PNYXPRESS

Not likely, as it will more than likely replace the 302R and 302S and those run around $105K-120K.

You mean like SVT?

jz78817

well, I was wrong the first time so I won't dismiss this out of hand.

Cruzinaround

More than likely actually... They plan on taking it to the Matt with the Bow Tie camp and target the same Market... So yes it is very likely to see a 350R version come in at and undercut the pricing of the Z28 at 75K. Then it would cost more to prep it for actually track ready status. Also fully warranteed for track duty.

The thinking should go something like this..

The GT 350 is a street car that can race where the GT 350R is a race car that can be street-able. And the packages for the GT 350 will get it ever so closer to the GT 350R spec, but not quite getting there.

And the GT 350R will have upgrade packages as well to bring it to the levels of the previous 302R Perhaps also with fine printed details on what the manufacture will and will not cover under specific conditions.

And NO not SVT.

perhaps something more direct like Ford Performance Vehicles FPV or FORD Performance Division FPD. The press conferences have been throwing those terms around a lot... not "SVT". But, you never know maybe they will throw it out there as SVT division??? They are after all rumors. But considering the source are Ford team members leaking the info....just like they did on the 5.2 liter Flat Plane Crank... they are highly likely more like factual leaks.

That's what the hub-bub is anyway.

I could be wrong, but, Like JZ said.... I could be right.

I tend to think I'm right on this though.

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PNYXPRESS

I seriously doubt this as The Fr500 family and successors have a solid niche built. Ford isn't going to change this just because of what Chevy is attempting to do.

The race version is going to be a FR500 race car with a similar price tag regardless of what label is applied. GT350R is the natural choice due to the previously named 302R but also it has a heritage behind it.

I know you don't understand this concept, but the fr500 series goes back to 1999.

Cruzinaround

The fr500 series as a turnkey racing solution might not go away. But, the concept you seem to not understand is the current trend in our time is racing is becoming more popular as a pastime that transcends race, religion, and monetary status. It's more popular. As an individual who works with providing a thrill for people to race cars they normally could not afford it's odd that you don't realize this.
The fr500 program does not create a street legal car. So for the buyer Looking for a car that will pull duty as a racecar and still allow them to drive it on the streets...this then becomes a high personal ROI. That satisfaction alone makes it a worthwhile investment simply because the experience of being in that vehicle no longer ends after the track. And it's now attainable without being a member of society's top 1 percentage. If you think in those terms. Such a move is actually brilliant.
Just saying
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PNYXPRESS

The "current trend" is watching races, not participating. Otherwise there would be racing schools all over the place with long waiting list to get in, and this just isn't happening.

Ford already produces a car that is street legal and can offer track use, its called the track pack, because anyone that is serious about racing has no desire to drive their racecar down the street.

Cruzinaround

I hear you. However, that thinking wasn't enough for the Camaro crowd ...evidently... hence the Z28 and the ZL1 are a bit more than the typical Street car.. And Racing seems pretty popular where I am... The Driving school is booked always. The race day events are popular and track day events see more of everything showing up. If you were a buyer of a Boss 302 it came with a Track day invite. So did the GT500. Not sure about any Track pack offerings, But I would guess it would be offered with a possible fee to attend and book a day. How do I know....??? Because my friends with a Boss 302 and a Gt500 got those invites with their purchase. When I bought my SRT-4, it came with a Track day invite. So do other SRT variants. So the popularity, although you're not seeing it... is there. Perhaps its more about the demographics, but its certainly there.

And apparently since the GT 500 and the Boss 302 sales were favorable... it appears people did actually want to drive a race car down the street? This also holds true for the Hellcat, the Z28 and the ZL1. They are just a notch above the offered track pack options on the base Models. Which means the track pack options fall a bit short of the mark for some, not all, people who buy these cars.

