but its unknown if its the CURRENT PP2 or an improved (New PP2) version.

Regarding Power:
The Bullitt is going away end of 2020 also. Current rumors have been the Mach1 will have the Bullitt/GT350 intake parts, but no one has said that is ALL it will have. I see 3 possibilities:

1. Just the Bullitt power, perhaps with a little more aggressive tune. Maybe 490HP rating.
2. Bullitt intake system + Cobra heads/cams, like the 03-04 Mach1 had. Allowing it to breath a bit better. Maybe 500hp, higher redline.
3. Bullitt V8 + small hybrid setup bumping it to the 520-530HP range.

Rumors are also that the Mach1 will have the GT350 transmission. Possibly 10spd option.

 

[jpindustrie]

For the track mustang , PP2 will gain the coolers , that plus a serious factory big brake kit will be the final 4th wall between street performance package GTs and track-ready toys ...

Better improvements to Coyote 5.0 platform will put it 'almost 500' maybe touching it but on paper not (probably for ins purposes again) but we all know ::cough:: ::cough:: I expect ~500ish on the 10 yr anniversary of the Ti-VCT 4V DOHC in a GT mustang ...

All that plus the final S550 swan song chassis improvements **maybe** the DCT trickling down in a $55-60k 'all the trimmings' Mustang GT will give it the extra seconds over the Shelby GT350 , but not the reverence of course..

But the beat goes on ...

I expect a hybrid of some kind to be the next true attention getter , I mean nothing really new from the automakers playbook at this point aside from more expensive 'safety' and 'autonomy'

 

[NoXiDe]

Tesla has the roadster which was based off the Lotus chassis. What a time to live. 2020 - 2.91 for the C8 0-60, 2015 0-60 in 3.1 for the 15' GT3. Tesla Roadster does it in 1.9 then you have the P100D at 2.4 seconds. How about an electric race car? Since I already own the best manual car ever to be invented I'm now on the best automatic transmission that can be built for production and within reach. As far as engine noise, well... nothing will be like the Voodoo so let's just move on. haha

 

[jpindustrie]

Cont.

That way Ford can paint 2 pictures for the future of Mustang:

1. the eco-friendly tech forward thinking hybrid or full electric of some kind blah blah ::rolls eyes:: whatever, paired with the (IMO) ill-fated Mach-e in product branding , could create a new movement , new market for the Mustang , take it to Tesla as an affordable good looking american electric car - at least if anything we can get that mach e grill on the coupe ? haha

2. the image of the HPDE/track day mustang GT ... more coolers more BBKs and DCT will just mean more pesky fast as heck Mustangs sold that will give everyday 911s and Corvettes driven by other everyday guys more trouble on every HPDE day ... continue to push that heritage-based motorsports image as well

Just good old product marketing...

 

[Rev Happy]

I see the MACH 1 as more of a replacement for the Bullitt than anything. If you want a Shelby, the GT500 is going to be your only option for awhile. Also, there is absolutely no way you see the DCT trickle down to the Mustang GT lineup.

I have been very vocal about the curious decision Ford made to put Cup 2s and NOT coolers in the PP2. I think the intent there was to not create a PP2 that would outperform a GT350 in acceleration and be within a razor’s cut on the track.

I think price was the main reason. Properly adding all the coolers will bring up the price a lot more than just a set of tires. As far as outperforming on the track...even if the GT had coolers along with Cup 2s, the GT350 still has better brakes, trans, and almost a 50hp advantage...and that's just the standard 350.

 

[Wildcardfox]

I still think the Mach 1 would slot below the performance of the GT350, one reason... rear brakes. The spy shots of the 2021 Mach 1 still has floating rear brakes, not fixed caliper Brembos. That immediately tells me that Ford is not building a GT350 replacement. They’re building an entirely new car to answer a different need.

I look for it to be a more pumped up PP2. Inside Ford the PP2 was viewed similar to the Boss Laguna Seca, but it was unnamed. Which was good and bad, good because without a name, ADM wasn’t so much of a problem. If it was called a Boss... watch out as the price would jump on the showroom floor.

This will be named, so ADM and I look for it to be wilder than the PP2, but not the track performance of the Shelby as it’s clearly, not a replacement. It’s reviving the legacy of the Mach 1. Oh and of course it will have some form of a shaker hood.

I doubt the PP2 will become the new PP1. Doubt it with money on the table. The PP2 uses the GT350R front tires on all four corners. Not everyone needs super soft, super slick 305/30/19 tires. That’s an enthusiast only car, not fit for the masses. It would be too hardcore for the average person who just buys a mustang.

Also, this was all planned. Ford was always going to end the GT350, just like they’ve ended every 500 for the past generations, along with Mach 1, Bullitt, and the Ford GT. They’re like the McRibb, for a limited time only. That keeps them special. They’re halo cars that bring up the brand showcasing what Ford can do and making people think that if they can make this awesome car, then that same technology or know-how will be in the ecoboost or Mach-e (Ford doesn’t make other cars as we know, so there you go... until they come out with hatchback Mustang).

The GT350 was supposed to end in 2018, then 2019 but it got extended because the 500 needed more development time. Ford wanted to relive the 60s having both the 350 and the 500 at dealerships. Job done, the 350 ays goodbye. Now it’s time for Ford to bring back the Mach. We’re reliving the 60s or for guys like me who weren’t around for that, living a new version of the muscle car hay day.

The new Mach 1 will be another chapter in that story.

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1126889_2021-ford-mustang-mach-1-spy-shots


I also wonder if the Mach 1 will be a Ford Performance product or like the PP2, a creation of the regular mustang team as their own wild iteration of the mustang. FP and the regular mustang team are different working groups within Ford.

 

[Wildcardfox]

Personally, I doubt Mach I will be Ford’s answer to the 1LE. Mach I will likely be a performance hybrid. With GT350 out of the lineup, Ford can finally put coolers in the PP2, or at least make it an option. Bam! Instant track car.

I have been very vocal about the curious decision Ford made to put Cup 2s and NOT coolers in the PP2. I think the intent there was to not create a PP2 that would outperform a GT350 in acceleration and be within a razor’s cut on the track. They even said that it wasn’t meant to be a track car (even though they put track tires on it). Since tires are consumables, I felt they should have put the coolers in and let the buyer decide if and when to put Cup 2 on it. In any event, there is enough space between the GT500 base and the PP2 that making coolers optional on PP2 gets you a cool track car without crowding a higher priced, higher profit vehicle.

I can give you answer directly from Ford when I interviewed them.


https://www.hotrod.com/articles/sibling-rivalry-comparing-2019-gt350-gt350r/

“And that is the way that it was always supposed to be—different levels of performance as you step up through Ford's performance lineup. Some have pondered that the new 2019 changes were due to pressures brought on by the Performance Pack Level 2, but as Schembari explained "There was always plans to make the GT350 better, regardless if the PP2 came out or not. The PP2 closed the gap a little bit, and that's because it's a higher performing GT [that transforms the] base program mustang—to something that is a little higher performing; however, the PP2 doesn't come with the coolers that the 350 comes with, it doesn't come with the Tremec, along with some of the other aspects that the 350 has, so it's targeted at a different buyer. The GT350 is definitely much more of a dedicated track vehicle as it has all the coolers necessary for an extended track period; the PP2 is more of an enthusiast, spirited driving [car], that can handle track duty/autocross duty, but it's not made as a track vehicle."

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