This is about a month and a half old, but it was never posted here, and I know there's quite a few Lightning Fans

John Coletti, director of Ford's Special Vehicle Team, says the high-performance Lightning pickup truck is not dead, just delayed until engineers can create a new version that fits in with Ford's marketing and production "cadence." Coletti said the muscle truck will be back in the Ford lineup, but he wouldn't give a time frame. He did say the next SVT product, the Mustang Cobra, will be launched in 2006 as a 2007 model and that the emphasis will be on fine-tuning the handling, brakes and dynamic performance along with the usual massive dose of horsepower.-Autoweek

A very very old picture of a Cobra mule of the new Mustang, also never posted here.
http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=100066

 

Wow....are they going to use a 4" cowl hood on that car, or is it to make testing room for a 5.4l with the Eaton on top

 

That's just about the most hideous hood hump ever. Does it double as a pet cathouse for those living in trailer parks?

For all the Ford-leghumping going on around this forum... there's an eerie silence about the comatose state of SVT...

Meanwhile we have RedLine Saturns, CTS-V, SS Cobalts/Impalas/Monte's/Silverado, C6, GTO, SSR, Grand Prix Comp
G and GXP, Trailblazer SS (on the way) and G6 GXP (coming)...

 

Old pic, very old. They're using a different hood now which was posted by me here more than a week ago.

No silence. We (Ford folk) know what's coming and we're just waiting. SVT is alive and kicking and working on future product. More than I can say about Camaro right now. What's the latest Camaro rumor? I've heard so many about the future Camaro it's hard to keep up with them. 99.9% of the rumors are bunk and the other 0.1% is backed by trust worthy people who may or may not have the inside scoop. So what do you have blind faith in? I've seen more hard evidence of God than Camaro in the last year...

If you like those. Apparently a lot of people don't. GM is losing market share. Honestly, there's only a couple of cars in that list I wouldn't mind having if you gave it to me and one of those I'd sell to get something else. Have a nice day!

 

GM has some nice cars in their performance lineup, and more will be added in the years to come, but they're no Camaro. All the cars listed mean nothing or very little to me personally, and a lot here probably feel the same way. I'm still waiting for "Camaro z28 or SS" here. That they still have yet to give us an ounce of news of. Atleast SVT has gone out of their way to give us the model year SVT will be back on track starting with the Cobra.

 

I thought that photo had been universally declared a rather unconvincing fake (remembering all the heated debates on the stang message boards back in the spring)????

Autoweeek, bless them, has had a bad habit of running to the press with false and photochopped "spy shots" filched from the net...in fact, iirc, when that photo first made its rounds, it was ALL silver with none of the camo...

 

dammit people won't you learn!

sports cars are going to handling, feel, "fun to drive" when we get a new "chevy rear wheel drive coupe asdl;kfasdkl;jkl;ajklasdfl;asdfjkl;asdfjk" its gonna be the last of this era's high HP low cost cars.
personally i don't think that hood looks all that bad.

 

Im sure GM isnt losing market share because of lack of performance cars or lack of Camaro.
And I dont see Ford gaining any ground at all either.

Why do people think that the answer to GM's decline in market share would be the Camaro?
With a new Impala and Monte coming, to boost already outstanding sales numbers, and more new and better models rolling in, replacing decades old crap, I can only hope that the combo of quality and attractive cars will start to help cut back on incetives and help drive people into cars that they want to buy, and not settle for.

 

I've got blind faith in a few things (hope that's ok with you). And not-so-blind faith in some others. A new V8 RWD coupe from Chevy - - one need have no insider info to have faith, just look at today's GTO. GM (despite many thankless and cynical muscle car 'fans') has put out yet another historic muscle car in the 04/05 GTO. That car in and of itself is evidence of GM's ongoing commitment to the performance enthusiast. Even if the Camaro NEVER came back (although I believe the current GTO is a strong signal it will), here is proof that once again, the General delivers

I'm only one owner. It makes little difference to me what percentage of the global market GM currently has, as long as I AM satisfied with MY vehicle (in contrast, some buyers only want what the 'herd is buying' ( )). If you want nothing to do with the C6, CTS-V or Cobalt SS... all I can say is oops - your ignorance is showing

 

I don't know about stoping the decline in Market share, but a new Camaro would be good for about 100,000 sales a year.

 

yes it would, but would thoe 100k peopole who got a Camaro, would go get a Camry? Accord?
It would add to it, but would it stop the sales rush for bread and butter cars? See, everyone things that the answer to the game is performance, but its not. Its making a boring bread and butter car that will stop the slide! Cars like the Malibu, Impala, Grand Prix, LaCrosse...cars like that that will take away from Toyota and Honda's grip. Its how you go about doing that is the problem. Making a Camaro wont make some guy stop from buying a Camry.
Making outstanding cars as well as reverseing 20 years of bad press is what will help GM come back.

 

Part of the requirement for 2006 pedestrian crash standards

 

Speaking of ignorance...look above. YOU can be satisfied with YOUR vehicle as much as you want, but if NO ONE ELSE is, then that one vehicle you like will soon go away. Sound familiar? Because the name CAMARO comes to my mind. Ignorance indeed. Yeah, the C6 is nice, the CTS-V is nice and the Cobalt SS is nice, but they're not for me at this point in time. I'd like to have a Z06 at a future date, but I have other things to take care of first.

BTW, I see no ignorance in NOT liking something based on personal preferences, but I see mucho ignorance in building cars that can't, don't or won't appeal to masses UNLESS they are built as niche vehicles. Niche vehicles have certain attributes that keep them alive in the market place.

 

Which one of those has 300hp for under $30k? Or is competive in it's class? Redline, Impala, Monte are all half assed, overpriced entries into their respective markets and are selling accordingly. GP and GXP are a bit more competitive, but still not great.

CTS-V, C6? Those are great, when I retire and I have $50k to drop on a car maybe I can get something worthwhile from GM. I'm not in the market for a $40,000 sport truck, or a $45,000 gimmick truck either.

So, Cobalt SS, GTO, and let's give you the pair of Pontiacs. Those are the competitive sporty cars across 5 brands? Yeah, ok.

Why buy a Monte or Impala SS for $29,995 when you can get faster, better handling cars for $5k less with quality that's on par or better, and styling that is fresh, and not 5 years old? Take a look at the V6 Accord, the Mazda 6 (especially the MazdaSpeed 6), or the Subaru Legacy GT. Hell, those prices are in line with a Hemi powered Magnum RT. Actually, exactly the same. Why would I buy either of those cars, again?

Cobalt SS looks nice...but it's competing against a cheaper and faster Neon SRT-4, the RSX-S which is around the same price but better appointed, or the faster and AWD WRX for a few grand more.

Time and time again we're seeing that when GM does bother to throw an entry into the market, it's overpriced and not offering something to justify the hike over the competition. A few of you die hards will go "Look! GM is trying to hard, the market doesn't want these cars!"

No, nobody wants a 240hp Impala SS at the price of a Magnum RT. Nobody wants a gimmicky truck at the price of a Corvette. It's not rocket science.

 

Im willing to place bets that the FI Kappa twins will out perorm the Mustang for the same or less money.