Ford has just announced the 2007 SVT Shelby Cobra GT500. See the article on AutoBlog. It is a beautiful car, although not significantly different than the 2005 Mustang GT, other than the bright racing stripes.
There is a detail that has caused howls from the Mustang fan network: Ford has decided to save money and not offer the Cobra with an IRS (independent rear suspension), unlike previous SVT Cobras.
Obviously, this was to save money, and weight, since an IRS weighs something like 180lbs more than the solid rear axle setup the 2005 Mustang uses.
This was a mistake. The automotive press is going to hammer on Ford for not offering an IRS, while claiming to use BMW as a benchmark. Solid rear axles are great for drag racing, which is what a lot of Mustang enthusiasts do, but they are inferior when it comes to road racing.
I expect that the Faithful will not mind, but Ford will lose potential conquest sales. What Ford should do is offer an IRS as an option. Maybe outsource the design to Roush Performance if the company doesn't have the resources availible in-house.
3 comments:
If there is a demand, an after-market IRS will be developed. It will just cost an arm and a leg!
Not necessarily. Remember, according to HTT, the S197 chassis was designed from the outset to accep the IRS with no compromises. Also remember, that when the 05 GT made its debut, it was said that the car was to have IRS all along, with no SRA in sight.
Frankly, in this day and age, having a performance car of the Mustang's stature not having IRS is a big mistake, especially when the competition is doing it just as well or better than Ford.
Ford didn't think their baby 's gonna get lots of new customers who are not doing only dragraces but handling stuffs too. Ford guys shoulda keep in mind mustang's rivals are all IRS equipped. If the stang wants to keep the lead in muscle market, they have to think what made mustang different from other muscles: No matter Less ci under the hood, but lighter weight and better handling.
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