vince337 Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Ford plans retail version of Shelby GT-H Mustang Ford Fairlane, Lincoln MKS get green light Amy Wilson DETROIT -- Ford dealers will get a retail version of the Shelby GT-H -- the 325-horsepower Hertz Mustang rent-a-racer announced at the New York auto show in April. The retail car will be called the Shelby GT and will be available for the 2007 model year, say Ford dealers who were told about the car at dealer meetings last week in Las Vegas. Ford executives also told dealers that production versions of the Ford Fairlane and Lincoln MKS concept vehicles are on their way. Volume numbers for the new Shelby GT haven't been finalized, but Ford plans to distribute at least a few thousand, a Ford source said. The Shelby GT will be available in black or white paint with silver stripes. It will have similar features to the Hertz Mustang including hood pins and special side scoops. The cars will be finished at Carroll Shelby's shop in Las Vegas, the Ford source said. That shop is making 500 units of the 2006 Shelby GT-H for Hertz. The Shelby GT will be the focus of one of Ford's Bold Moves mini-documentaries. It is expected to appear on the www.fordboldmoves.com web site this weekend. Ford also showed dealers the Ford Fairlane and Lincoln MKS concept vehicles in Las Vegas. The Lincoln MKS sedan is slated to arrive in early 2008, said Duke Brubaker of Champion Ford Lincoln Mercury in Owensboro, Ky. The Fairlane crossover also has been expected in 2008, though its name may change. Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, is likely to talk about some new product at a speech scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 9, at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich. Fields and CEO Bill Ford were both at the dealer meetings last week. Bill Ford answered a series of taped questions from dealers at one event, attendants said. The sessions left Robert L. Thibodeau Jr., a Ford dealer in Center Line, Mich., "cautiously optimistic." "I think they seem to get it: that product is absolutely essential," Thibodeau said. "It's just a question of we've got to get from 2006 to 2008." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgey Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 I was beginning to doubt te MKS would get made, now it just seems like it's coming a bit later than many had hoped. Gosh, we are two years away! I wonder what they need the time for if the intention was to build it on the D3 chasis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Gosh, we are two years away! Huh? Its August 2006, more like a year and half....And they never specified if it was CY or MY release dates. I see no problems with the MkS launching next Fall as a 08 Model. Except the lack of a V8 in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Or a Turbocharged 3.5L V6 making 350HP ? Rather than a 4.4L V8 with 315HP ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgey Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Huh? Its August 2006, more like a year and half....And they never specified if it was CY or MY release dates. I see no problems with the MkS launching next Fall as a 08 Model. Except the lack of a V8 in it The article says that dealers can expect to start selling the MKS in Spring 2008. That would make it a 2009 model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Edgey ... the fartest a company can bring an ALL NEW model to the lot is 18 months ... count how many it is to "spring 2008" - no one not toyota, GM or Honda can bring out all new models faster .... it simply takes time ot put it all together... and this is all thanks ot having the platform set - building a new platform usually takes about another 18 months, becaofe you can even start working onthe actual cars. Igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Explorer4X4 Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 FAIRLANE! :beerchug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgey Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Edgey ... the fartest a company can bring an ALL NEW model to the lot is 18 months ... count how many it is to "spring 2008" - no one not toyota, GM or Honda can bring out all new models faster .... it simply takes time ot put it all together... and this is all thanks ot having the platform set - building a new platform usually takes about another 18 months, becaofe you can even start working onthe actual cars. Igor I am a little surprised Ford wasn't committed to the MKS before the concept was put out. I suppose the MKS survey put out by Ford should have tipped me off that Ford wasn't commited to a D3 MKS until this month. This concerns me since Ford is spending an awful lot of time considering projects that seem obviously neccessary to pursue. The MKS concept did not test very strong after it was debuted so Ford appears to have delayed the project by a year to figure out if they should take a different route. The cancellation of the flagship sedan may have also stalled the project, or it may indicate a different direction is being taken with the MKS. The MKS is a fairly ordinary platform mate to the 500 so I believe the delay