T-dubz Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 https://fordauthority.com/2021/06/ford-caught-benchmarking-c8-corvette-stingray-around-dearborn/ Anyone know what this is about? The article mentions a Thunderbird trademark that was filed earlier this year. It would be cool to have the thunderbird as a corvette competitor again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 They benchmark lots of vehicles... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.I. Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 (edited) The Thunderbird return will occur with an electric vehicle. An electric super coupe to compete with the Corvette? I think the cars quote in the Ford line up are covered with the Mustang coupe and convertible and the special version of them. The Thunderbird name could return as an EV crossover, maybe a coupe crossover. Edited June 26, 2021 by falconlover 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 8 hours ago, falconlover 1 said: The Thunderbird return will occur with an electric vehicle. An electric super coupe to compete with the Corvette? I think the cars quote in the Ford line up are covered with the Mustang coupe and convertible and the special version of them. The Thunderbird name could return as an EV crossover, maybe a coupe crossover. With super car geek Farley at the helm, I wouldn't be surprised. This is last year for Ford GT and Farley will probably push for something spectacular. Hard to find any C8 Corvette for under $100,000 and good knows what a ZR 1 will go for irrespective of sticker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slemke Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 I would think a Taycan would be a more apt comparison to a thunderbird ev. Maybe it’s for something that will house the 6.8L v8. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) Random thought, Now that Chevrolet has gone mid engine Corvette, maybe that opens up a slot for a new front engine Thunderbird, I’m thinking maybe T’bird as a second top hat on Mustang’s soon to be upgraded S550 platform, lots of money and relatively “easy” to do. Lots of potential for international sales too. Edited June 27, 2021 by jpd80 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan7 Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) Not sure what is going on here or if Ford has interest in directly taking on the current Corvette, besides (loosely) the Shelbies and GT, but could the Mustang brand be expanded to something like the old Mustang Mach 2 concept? I doubt it though. Edited June 27, 2021 by Broncofan7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausrutherford Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Thunderbird was a personal luxury coupe for most of its life. If they are going to rebirth it, they should make it a 4 door crossover coupe. The 4 door crossover coupe is the personal luxury coupe of today. And make it electric of course. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang let back Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 I think a future Mustang might take on the c8.Of course I hope its not some stupid electric car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianstrange Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 On 6/27/2021 at 9:00 AM, Broncofan7 said: Not sure what is going on here or if Ford has interest in directly taking on the current Corvette, besides (loosely) the Shelbies and GT, but could the Mustang brand be expanded to something like the old Mustang Mach 2 concept? I doubt it though. When you say Mach 2, as in Mustang II? I'd be a sucker for a small sporty electric commuter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan7 Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 8 minutes ago, Brianstrange said: When you say Mach 2, as in Mustang II? I'd be a sucker for a small sporty electric commuter. I actually mean a rejected Mustang (concept iirc) called Mach 2 from decades ago. Pretty interesting story around that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianstrange Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 8 minutes ago, Broncofan7 said: I actually mean a rejected Mustang (concept iirc) called Mach 2 from decades ago. Pretty interesting story around that one! Ahhh Is that the one that resembles the corvette coupe of the early 2000's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 When GM brags about a starting price of about $60,000, and you can't find a used C8 Corvette for under $100,000, that should get Ford's attention. There is a Mustang Roadster by Shelby. And Ford could do another Ford GT without expensive carbon fiber and more pedestrian so that it's not an all out track car. Maybe turbo hybrid for better fuel mileage, but plenty fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 33 minutes ago, FordBuyer said: When GM brags about a starting price of about $60,000, and you can't find a used C8 Corvette for under $100,000, that should get Ford's attention. There is a Mustang Roadster by Shelby. And Ford could do another Ford GT without expensive carbon fiber and more pedestrian so that it's not an all out track car. Maybe turbo hybrid for better fuel mileage, but plenty fast. Eh, at this point, they'd probably want to keep the GT name as that higher end more exclusive top halo model rather than something more "accessible" like Corvette.........I think they'd be better served using a different name if they wanted to more directly target Corvette. 1 hour ago, Brianstrange said: When you say Mach 2, as in Mustang II? I'd be a sucker for a small sporty electric commuter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan7 Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 2 hours ago, Brianstrange said: Ahhh Is that the one that resembles the corvette coupe of the early 2000's? It's actually this: Mach 2 Mustang: The Lost Mid-engine Pony - The Mustang Source I haven't actually heard the concept you're referring to. That's interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 How about going back to the 1980s: You had the Ford Cobra 230 ME concept car and the GN34 project, which at the time where related it seems https://www.carstyling.ru/en/car/1986_ford_cobra_230_me/ https://www.topspeed.com/cars/everything-we-learned-about-the-mid-engined-ford-roush-gn34-this-week-ar190384.html https://bangshift.com/general-news/car-features/stalled-experiment-ford-gn34-program/ The odd thing at the time is the GN34 never seemed to pop up in car magazines of the time and the Cobra 230 ME was in Popular Mechanics all the time (I was in love with it as a teenager), saying it was getting the Yamaha 3.0L V6 aka 1st gen Taurus SHO motor, but other websites say it would have gotten a I4 rated for 230HP. What was the end result of this? Nothing What did we get instead? Something called a 4 door Bronco...the Explorer, which of course was a far better bet for Ford. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 An all-electric Thunderbird that beats a Corvette on every measurable performance stat would be pretty cool. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 22 hours ago, NLPRacing said: An all-electric Thunderbird that beats a Corvette on every measurable performance stat would be pretty cool. Or how about a hybrid/turbo sports car that will accelerate up to 60mph on electric power only and still sound wonderous under hard acceleration unlike full electric. Sports cars sales are so low, hybrid/turbo is better option. A 911 or Ferrari full electric is a huge turnoff to me. It's all about the Flat 6 and V8 sound and sales volume is too low to affect environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 GM has a propensity for over compensating with performance and handling and missing other features that would make those vehicles more livable in day to day driving. I know that’s sacrilege to the ears of performance oriented buyers but for many buyers, they want the whole package. The C8 had a few development issues and I’m sure that Ford will be looking at those and whether the package delivers the right balance I spoke of…….maybe there is an opportunity to do better and deliver a sports car that better suits the 2020s. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovaltine Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 On 6/27/2021 at 7:00 AM, jpd80 said: ...... maybe that opens up a slot for a new front engine Thunderbird, I’m thinking maybe T’bird as a second top hat on Mustang’s soon to be upgraded S550 platform, lots of money and relatively “easy” to do. Lots of potential for international sales too. I've been asking for this for the past 10 years! LOL ? -Ovaltine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 7 hours ago, Ovaltine said: I've been asking for this for the past 10 years! LOL ? -Ovaltine Farley is different to the others, he might find a way to do something really neat that doesn’t break the bank. Makes me wonder if he has a few options that we don’t know about. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 2 hours ago, jpd80 said: Farley is different to the others, he might find a way to do something really neat that doesn’t break the bank. Makes me wonder if he has a few options that we don’t know about. He has stock options....? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 GT500 replacement with a partly electrified powertrain maybe.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Handler Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 The Thunderbird was never a sports car. The first generation appears that way to some people, but it was more of a two-seat boulevard cruiser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 1 hour ago, The Handler said: The Thunderbird was never a sports car. The first generation appears that way to some people, but it was more of a two-seat boulevard cruiser. I mostly agree with you. But the 2-seat, 1957 312 "E" code engine (two four barrel carbs) and 312 "F" code engine (supercharger) were much more than boulevard cruisers. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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