I have not read the last 5 pages of this thread or so, so forgive me if what i post has been addressed.
The IRS is not on the GT for a number of reasons, and I personally doubt it will be offered as even an option. First, as Ford stated, the vast majority of mustang buyers don't know and/or care whether it has a live or independent rear
suspension. When I say vast, I mean VAST. Probably almost all of the V6 buyers, at least 3/4 quarters of the GT buyers, and at least half of the Cobra drivers. And I'm being conservative with this. Most GT and Cobra buyers are older, many buy the car for the looks or because they had a classic mustang way back when but don't want to go through the hassle of owning an old one, and others (especially Cobra owners) just want it as a status symbol. For those that do know and care, I would say most want the live axle since you see a lot more mustang GTs at the drag strip than at the local road race venues. The few that really do care own Cobras or own GTs and whine. This really isn't very many. Second, it costs a ton more. Whether it be upgrading, repairing, or installing initially, it costs more. Third, it really, really isn't that big a deal.
My brothers 85 Vette outhandles my dads 98 GT for a number of reasons, and the IRS is but one of many factors contributing to this. It also has a far better wieght balance front to rear, stiffer shocks and springs from the factory, bigger tires stock, rides lower, weighs less, and has a far more complex
suspension overall. Update all these things on a modern mustang and you'll be handling at the same level, if not better, than an IRS equipped Vette. And the new GT does address many of these things (the weight balance for sure, and it looks pretty low), and I bet it will handle extremely well.
As far as the rear filler cap, as has been said, its not an environmental issue. Filling a car from the rear does not increase its emissions. Its a safety issue, which, outside of car makers who want to save money, is more or less a bipartisan-ly supported issue. Conservatives don't like being barbecued in a death trap of a mustang any more than liberals do. It greatly, greatly reduces the amount of space in the trunk, and isn't safe.
The fog lights are a little big, but as with classic fog lights, shouldn't be hard to take out. I don't care about the mufflers, whatever. They'll be replaced on my 07 or 08 Cobra real fast.
To ron jeremy - Just wanted to make a few comments. Please stop referring to all liberals as enviromentalist, socialist, communists, anti-US troops, etc. These things are all very different and do not all apply to the average liberal. No need for a political debate, thats not was this is about. I consider myself slightly liberal. I also voted for a republican governer in the last election (not shwarzenegger though), so I consider myself pretty open-minded. That said, I believe in democracy which pretty much kills the idea of me being a socialist or communist. I'm in Air Force ROTC at my university (UC Berkeley), so be damned sure I support our troops. I do believe in the environment and believe that the government should encourage automakers to make their cars cleaner.
Being a mecahnical engineering major, i would consider it a challenge and a real accomplishment to make our cars clean, powerful, and allow our oil supply to last all at the same time (My school (graduate students and seniors) currently does a lot of work, using Ford engines as a matter of fact, to make them cleaner while maintaining power). Grouping all these things together shows that you do not have an open mind and does not bode well for your image in a public forum of discussion. In fact, I challenge you to even define what a communist and socialist is, and point out the differences between them. This is a good thing to know before you start calling all liberals (which comprises, obviously, about half of the US population) these names.
Tyler, I made that as clean as possible, if you want me to edit it, pm me and I will. Don't see anything too wrong with it. As a matter of fact, you have all the power and my permission to edit my post as you see fit, if you consider it best to do so. Its designed as a (semi) friendly criticism of some mildly ignorant posts, not a personal affront or asking for a political debate.
z28, I would bet that a midlife redesign, like the Foxes and SN95s had, will make the image more modern as the initial appeal of a retro design wears off.
Hooray for posts that resemble books.
