If I were in charge of the new Mustang

[oohsoobad2]

I am a fan of the new car, but I have the same complaint about it Ive had since 1994, the drivetrain. 300hp is nice, but in this day and age of turbo 4's and superchrged 6's I think we deserve more in the base car. Since Ford seems to be done with four valve engines, this is how I would have powered the new cars, please feel free to argue anything you disagree with.

The 2005 GT: I wouldnt change anything other than upgrade trans and rear for more power. Engine would be the 3V 5.4 from the F150. With unique intake and cams, this engine would be good for 315-325hp and 350 ft.lbs.
Enough beans to put the GT in the low 13/high 12's.

The next Mach1/Boss: 6 speed trans/5 speed auto option. 3.73 gears. Unique lowered suspension (Blisten?). Enigine would be same 5.4 from F150 but with following modifications. Bumped compresion. Unique cast aluminum high flow intake manifold. Tubular exhaust manifolds (headers). Exclusive cams, Extrude Hone 3V heads (Ford had done this before for a limited production car). This motor would be good for 350-375hp and around 375 ft.lbs. The best part is all these parts would be a direct replacement for GT owners.

The next Cobra: 6 speed/5 speed auto option. 3.73 gear. Exclusive suspension and brakes. Due to its much high cost, the Cobra would use an aluminum 5.4 3V. Forged internals.Twin-screw positive displacement blower, 8lbs. Same heads and cams from the Mach. This setup should make an easy 450hp/450ft. lbs.

The modlar enigine family is a great design and can produce some nice numbers but I feel the 4.6 is more suited for Towncars, Lincolns and base F150's. The beauty of my idea is that a GT owner could add the factory Mach1 or Cobra parts to his car without modification. Kinda like the 5.0 days when GT owners were bolting on Cobra intakes. I would also give GT owners optional rear gears, and the GT and Mach1/Boss would have a forged engine /serve duty option as well.

 

[Wsmatau]

I think you are in the ballpark with most of your specs. I don't know if the new Mach will have a 5 or a 6 speed. I'm hoping it has a NA 5.4. I think the 6 speed would take away from Cobra sales. I doubt the Cobra will be an aluminum block. Hopefully we'll see something at Detroit.

 

[05PhillyStang]

Sounds like great ideas....but:

By offering the 5.4 in the base model you (playing the role of Ford) will hurt yourself in a few ways.

1. Base price will out of reach for many customers
2. By offering the same engine in the base model as the Mach/Boss, you are chipping away at your market for Mach/Boss customers. Sure, the engine will have some significant mods, but it will still stear some potential Mach/Boss customers to the GT.

3. Why do it??? Even with the 4.6L that's currently in there, Mustangs are in HUGE demand. If interest in the vehicle was dying off, this would be different. But with the poularity of the car, there's no reason Ford would offer these options. It's simple marketing. Plus, by offering so much in the BASE, you leave nothing left for anticipation of future models.

Just my $0.02

 

[351CJ]

I really don't understand all this whining for more HP in the GT. Name another car that starts under $25K that has more than 300 HP?

Besides that, the GT engine really puts out more than it's rated HP, more like 315 HP / 335 lb ft. and it does that on regular gas, not the premium those turbo 4s and I6's require.

HP alone does not sell cars, there is no better example than the new GTO. It's the total package / price that sells cars and the Mustang has the total package at the right price.

 

[Scot_94GT]

I agree. 300 hp in a Mustang GT is plenty. 40 hp better than last year. I'm willing to bet that the hp rating will go up a little each year, or every other year in order to keep sales up. Ford can't play all their cards at once.

I would really REALLY like to see a 5.4L version of the new Mustang in between the GT and the Cobra (be it a Mach1, Boss , GT350, whatever).