macdaddyslomo

FCN is Ford Company News
New Mustang GT500 Stampedes Off the Line at Flat Rock
By Chris Kassab

DEARBORN, June 6, 2006 (FCN) -- When the first 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 rolls off the line in Flat Rock this week, it will mark the beginning of a new chapter in the 40-plus year history of one of America’s most beloved muscle cars.
"This is going to be the most powerful Mustang ever," said Hau Thai-Tang, director, Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team (SVT). "It's also the first production vehicle born from the collaboration between Ford and the legendary Carroll Shelby since the late 1960s."

"The Shelby name has been missing from our lineup for quite some time, and there's incredible Mustang lore associated with that name," said Bob Wille, vehicle architecture synthesis technical expert, Advanced Product Creation and SVT.

Wille spent six months working as an engineer on the Shelby program. He also owns four Mustangs and is an avid Mustang buff.

"There's an awful lot of groundswell excitement building for this car," he said.

According to Thai-Tang, one of the reasons the GT500 is unique is because it was built on a platform specially designed for the Mustang customer.

"In the past, the Mustang always shared a platform with high-volume cars, such as the Pinto, the Falcon or the Fairmont. And with that you have some inherent trade-offs," he said. "When we engineered this car, we thought about the potential SVT derivatives, and we tried to account for those requirements."

The manufacturer's suggested retail price of the GT500 will be in the low $40,000s. That's higher than previous models, but still significantly lower than the competition, according to Thai-Tang.

"We're offering 500 horsepower. Compared with other high-performance cars like Ferraris or Lamborghinis, the GT500 is an unprecedented value proposition," he said.

Wille says the GT500 sets a new standard for Mustang.

"As the vehicle evolves year by year, there's always a chinning bar that's put in Mustang history," he said. "This is the benchmark for the next century. There's always that car that everybody wants to have, the one that's going to draw the most attention. I think this will be one of those cars."

Each GT500 engine will be hand-built, with a personal touch.

"When someone buys the Shelby GT500 Mustang, not only will they see a unique engine that's powered by Ford, they'll also see a place there with the name of the operator who built that engine on the niche line at the Romeo (Mich.) Assembly Plant," said Thai-Tang.

Thai-Tang says the manufacturing team and the UAW at the Flat Rock plant have been supportive of the Shelby project.

"They've bent over backwards to accommodate us," he said. "When you do a low-volume, high-performance specialty car like a Shelby Mustang, it is very different than what our system is designed to do. It adds a lot of complexity into the assembly plants."

Since the birth of the original Mustang in 1964, Ford has sold more than 8 million of the pony cars.

"Mustang is the soul of our company," said Thai-Tang. "I think you can debate it, but short of the Model T, I would argue it's the most successful car and the most important car in our portfolio."

You don't have to convince Wille.

"The minute you get into a Mustang, the rest of the world just disappears in the rear view mirror," he said. "Mustang delivers a sense of freedom and exhilaration."

After the Shelby GT500, what could possibly come next?

"If you look at our market positioning, the Shelby GT500 will be the top-of-the-line halo car. It's a pretty big step between that car and the Mustang GT," said Thai-Tang. "So you can expect that we will do a car that comes in somewhere between the two."

ThisBlood147

Let's hope that guy isn't jerkin us around.[>:]

macdaddyslomo

Thai-Tang is the principal designer of the S197 Mustang AND the GT500..He doesnt "jerk people around"

Allstar

not to get off the subject but i'd like to see a race between this shelby and the saleen extreme (the new extreme has 550hp tho)

Dirtysouthstang

i was at a ford dealership today and saw them selling the saleen mustang do you think they will still sell them once the 500s are out?

wildabouthorses

The first production 07 Shelby was unveiled here in Tulsa at the Mid America show, yes actual production car not a prototype.

This is their website...I didn't go because they expected over 30,000 people to attend and it was 99 degrees today.

http://www.kotv.com/news/?105722 this link tells you about the car here in Tulsa...

BraMas

Yes Saleen is concidered specialty vehicle manufacturer. Ford has nothing to do with this buisness except selling Mustangs to Saleen.

xRockThePonyx

For sure. Saleen production started in the 80s I believe... it's not going anywhere.

Birdieman4

If you saw a race between an S281E and a GT500, you'd witness one of the greatest spankings of all time. The S281E would KILL the gt500 in every category.

GBPackerFan

Thanks for the link, Jan. I wonder how many people did show. "C"