[2001 ZTS]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Colum...rticleId=109512

[Oscar The Grouch]

No new Shelby or Saleen?

*cries*

[bluetoy]

That is a shame.

Saleen is a seperate company from Ford. Shelby will continue.

[Oscar The Grouch]

bluetoy,Mar 9 2006, 01:40 PM Wrote:That is a shame.

Saleen is a seperate company from Ford. Shelby will continue.
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Yay! Now i don't have to kill myself!

[ANTHONYD]

It was nothing special anyways...

[Flofocus]

^^ fawkin s*** disturber :P

You go find cars that perfomed for the money.

No, Im not talking about the Focus SVT, that shouldnt have been an SVT (My mind would change if they offered FI from the factory). We agree on that, but prove the rest were not 'special'. :rolleyes:

[ANTHONYD]

Flofocus,Mar 9 2006, 02:23 PM Wrote:^^ fawkin s*** disturber  :P

You go find cars that perfomed for the money.

No, Im not talking about the Focus SVT, that shouldnt have been an SVT (My mind would change if they offered FI from the factory).  We agree on that, but prove the rest were not 'special'. :rolleyes:
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I can't. I'll admit it.

The Focus should NEVER have been an SVT without FI.

[SVT ZX3]

Damn, got me so riled up I double posted.

[SVT ZX3]

Shoulda, woulda, coulda....blah, blah, blah. SVT made some great cars for the money. YES it should have been FI, but its still a good car. Now go beat another dead horse you self fOCUS hating s*** disturbers. :thumbsdownsmileyanim:

[ANTHONYD]

I love my Ford Focus Â

[euro_zx5]

Well that's BS! Now I hope they get some Ford family member to rebuild SVT and get those engineers back, with Ford family in charge this time.

Hopefully they'll do this when they get their corp back up to par... (I do mean the big three as a whole). Restructuring sucks, doing it this painfully sucks even more. But, if it's for the better in the long run, by all means... it just means that current SVT's are even more rare.

[habmann]

Lets be honest if you can't build normal cars right and make a profit off them, then thats where your energy should be focused not on a group of niche market cars. Maybe when the day comes that ford gets back onto solid ground we'll see the SVT line again or some other high performance division.

[2001 ZTS]

"But wouldn't it be better to just build cars that you didn't have to pay someone to be excited about?"

That quote is a keeper. I know I'll whip it out as required.

[NoiSeeVT]

The Shelby GT500 is still a go, just likely to lose the SVT badge on the gauges and the rims.

David

[Drivesthebeast]

I think they are just going to have the SVT engineers helping with the mechanical design for all of new cars coming down the pipe...adding some real-world performance to the vehicles, rather than putting on body kits or shift knobs and chrome exhaust tips and calling the car "sporty".

An example of this performance help would be the Fusion. My dad got word from a very reliable source in Michigan that Ford intends to release an ST version of the Fusion with the engine bored out to 3.5L, and producing anywhere between 250 and 275hp from the factory in the 2007 models. Also, there was rumour to be an SVT variant that would be bored out to 3.8L, and produce 300hp as well...kinda like having a front wheel drive mustang with 4 doors... I'll see if my dad can get more info on either of these cars. That would be so cool to have a Fusion, or a Ford period, that is in the same HP league as a 3.5L Altima or Maxima, or an Accord or 3.2TL....give we, the people, what we want! If you build it, we will come....

[NoiSeeVT]

Drivesthebeast,Mar 16 2006, 08:52 AM Wrote:I think they are just going to have the SVT engineers helping with the mechanical design for all of new cars coming down the pipe...adding some real-world performance to the vehicles, rather than putting on body kits or shift knobs and chrome exhaust tips and calling the car "sporty". 

An example of this performance help would be the Fusion.  My dad got word from a very reliable source in Michigan that Ford intends to release an ST version of the Fusion with the engine bored out to 3.5L, and producing anywhere between 250 and 275hp from the factory in the 2007 models.  Also, there was rumour to be an SVT variant that would be bored out to 3.8L, and produce 300hp as well...kinda like having a front wheel drive mustang with 4 doors...  I'll see if my dad can get more info on either of these cars.  That would be so cool to have a Fusion, or a Ford period, that is in the same HP league as a 3.5L Altima or Maxima, or an Accord or 3.2TL....give we, the people, what we want! If you build it, we will come....
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They could simply use the MazdaSport 6 Driveline! This is simply a bad move by Ford. I think with the cuts rumors have it that the employees at SVT are going to be reassigned or let go. As teh SRT line from Chrysler Flourishes, the Ford team cuts the SVT program. If GM were smart they would hire them and let them have unlimted control. I had a feeling that the SVT team was looking at a lot more all wheel drive products, to compete with cars like the STI. A 300 HP all wheel drive Fusion would have been nice!

David

[meford4u]

Your not the first person to mention that an ST Fusion is in the works next year. I hope that's true.
As somone in the market for a car, it might be a hands down winner for me.

[NOS2Go4Me]

A ST Fusion would be nice, but a factory-boosted Focus would be even better.

If it can be done for the Brits that can't hardly drive out of their own driveway, it can be done here.

[Drivesthebeast]

After reading that article again, I think the problem with Ford is, they invested billions upon billions on the R&D of their trucks, which I hear now, for the first time, are no longer #1 in sales. The problem is, they knew that the SUV and truck bubble was going to burst, and they waited too long and spent too much time and money on the trucks, and let everything else (except the Mustang) slide. SVT was just a division that wasn't a large enough volume seller, so the bean counters have started with them, and may likely start with dropping other model lines too in a last-ditch effort to save themselves.

Thing is, I've had next to no problems with my own car (wrapping knuckles on desk as I type that), and in short, don't dislike Ford in general. I just think that the folks at SVT were right by saying that Ford should build everyday cars like the new Civic SI, or Subaru's, that potential customers can get excited about, and want to own and drive.

I'm gonna buy a Fusion as my next car, and try and keep the Blue Oval alive, even if it's only on life support.

Oh yeah, and one more thing, sure the SRT stuff has a good following, but I think that if Daimler Mercedes Benz ever decided to pull the cash plug out of Chrysler, then Mopar would be a hurtin unit like they were before the partnership...

[NOS2Go4Me]

Good point about SRT. They're alive, but very much in the same operations capacity as SVT was.