Is ford stealing the GT350?

[chief135smitty]

I was driving home today and wondering if Ford is moving in on the Shelby name with the passing of CS? The Ford marketing team has been beating it into us that they have revivied the GT350, but hasn't it been abvailable from Shelby for years? I have read several articles about the lawsuits that have been brought on Shelby in the last few months and how Ford is preventing Shelby from using any of their technology from the GT350 on Shelby mustangs. My question, is it really a Shebly GT350 if it comes from Ford, or is it a true Shelby if it comes from the guys in Las Vegas? I am confused about the relationship between the Carol Shelby Trust and Ford.

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[nastang87xx]

I'd rather have my car come from FoMoCo instead of dealing with jump-through-38398452-hoops-with-a-third-party-licensing Company. Plus Shelby is a name. They pretty much have ZERO racing prestige since the haydays of Shelby and the 350, 390, and 500. The Shelby name is like Lingenfelter. It's a name, nothing else really. Roush on the other hand...Roush actually manufactures real parts, not just slaps names on other parts like "Shelby by Borla." Roush/Yates actually MANUFACTURES engines, components, and real equipment that sees REAL action in NASCAR, Formula D, and the Ford Performance parts catalog.

 

[GTA Mustang]

Here we go again! There has been pages and pages of discussion about this at Team Shelby.

Frankly, the new GT350 is a Ford SVT product using the Shelby name, believed to be under license. The Shelby American (SAI) guys do not built any Mustang base products from new, all their Mustang based products are post-titled - i.e. converted from already built Mustangs. Only new from ground up products they had ever build were Cobras, GT40's, Daytona's, and Series 1's.

Some may not agree, I regard my GT350 as a real modern Shelby because it is a Shelby licensed product. My Super Snake in the works will be a traditional Shelby because it will be a post-title product based on a 2016 Mustang GT, converted by SAI.

 

[chief135smitty]

I am a Ford SVT (FP) and Shelby newbie. I get how Shelby constructs cars and how Roush builds engines, but is what Ford is delivering a Shelby? It will not take away from the fine piece of machinery sitting in my garage...just curious.

 

[GTA Mustang]

A similar argument:

The Coca Cola products you buy from stores are made by bottling companies licensed by Coca Cola, are they real Coca Cola products?

 

[enzo101]

Honestly what does it matter? I'm happy Ford is using the Shelby name for two reasons. COST and heritage. Could you imagine what it would cost Shelby to recreate the 2015/2016 350? Six digits easy. And how many other names evoke that kind of heritage that aren't a ton of money. Sure its nothing more than a marketing tool but I think it fits this car perfectly.

 

[GTA Mustang]

I agree, Ford has the financial and engineering resources to create and fine tune the car, and the result is a great, great product. Also that Ford has the manufacturing capacity and the marketing know how to make and sell 4000 copies a year to make it affordable. Adding the Shelby name serves to differentiate it from the GT, and to heighten the market apeal. It is just a naming game, like using the Boss 302 name, like uses the AMG name by Mercedes. It exists for the purpose of marketing a prestige product.

If Shelby is to engineer and build this car, it will be expensive, very small volume, and will be pushed out the door half engineered and half tuned, full of brute power but yet rough on the edge. But again this will be true to Shelby's heritage. The Super Snake is a prime example.

IMO both are great cars, just different. One is like a fine wine and the other one is like a good crafted beer. I happen to like both.

 

[Spa2k]

As stated elsewhere, Carroll Shelby did have input into the very early development of the new GT 350. Plus, if nothing else, the car certainly is the spiritual successor to the original GT350.

 

[speedrx]

I would prefer Ford to keep using the Shelby brand, it is special and sets it apart from the regular Ford products. It keeps the heritage alive and people respond when you say you Shelby.

 

[GoBlues38]

It is all just a name. Ford Licensed the name from Shelby.

Ford owns names like "cobra" which is why the cobras of the late 90's came out. Ford had not used the name in so many years, their claim to that name was going to expire. So the SVT cobras were releases. Same with Mach 1.

There is a reason why lawyers make so much money. that stuff is complicated.

 

[Rated R]

The Shelby thing kind of bugs me to be honest. If you were to compare him with entire motorsports/engineering departments from other makes; well he had been irrelevant for decades. Using his name is just a money grab by Ford. But to throw away the heritage of the partnership would be a missed opportunity as well. So I understand. I would prefer it to be more honest however. It is what it is...

 

[mattlqx]

Ford owns names like "cobra" which is why the cobras of the late 90's came out. Ford had not used the name in so many years, their claim to that name was going to expire. So the SVT cobras were releases. Same with Mach 1.

If that's true, wouldn't they have had to use the Boss name much sooner than they did?

 

[krt22]

I dont care about the name, but I will take the factory car backed by billions in capital vs a smaller outfit every day of the week and twice on sunday.

 

[hotfoot]

I dont care about the name, but I will take the factory car backed by billions in capital vs a smaller outfit every day of the week and twice on sunday.

Exactly. SAI is a joke compared to Ford and would have been defunct without Ford's resurrection of the Shelby moniker in 2007 on the GT500. This effectively put SAI on life support and the situation has not really changed much since then. SAI should keep to selling parts, T-shirts, and coffee mugs. Let the goliaths like Ford market a complete vehicle.

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