Wildcardfox
Well-Known Member
Guys,
We have hit the ceiling on some of the technologies used in these cars (engine displacement,suspension/magnetic ride,differential, steering rack, 6 piston brakes etc). Point is, to develop another car, isnt all about redeveloping all of these technologies to their next step up (which there isnt). You can see from Porsche to Ferrari to Corvette to BMW, all manufacturers use a derivation of the previous technology. Same engine, but improved timing so here is 10 hp, or same engine but individual throttle bodies so better throttle response and 2 hp. More downforce, better tires, and a little weight diet. Take the car to a track and show it improved X%, and it sells like hot cakes.
What am I trying to say? Its not going to take 10 years to make another GT350. Ford was going to stop production after 2 years. What happened? It went on for another 3+ years and they ended up producing almost 20,000 units total. Why? Because it sold, because it made them so much money. Why would they stop? What sells best? Marketing does. Image does. GT350 went a long way helping Ford’s image. Why would they stop? Makes no sense.
They’ll tune the same engine, call it vodoo 2.0, same trans/diff, better suspension and steering, bigger brakes, better tires and sell it for $5k more than the last one. And it will sell.
I don’t fully agree, one because Ford doesn’t own the rights to the GT350 name so they have to license its use with Shelby International, they do however own the rights to the GT500 and Cobra names, but the Shelby badging is a license agreement as well. That licensing agreement loomed large in why the 350 stayed in production and why it was discontinued.
Why was it continued? Because Ford promised their dealers that they would have a GT350 and GT500 for sale in showrooms for the first time in 35 years, and the 500 development ran longer than expected so they extended the 350 run until the 500 was for sale in 2020. After that one year, the 350 was discontinued as they had both fulfilled the promise to dealers and the license agreement was at its end.
Although other manufacturers may repackage the same thing and offer it as new, we can only look at Ford’s history to have some insight into what they might do. No precious cobra or GT500 generation has used the same engine package. 4.6L naturally aspirated in the cobra, then the terminator motor (which yes was an iteration of the 4.6 modular, it was still the same generation of car the SN95); 5.4L gen 1 GT500, and 5.8L gen 2—(both were still in the older modular engine architecture); now a derivative of the coyote family, the GT350’s voodoo and GT500’s predator engine emerged. So engine packages will be based on the current engine architecture technology, so could see a the voodoo return? Based on Ford’s history that does not repeat, I would say no. I think it’s more likely that a future engine would be larger in displacement and be a different engine, but something that builds upon the lessons learned in this second generation GT350, if it is in fact an engine that is based off of current architecture. As for the car itself, Ford is not longer in the business of rehashing chassis like they did with the SN95, which was the same chassis as the Fox body. Ford is all about innovating and I believe they would disagree that they have reached the zenith, but time is running out with electric being required in 15 years and will they put budget into developing a new gas powered engine or shift their focus?
The name will not go away but the fact that Ford is not in control of the trademark that may mean the 350 will be less frequent than the 500, but with electrification on the horizon it will not be long before both the 350 and 500 become battery powered vehicles, so the clock is running out for amazing gas powered motors like we see now.
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