Dropping "Cobra" could be a good thing

[LZR RED COBRA]

OK, we've all heard the little birdies saying that the prototype "COBRA" will take the cobra name and the svt mustang will be called, an SVT Mustang, at first i was a little upset at losing the name COBRA for the mustang as the name carries a certain mystique.

but now i look at it and if ford can make a car that can compete with the vette and call it a COBRA and disassociate it with the mustang that may be good for us. keep the price for an svt mustang (cobra) under $37k i say, a $40k mustang is ridiculous.

we need Bosses, Mach 1s, etc instead, make me an SVT BOSS mustang and keep it just above the current price for a cobra and call it a day. that would rock, id buy one.

i like the 05's but i dont want a GT, give me a 400hp BOSS Mustang and ill be the first in line to buy one in 06.

just some thoughts ive been having...

 

[Z28x]

I don't think the Shelby Cobra will be made, I say keep the Cobra name with the SVT Mustang Cobra.

 

[skywarp]

I don't think the Shelby Cobra will be made, I say keep the Cobra name with the SVT Mustang Cobra.

The concept is there. I see an ultimate Corvette killer like the good old days. Doesn't even need the V-10. The GT blown 5.4 will do just fine. I agree with lazer red.

 

[351CJ]

At the risk of offending all those SVT owners, I've always thought that the name Mustang Cobra or even the late 60s' Torino Cobra were stupid. Which are they, a Mustang or a Cobra? A Torino or a Cobra? Sort of the same thing as calling it a Mustang Pinto or a Mustang Maverick.

There's a 3 level hierarchy that should be adhered to:

1. Brand - Ford, Mercury, Lincoln
2. Model - Mustang, Crown Vic, Taurus, Cobra etc.
3. Version - SVT, GT, LS, LX, Pony, De Sade, GT-500, Boss 302, etc.

Names like these make sense to me

SVT Mustang
SVT Cobra
Shelby Mustang
Shelby Cobra
Mustang GT-350

 

[shatner saves]

What's in a name? A rose by any other name is still a rose. If the car looks good and has muscle where it counts, I couldn't car less what they call it.

 

[LZR RED COBRA]

What's in a name? A rose by any other name is still a rose. If the car looks good and has muscle where it counts, I couldn't car less what they call it.

exactly my point, keep the Mustang "Cobra" affordable for us and go after the vette with a different car, that way we can all get our "Cobras" in 06 and not have to pay $40k

u know everyone would stick an aftermarket cobra badge on the svt mustang anyway i know i would

 

[BelueLX]

wouldnt a 390hp N/A engine be nice in the Cobra?

 

[skywarp]

wouldnt a 390hp N/A engine be nice in the Cobra?

That motor would even be better in a 05-06 Mach or Boss car. Give us that motor with the bottom end and then they can sell the 06 SVT Mustang with what ever they want and raise the price.

 

[lowside21]

What's in a name? A rose by any other name is still a rose. If the car looks good and has muscle where it counts, I couldn't car less what they call it.

If thats true would you buy one named "shi+"! Just kidding , I think and agree with some of the above , that if ford builds the shelby cobra ,they need to drop the mustang cobra. To confusing. I would like to see a Mach 1 being like the origanals built as a drag pack car, or more straight line performance and maybe a boss that is for scca type racing. Ethier way Ill be pissed if they make the mistake that they did with the mach 1 and the 03 cobra. They should have put the same motor in both or had the engines line up the other way around. I dont think people buy the stang for their corning ability. Well maybe not pissed anyway just dissapointed.

 

[RodStang]

At the risk of offending all those SVT owners, I've always thought that the name Mustang Cobra or even the late 60s' Torino Cobra were stupid. Which are they, a Mustang or a Cobra? A Torino or a Cobra? Sort of the same thing as calling it a Mustang Pinto or a Mustang Maverick.

I could not agree more. I always thought it was tacky for Ford to use the Cobra name on a Mustang. It makes as much sense as naming the top of the line Taurus the Taurus Mustang.

Some of the Cobras have snakes on the side and the horse up front. When you drive around it looks like you are in Noah's Arc. I'll be happy with an SVT Mustang. However, what they name it won't have a big impact on the price so keeps saving your nickels.

