Anybody notice the subtle hints in the store

[PistolWhip]

Take a gander through the Shelby Store and you'll notice that there are quite a few parts that are listed to work with "2007-2012 GT500 5.4L" or "2010-2012 GT500." Is this is another subtle gesture confirming that the GT500 will return in 2012? I'm not one that ever doubted its return for the 2012 MY, but there seems to be a lot of discussion around it lately and many people seem to think that there won't be one with the emergence of the Boss302. I gotta believe that if Shelby went through the trouble that to edit the catalog to include the "2012 GT500 5.4L", there has to be some validity to it right?

[F150 Duke]

Yeah but one wonders if history will repeat itself. The GT500 was eventually pushed out because the Mustang evolved into a car that Shelby was no longer happy with. Also the creation of the Boss and other Mustang performance variants made the market place too crowded for the GT500. This history lesson is based off what I was told about the past on my Shelby tour and what I read online about the old GT500.

[speedyman]

Yeah but one wonders if history will repeat itself. The GT500 was eventually pushed out because the Mustang evolved into a car that Shelby was no longer happy with. Also the creation of the Boss and other Mustang performance variants made the market place too crowded for the GT500. This history lesson is based off what I was told about the past on my Shelby tour and what I read online about the old GT500.

 

 

Wrong. Ford axed the Shelby Mustang idea due to sales issues. Unsold 1969s were dumped out as '70s. The current GT500 line will continue as the top level SVT Mustang until sales dictate otherwise.

[twobjshelbys]

The current GT500 line will continue as the top level SVT Mustang until sales dictate otherwise.

 

 

That is the key. They have a proven sustainable market. Until volumes go down they will continue. The BOSS 302 will represent some TAM (Total Available Market) shift - i.e., some people who buy the BOSS would have bought a GT500 if the BOSS were not available. But the BOSS is being currently marketed to a different segment. It's more of a competitor to the Shelby GT350. In this case, Ford doesn't care which one you buy - it's still a tick in the Mustang column. Obviously us Shelby stockholders would prefer you buy a GT350.

[PistolWhip]

I really don't doubt at all that there will be a 2012. I can't see, even with the addition of the Boss, Ford eliminating a car that has made them so much money in such an unstable market. You have to believe that the economy will slowly get better over the next year or so and even if it doesn't, the GT500 has had no problem selling in the most recessed economy since the depression. They'd be crazy to eliminate a car that gets them this much attention, draws so many people to their dealerships and even increases the sales of the rest of the Mustang line. It's a win, win, win situation.

[John Allen]

Also means there will not be many, if any, changes to the 2012 if these part #s carry over for the new year.

[speedyman]

There is

obviously going to be a '12 GT500. The if is whether the '12 will have a TVS and significant power bump.

[J&DGT500]

Some time back and I can not seem to find it, it was posted the Carroll Shelby had just returned from a trip to Ford where they were finalizing the details of the 2012 and 2013 GT500, so I would say that the next two model years are a go.

 

The big question is when Ford comes out with the new Mustang in 2014; will each side sign on the dotted line and continue to do a pre-title GT500?

[VaporDude]

I think after the 2013 MY, the GT500 will be discontinued not only because it ran its course but also because of the CAFE standards that are being placed on the auto manufacturers. That is also why the Boss is coming out for 2012 and will probably run only two years just like before. It is amazing how history repeats itself. The GT500 is already in its 5th year of production but I am not complaining about that. They will limit the runs to only 5,000 per year. I am surprised they are still building the GT500 with the economy in the shape that it is in but there must be enough people out there who still have a decent income to spend on these cars.

[rhlgt500]

I think after the 2013 MY, the GT500 will be discontinued not only because it ran its course but also because of the CAFE standards that are being placed on the auto manufacturers.

 

Ford has been stating for years now that a new Mustang platform arrives by 2014. J Mays, Ford's vice president of global design recently addressed how the future Mustang fits with other Ford designs.Future Mustang Design Hints

 

The general game plan in the industry is to relase the special editions of cars a few years after the base version to drive sales and spread development effort. Towards the end of the platform cycle, they pour it on to keep interest and sales up. The Boss, Boss LS, GT, v6, GT500, Mach 1 rumors, etc. show this as the current platform only has 1.5-2 model years left depending on how early in 2013 the 2014 Mustang platform appears.

 

So I wouldn't expect to see Shelby, SVT, Boss, whatever versions of the new platform for a year or more after the 2014 more release regardless of the regulatory environment. The specials will eventually return though to drive sales as the new platform ages, I think the only question is how much performance they offer. The 650HP Rally versions of the Focus suggest that great fun can be had in lighter packages. While I'm personally not quite ready for a 1.5L Mustang, the future isn't eactly dire either. The 5.0L engine was clearly developed for the long haul, not just the last 2-3 years of the S197 platforms life, can still be made more efficient, and I would expect it to make the transition into the new platform.