2007 Ford Mustang Cobra

[Vintalage]

Photoshop interpretation

2007 SVT Cobra to be unvieled at the Detroit Auto Show starting March 25

SVT Still Kicking, Ford Says

"With no cars currently on the market, there’ve been plenty of rumors working their way through the industry grapevine about the future of Ford Motor Co.’s high-performance SVT unit. But “reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated,” the head of the brand-within-a-brand told TheCarConnection.com, lifting a turn-of-phrase from Mark Twain. “We’d hate to give up on the brand equity we’ve established over the last 10 years,” insisted Hau Thai-Tang, the new boss of SVT, who until recently led the development of the new, retro-styled Mustang. An SVT version of the Mustang will be unveiled at the upcoming New York Auto Show, said Thai-Tang, and though he wouldn’t confirm production plans, sources told TCC it’s a bit more than a year away. Several other possible SVT models are under consideration, with an emphasis on adding a more mainstream product, such as a high-performance Fusion sedan.

SVT’s current hiatus was not due to problems with the unit, Thai-Tang insisted, but simply the result of limited resources being shifted to the development of the Ford GT supercar. Going forward, SVT intends to return to its roots, the Vietnamese-born executive explained during an exclusive interview. It will focus on building high-performance, limited-volume products with “substance” and value. But rather than putting a premium on off-the-line acceleration, future SVT models will likely strive to have broader appeal, much like the vehicles sold by European high-performance brands, such as BMW’s M line. That means they’ll have to handle and stop as well as they launch at a light, said Thai-Tang. Do not expect an SVT version of every Ford division product, sources report, though it is possible SVT may eventually lend its name to products sold by other Ford Motor Co. divisions.

Meanwhile, Ford is likely to develop other high-performance options. It is expected to expand its ties to Shelby Motors, the tuner firm run by racing legend and longtime Ford consultant Carroll Shelby, as well as Saleen Motors, the California firm best known for its customized Mustang models."


This additional stuff was taken off another forum:

First off, it is official that Ford will be bringing a Cobra to market for MY2007. SVT is not dead. At least according the new head SVT (the guy who designed the 05 Mustang) who said as much a couple of days ago at the Detroit Auto Show.

Then, this surfaced and although it is still conjecture, it does seem quite likely to be true based on what Ford said about re-using the 5.4L Ford GT engine in other cars.

This is exciting stuff. The three most interesting details:

- 465HP, 6-speed manual running in the low 12's with a trap speed of 120mph! That's not z06 territory, but that's definitely standard corvette country.

- You choose the rear suspension set up, either IRS or Solid Rear Axle with the IRS apparently pulling over 1.0g in the corners... which would instantly put the Mustang Cobra in very special company.

- The Price... in and around 30k. That I find hard to believe.

Anyways, read all the juicy details for yourself. There's also some mention of Ford taking on the new Camaro come 07 with a higher output GT model as well.

This was copied and pasted from southfloridaracing.com which on there was copied from somewhere else. Seems like a bunch of wishful thinking to me but if it does happen I want to be the one that said it first. I will belive it when I see it.

From an extremely reliable inside source at SVT (who is best friends with my sister's husband), this is supposedly the gospel of a lot of what we will see in the new Cobra. This car is already scheduled to debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January of 2006 with delivery available in mid (May/June) 2006 as a MY2007. Prototypes that are on the streets today are almost indistinguishable from other SN197's other than tires and exhaust note. There are a couple using unorthodox hood arrangements but these are supposedly not the cars with the drivetrains we will see. Here is what I was told will be the heart and soul of the next Cobra. Time will tell...

Motor: 5.4 Supercharged, 3 valve heads (with HUGE valves), forged internals similar to the 4.6 (Crank, rods, etc), modestly rated (under rated actually) ~465 HP/495 lb ft Torque, using a twin screw S/C similar to that on the Ford GT but pullied differently, hence the lower HP. This motor was supposedly made official (in house only) just in the last few days. It will NOT be rated the equal or even close HP-wise as the Ford GT exotic for exclusivity reasons. It will have more restrictive intake/exhaust systems than the Ford GT which is partly to blame for the lower performance numbers. Also, a cold air induction system will purportedly being looked at as an option but may be standard if it can get past the bean counters.

Transmissions: 6 speed manuals standard with a heavy duty 5 speed auto (the tranny used on the Ford Superduty but programmed/geared differently) as an option in late '07 or the '08 M/Y.

Suspensions: A re-engineered, heavy duty IRS will be an option with a modified 3 link/panhard bar-live axle setup as the standard rear axle. SVT will be going for the Road Race buyer as well as the straight line racer with both axles optional. However, the Axle options are not set in stone as of the moment but look highly likely to be approved. The Cobra will be lowered about 1.5" from a stock GT.

Bodywork: The retro theme will continue with a serious nod to the '67 Shelby. The fenders may be flared more than the standard '05 but that is not for certain as of now. The ducktail will be factory installed. Also, no convertible is planned for now but no reason was given other than concerns over chassis reliability due to the torque volume.

