I’d be curious to do a review of the +210,000 F Series inventory to check two things
1. General pricing of built to stock vehicles
2. The options and trim mix of those vehicles.
It just feels like Ford is still in One Ford mentality thinking that the majority of buyers will like x y or z
when so many buyers need to feel customisation, like the vehicle was designed for them.
When people are told it is what it is take it or leave it, a lot will walk…that’s how it feels
especially when people are counting how much cash they have and interest being charged.
That’s the problem with these BOP rules that are based on track results. One team can work their ass off or come up with something truly innovative while another team is lazy and does the bare minimum and they’ll penalize the first team to keep it competitive with the lazy team.
At the very least you should get to keep your advantages for one season before it gets adjusted - assuming everyone starts from the same place.
Good post.
Part of the reason why aspirational vehicles have gone the way of the dinosaur is because so many regular vehicles now have sufficient performance and handling to satisfy most buyers but even then, an aftermarket tune to a turbo vehicle adds a lot more excitement.
Even Ford now admits that building apex vehicles is getting so hard because the power and handling expectation are now just so high. Remember a few short years ago when Dodge refused to put a blown hemi V8 in the Viper because it was seen as beyond the capability of most buyers…..now look where we are with power levels.
What happened to the days that a car commercial featured the car , and showed all its attributes. As well as showing why you should buy our car and not the competition.
I am old enough to remember Hugh Downs do commercials for both the Ford LTD , as well as the Mercury Grand Marquis. These ads sold the car, not the idea of going for a drive. I understand that today’s life is about lifestyles.
You can't spend tons of money to sell a dream, you need to sell the car.
I know how many cars this ad will sell!
True, I think you're right. Third isn't a bad result for a first time out, and I'm sure they'll get better as time goes on, that's just what happens with race cars when they're new. It's just been frustrating to see people trash talking the mustang throughout the season when they're still getting adjusted to the car.
The season they won lemans they also had lots of 5-9 place finishes. And the GT was created specifically for LeMans. Of course a Mustang GT3 won’t handle as well. It’s more brute force power but it was absolutely competitive. More importantly don’t forget that BOP will never allow a vehicle to have a big performance advantage. They’ll just take it away by adding weight.
I'm installing a SnowDogg EX80II on my 2024 F250 SuperDuty. I need to get the connector pictured below from the engine compartment to the cabin.
I've got the upfitter switches and wiring, but that only helps with the power lead attached to the connector (red wire in photo). Where can I find an opening large enough to push the connector through? Barring that, what's the best approach to drilling a hole?
This is behind a paywall, so unless you subscribe to the Detroit News, you can't read it. Henry Payne, the News auto writer, also races cars, He was at Lemans as a spectator. His observations:
"If Penske didn’t get the chance to climb the Le Mans podium, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. did — celebrating with his team of third-place drivers in the #88 Mustang GT3. The Mustang was the surprise of the race, challenging the favored Porsche, BMW and pole-sitting McLaren teams for the win. Early contender #77 Mustang fell by the wayside, but the #88 and #44 cars took up the baton and battled all night long through rainy conditions that got so difficult that the pace car was deployed under the yellow flag for three hours because the 8.5-mile track got so dicey. Both the Mustangs and Cadillacs featured naturally-aspirated V-8s, and their distinctive, Motown tune could be heard around the track around the clock."
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/motor/2024/06/16/detroit-at-le-mans-ferrari-denies-penske-but-mustang-wows/74049304007/