SVT Not Closing Afterall
 

From Brad @ The Mustang Source

Good news!

Definately some good news :tup

Thats good news to hear.

Gotta love rumours! :Weird:

Great news.. I can't wait to see the next Generation Cobra.. if it's anything like to 03-04 :rolleyes:

cool, even though I am a V6 guy, gotta love the SVT cars. :tup

some guy that i know who owns a 2004 svt cobra told me that the next time there will be a svt cobra is in 2007 and it will be the most powerful svt cobra they have made. he said it will come with sumthing like 450hp all motor. thats not including the supercharger that you can add on after.

The next SVT Cobra is due out in 2006.

Great news, it's a good day to be a Ford fan. (Every day is! :tup )

:LOL:

SVT never was going to close....

good to hear...

deffinately good to hear

i cant wait for the next gen cobra maybe even trade in mine and get one :D

that is AWESOME

RUMOUR has it the GT will have 325hp or so by the time the new Cobra comes out. :D

i want 325hp :o

Last year Ford in the U.S. put out a special lease program for 04 Cobras. It was for "approximately" 2 years, so that you could lease a new 04, and turn it in when the 07's came out. The term was sort of approximate, because they weren't sure exactly when the new car would be available. At this time, the most beleivable stories are that the car will be out in summer 06 as an 07 model.
As for what it will be: who knows?
to start with, will it be an "SVT" Cobra, or, since Carrol Shleby is back in the fold with Ford, will it be a "Shelby" Cobra? Or, since he owns the name, and is currently producing "real" 66 Cobra replicas, will it even be called a "Cobra""
It will definitely be based on the new 05 Mustang!!
What can we count on?
It will almost asurredly have an independent rear suspension. Chief engineer Hia Tang said so.
Based on the differences between 04 Mustang GT's and 04 Cobras, it will likely have a different front facia, a different wing, maybe a dirfferent hood, larger wheels and tires, bigger brakes, and a considerably upgraded interior.
For the driveline, one would expect a 6-speed manual again, probably higher (numerically) gears than a regular GT, and a v-8 engine.
The BIG question is of course, what engine would that be?
I don't think any Ford/Mustang enthusiast would accept anything less than a v-8. A supercharged or turbocharged v-6, even with 500 horsepower, just isn't the same thing. Jaguar made that fatal mistake more than a decade ago when they built their XJ-220 with a blown v-6 instead of a v-12.
From my own experience, there is simply nothing you can buy short of an exotic that sounds or feels like a blown v-8.
Given that the "natural" enemy of the 03-04 Cobra seems to have become the C-5 Corvette (since the Camaro died (RIP) ), one might think that the SVT guys will go after the c-6 version. However, the new C-6 starts off with 400 horsepower, with the Z-06 rumoured to be going up to 500.
Since the new Ford GT has a supercharged 5.4 l engine with 550 horsepower, and since the Cobra will be a lot cheaper than the GT, one would think that the Cobra will not approach that level of power. However, it's a delicate balancing act as to what should be done: alienate the GT purchaser by producing a much cheaper car with the same power, or blowing off Corvettes.
My guess: a 5.4 supercharged engine with 450-475 horsepower, which, just like the present Cobra, will be extremely "mod-friendly".
Just my opinion guys. Feel free to discuss ad nauseum.
Steve