According to "John Doe" (he does not want to get 'relieved' of his assignment), only 3 of the Cobra protos built so far have the S/C'd 5.4 in them. There are actually 6 or 7 on the streets now, not all at the same time but there are similarly painted versions of different cars. There are also supposed to be three Protos with 6+ liter motors in them, 2 with blowers, one that is N/A but these will not be used in the next generation Cobra.

Supposedly, the 6+ Liter motors (he does not know the precise specs on them) are a Hurricane based engine with radical camming and a "first for Ford style of fuel delivery." I have no idea what he means by that and he would not elaborate to my sister either - apparently he was only repeating what he was told.

Tires: Alledgedly, the 5.4 S/C'd cars are running 315's on the rears, 275's on the fronts using 18" rims. Similar setups are on the other Protos. However, the 315's may only be optional with 295's being the standard fare.

Performance: The 5.4 S/C'd cars have been clocked in the very low 12's (12.10-12.25) in the quarter at nearly 120 mph and have been traction limited, according to "John". They are also supposedly able to pull over 1 G in handling.

Per "John", SVT is also adding enormous brakes and will be using an air cooled Intercooler, opting away from the water cooled version used previously due to reliability concerns (?). Other touches will possibly include some form of active/adjustable suspension as an option but he did not know much about it.

Supposedly, we should expect a price to be in the very high $30k range (base price - 6 speed, live axle, base tire/wheel combos) according to his sources in the know.

Also - prototype Mach 1's are also on the streets. These are supposedly running N/A'd 5.4's, tuned for 370hp with the 6 speed transmissions for now and debate still ongoing about which auto to use. None of the proto Mach's are running the Shaker hood to keep them cloaked to spying eyes. This car is supposed to appear for the '06 M/Y with some final tweaking to be set in stone by Jan/Feb 2005.

"John Doe" is considered to be an extremely reliable source. He said that Ford will rely heavily on already built/designed components rather than exotic pieces.

He also said that Ford is hoping to stymie the rumored F-body's comeback sales numbers with more powerful engines in the V6/GT Mustang in M/Y 2007 cars, perhaps as high as 20% increases in HP/Torque with 10-12% increases in fuel economy. If true, we could be seeing 320/325 HP GT's in 2007! Purportedly, GM is planning to use detuned LS2's in the F-bodies and Ford wants to head them off early with upgraded 3v motors.

[hotgt]

holy mother thats sexy!!

[GAGTSCTGuy]

Now this is what I've been waiting to see

[GAGTbabe03]

that is fockin hawt!

[95-GT]

I want one.

[Ant]

IBthisthreadturnsintoMustang GT vs. Pontiac GTO article in Autoweekone

I like the design of the new mustangs, and SVT did a nice job on this one. I like how they kept the extractors of the previous SVT. perhaps a half an inch lower suspension would be nice though.

[ZakkWylde470]

Holy mother of God.....

[RAMAIRGT1]

that is NOT the 2007 cobra mustang and it will NOT be priced around $30k

[GAGTbabe03]

^if it's not the 2007 then what year might it be? what will it's price be around?

[RAMAIRGT1]

that is a photoshop from tms.com. It was made about a year ago, before any aftermarket company showed anything.
Some of what was in that article may be true, but expect the price to be in the $40-$50k range
also the NY Autoshow is in March, Detroit just had theirs last week i believe

[GAGTbabe03]

holy crap.. $40-50k.. that's a lot of money! insurance is probably going to be a killer for that car huh? Thats a really nice photoshop, wish it was real though.

[RAMAIRGT1]

insurance is high for any high-performance car, more power=more $$$$$$

[Vintalage]

Yeah. It is a chop but sources say it will look similar. And I noticed the misprint.

[RAMAIRGT1]

"sources" say?
your sources are wrong

[95-GT]

Screw all of ya, I am going 15 minutes North to the Romeo plant and I am going to ask what motor is going to be in there.

[Vintalage]

Originally Posted by RAMAIRGT1

"sources" say?
your sources are wrong

I take it you know something I don't?

[RAMAIRGT1]

My aunt works for SVT, want her phone number?

[95-GT]

Where does she work?

[bigbenSC]

ummmmm, yeah, I'll take a GTO. The new Mustang is a disappointment. And $40,000+ for a pony car is crazy, I don't care how much power it has because these cars came about as affordable performance. The GTO is already at the high end of the spectrum. Sell a 400 HP mustang for 30k and I might forgive the crappy interior and old school solid rear axle.

[95-GT]

Originally Posted by bigbengt67

ummmmm, yeah, I'll take a GTO. The new Mustang is a disappointment. And $40,000+ for a pony car is crazy, I don't care how much power it has because these cars came about as affordable performance. The GTO is already at the high end of the spectrum. Sell a 400 HP mustang for 30k and I might forgive the crappy interior and old school solid rear axle.

Umm, you can get a 04 for around $30k and it has 400 HP.