 

[shatner saves]

Here's the lineup I'd like to see:

Mustang v6 - base model, affordable car.
Mustang GT - Fun, capable, affordable.
SVT Mustang - the M3, Porshe and Vette hunter. IRS, 450 hp motor, 6 speed, cubic dollars but a nice flagship car for the model line. Very limited numbers.
Mustang Mach 1 - similar powertrain as the SVT but with a live axle for the drag race folks. Maybe keep the 5 speed to keep the cost down a little more.
BOSS Mustang - IRS, 5 speed, Maybe a 5.0L version of the 3 valve engine to give it a bit of a power advantage over the GT. They would promote this car as an homage to the Mustangs road racing heritage from the early 70's. A car with the handling attributes of the SVT without the high price tag.

It will be interesting to see if Ford will continue on with the 4 valve heads on the SVT, BOSS, MACH 1. The VCT 3 valve head performs very well and is lighter and MUCH cheaper to produce. The 4V head is probably better for rev's but mustang fans are more interested in affordability and low end torque than ultra high rev's.

 

[351CJ]

I could not agree more. I always thought it was tacky for Ford to use the Cobra name on a Mustang. It makes as much sense as naming the top of the line Taurus the Taurus Mustang.

Some of the Cobras have snakes on the side and the horse up front. When you drive around it looks like you are in Noah's Arc.

- - -

 

[spanky442]

They should keep the mustang cobra, but a shelby cobra, followed by the boss and mach will be more similar to the 60's.

 

[4point6]

what about the super stallion?

 

[Z28x]

Some of the Cobras have snakes on the side and the horse up front. When you drive around it looks like you are in Noah's Arc. I'll be happy with an SVT Mustang.

LOL.... that was good.

 

[Islander03GT]

yeah... its a horse or a snake, not a horse-snake

 

[Ron Jeremy]

I don't really care if they call the Mustang a Boss, a Cobra, a Shelby or an SVT. All that I care for is that it looks good and is fast and that it costs under $35,000. Anything over $32,000 to $35,000 for one of these cars is too much money. Plain and simple. If I want to spend over $35,000 for a car like this, I would go out and buy something else that's more exotic other than a Mustang.

And get it thru your heads. The Mustang is NOT in competition with the Corvette. The Corvette is in another stupid and overpriced car class by itself. If the Mustang ends up like the Corvette only the rich will be buying them. Regular folks who want one will not be able to afford one. And that will not be good. I'm sure that you don't want to see the Cobra or SVT or whatever you want to call this Mustang become unaffordable. Because if you do you must be very rich or just plain stupid.

 

[351CJ]

I think Ford is messing up here. Ford is having to offer HUGE rebates on the 2004's and leftover 2003's that are on dealer lots.

If I were running Ford, I'd announce today that after 2004 there would not be any more SVT Mustang-Cobras for at least the 2005 model year and possibly forever. This would make all the SVT's sitting on dealer lots right now more desireable and get them sold quicker.

Same with the Mach 1. Again if I was running Ford I'd announce that there is not going to be a 2005 Mach 1 and that no decision has been made if there ever will be a Mach 1 Mustang again.

 

[Hepnotic]

I think Ford would drop the name because they realize mixing a snake with a horse is a bad idea.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

351CJ,
It doesn't matter. The Cobras and Mach1's are abundant everywhere. Even if Ford wasn't going to build anymore in 2005, people still wouldn't run to the dealership to buy one at full price or over the sticker price. The new body style 2005's are coming out and they are more desireable than the leftover Cobras and Mach1's . The dealers are paying a monthly mortgage on the cars that still are sitting on their lots. I guess you didn't think about this when you made your comment above here. If you ran Ford, you would put them out of business in a heartbeat if you didn't give rebates and dealer incentives to consumers. No idiot is going to pay you full price or over sticker for a Cobra or Mach1. Only a select few dumb ones do. If everybody did, these cars would all already be sold and off their lots. But it doesn't happen this way. People aren't going to pay what the dealers want. They are always looking for good deals. That's what I always do. I'm sure that the rest in here agree with me.