has more to do with market research than product development. Most of the MKS is derived from established engineering, they aren't developing the next 5-Series here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 (edited) I am a little surprised Ford wasn't committed to the MKS before the concept was put out. I suppose the MKS survey put out by Ford should have tipped me off that Ford wasn't commited to a D3 MKS until this month. This concerns me since Ford is spending an awful lot of time considering projects that seem obviously neccessary to pursue. The MKS concept did not test very strong after it was debuted so Ford appears to have delayed the project by a year to figure out if they should take a different route. The cancellation of the flagship sedan may have also stalled the project, or it may indicate a different direction is being taken with the MKS. The MKS is a fairly ordinary platform mate to the 500 so I believe the delay has more to do with market research than product development. Most of the MKS is derived from established engineering, they aren't developing the next 5-Series here. The question was not WHETHER to build it, but HOW to build it .. the media reception of MKS on the show circuit was not 100% positive, and we can assume neither was the consumer reaction. I think there were simply many questions and tweaks to be done to the concept AFTER NAIAS 06 before Ford felt confident in the product again. but you are right - MKS was not greenlighted untill this month, and the 18 monts just started ticking. Igor Edited August 9, 2006 by igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgey Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I hope the clock on the Fairlane projected started ticking 6 months ago and not this month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 What's with the fugly hood on the Shelby GT? Why can't they just use the same hood from the GT-H with the reverse-facing air extractor? That one looks MUCH nicer. Something about scoops on the S197's look horrible....unless it's a SHAKER!! :happy feet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 What's with the fugly hood on the Shelby GT? Why can't they just use the same hood from the GT-H with the reverse-facing air extractor? That one looks MUCH nicer. Someone who suppostly works for Shebly on themustangsource said it had to do with some issues with using a fiberglass hood like on the GT-H...prob BS for it costing too much, but I heard you could order it as an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Someone who suppostly works for Shebly on themustangsource said it had to do with some issues with using a fiberglass hood like on the GT-H...prob BS for it costing too much, but I heard you could order it as an option. Cheap cost-cutting crap like this is what annoys me about Ford. They didn't skimp on the hoods on 96-98 Cobras being fiberglass/composite. IMHO I think that's one of the coolest hoods ever used on a production car...and was actually one of the things that initially drew me to the Cobra I ended up buying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_fairmont_wagon Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I believe that the MkS that we see will have significantly revised sheetmetal before it hits the streets. I mean, how many of us saw the car and thought "Wow, they mates a Mercedes E series with a LExus LX430 and stood it next to an acura designer for a few hours for effect." It didn't scream Lincoln, or anything for that matter. Maybe they're finally getting it that, just being competent in contents, fit and finish isn't going to get you ahead in the market. It's going to have to have a boldly lincoln design to really see some results. I still think that Lincoln needs to go back to and take a good hard look at the Continental Concept from a few years ago and really try to understand what made it so breathtaking. If the MkS is released as is, it will sell, and will sell better than the old continental that its really replacing in the lineup. But, that will only be a partial victory. It needs to sell even better than that, and it can, with some additional risk in the design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Cheap cost-cutting crap like this is what annoys me about Ford. They didn't skimp on the hoods on 96-98 Cobras being fiberglass/composite. IMHO I think that's one of the coolest hoods ever used on a production car...and was actually one of the things that initially drew me to the Cobra I ended up buying... From what I understood it was Shelby that decided to go that route. The new cars have aluminum hoods I agree that the 96-98 Cobras did have an awesome looking hood..I wanted to get one for my 98 GT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Selby Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Not that I'm biased or anything..... but..... the Mach 1 hood looks the coolest IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildosvt Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 The hoodscoop is built from the original tooling that was used on the AC Cobra's. Cant get more Shelby then that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.