And... for those who did buy these cars with the track pack options and are not hurting financially... they could prefer something a bit more than what the track pack offered and want a bump up in something familiar and close to the heart for them. Brand loyalty plays in here. If Ford offers it... people will buy it. Something seen with the Hellcat and the Z28. Keeping in mind that projecting to produce 2500 Z28 specialty cars in a first year run and being sold out before they hit the selling floor.... its a clear indication that the concept for this idea has come of age.

And selling these type of cars at a more attainable cost also sells more of all the models below it.

Hey, if you sit back and wait it out... then maybe we'll all have a better idea. But, dismissing it as of right now... not logical. It certainly was the case when denying a Flat Plane Crank was going to become a reality.

Just Saying.
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PNYXPRESS

Offering a trackday to a small group of buyers doesn't mean that they all want to drive a racecar. I seriously doubt those that bought the srt-4 caliber were thinking its a racecar, but they still get the srt invite.

Also the ZL1, GT500 and Hellcat are far from trackcars, they are way too nose heavy and, believe it or not, have too much power for their suspension.

The people that bought those cars, didn't buy them because they come with a track day invite. And they didn't buy them because they are "racecars" otherwise the Mazda Miata would be the top selling car as it is the perfect road race car as is from factory at a decent price. They bought them because they are a status symbol in the PonyCar world.

I would bet that most of the Boss 302 cars made are sitting in gargares right now with less than 5000 miles on them. same thing with most of your GT500's and ZL1's.

Cruzinaround

I guess.. But....we don't really have a demographic representation of what is actually going on with these cars. If it were me I would drive it everyday possible. Otherwise why buy it. My Friends drive theirs everyday. Literally. I do have a buddy with a 65' that he takes out on a bright sunny weekend every now and then. As an OEM setup for that year... probably safest to not drive it much if at all. But today's cars...are built to be driven. So if someone chooses to park it in their garage...its their choice to waste their money.

As a matter of fact the Head engineer on the SVT team Mr. Jamal Hameedi.... daily drives his 2013 GT500 3 seasons out of the year.... I take it that his plans for any future GT350 of his own would also be no different. In fact with a tire/wheel swap and that suspension it would not be unreasonable to drive it all four seasons of the year.

That's definitely more like what a car of that caliber should be driven like. As Hameedi himself calls it a canyon carver. Imagine what a person who lives in the country where winding mountain roads take him to and from work everyday would feel like behind the wheel of one of these? Cars like this are what would pique his interest ... its got mine.

As for the Track day invites... well they are a real thing only for certain vehicles. And it wouldn't be offered if nobody accepted using them. Even as a courtesy it promotes interest in amateur level racing. Autocross, Time challenges etc etc.

You don't have to embrace the concept. If its not your thing... there are others who will find it appealing to them. And that's all that's needed.

We can't all like Steak and Potatos. Some prefer fish or poultry.
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BTW.... I would never knock a Miata or an SRT4 or a Caymen or Fiesta, or Focus or an Alpha 4c... Etc Etc all good cars.

JIM5.0

Also keep in mind the speculations that we, the actual rumor spreaders add to the leaks. By rumor spreaders, I do not mean the actual Ford insiders who leak the info, I mean the people who read/hear the leaks and get on social media, including our very own Mustang Forums, and spread the rumor everywhere.

The danger here is that the info is now second hand instead of directly from the insider. We, the rumor spreaders, add our own speculations and thus destroy the integrity of the actual leaked info.

For example: The 5.2L "Voodoo" engine was leaked out to produce over 600BHP. But that was NOT what the "Voodoo" was designed to do once in production; that 600BHP was only part of a testing phase, either to see what it can do at maximum possible effort or to look for what max power the engine can do but retain durability, meet EPA, etc.
As it so turns out, the 5.2L was detuned to only "over 500 horsepower." The constraints of bearing all the necessary equipment (cats & mufflers, all the pollutions equipment, alternator, water pump, etc.), to meet Ford's durability and reliability standards, and to meed EPA standards is what made that 600BHP disappear very quickly.

In other words, despite any rumors, be prepared to cut the BS with a fine razor to remove the untrue speculations added by the second hand people who try to pass their own versions as facts. .