VladimirSteel

There is no way the "shelby" name on the car is bumping the price up $2000... Theres just no freaking way...

bossco

Thats what I'm saying, SVT Cobras were produced from 1993 to 2004 and if you want to get right down to it, the only Cobra Mustangs prior to the SVT cars were produced from 1976 to 1981 with the exception of the Cobrajet Mustangs (68 model year car and the various 2008 - 2012 race cars).

Other than that, any Mustang to wear a Cobra emblem is a Shelby either in GT350 (although I dont think the modern coversion GT350 wears a Cobra badge at all) or GT500 trim.

I think one of the reasons that the modern GT500 is called a Cobra is due to SVT Cobra diehards who didn't care for Ford disbanding SVT and Ford subsequently rebranding the top tier Mustang a Shelby. I'm a member of SVTOA and they pointedly remind thier subscribership about that just about every time they put something out in print with a GT500 in it.

And talk about an odd duck, you have some Mustang guys who flatly refuse to acknowledge the current GT500 as a Shelby car at all since it wasn't produced in a Shelby factory. These guys only consider the 65-69 cars true Shelby Mustangs even though like the current GT500, every Shelby Mustang from 1968 to 1969 (some 69's were titled as 70 cars) was indeed produced by Ford and by that logic then only the 65 to 67 (67 was the first year for the GT500) and the modern conversion cars are true Shelbys.

IMO, Ford should have never muddied the waters by calling any Mustang a Cobra, its a nice fancy name, but when you get down to it there is only 1 Cobra. Frankly anything else is just lipstick on a pig (even if some of those pigs were pretty good cars)

Slappy3243

Thanks for explaining. So some people consider it a cobra while others don't. Interesting.

VladimirSteel

for the car not being a cobra, ford sure wants us to think it is...

bossco

The Shelby Musstangs have always been plastered with cobra emblems, nothing new on Fords part, just google a 67 GT500 and the count will be the same if not more. Having the cobra on the car is part and parcel of being a Shelby Mustang and Shelby's trademark after all.

guionM

Maybe you can afford "something", but obviously a Shelby GT500 isn't it. So there's no need to act like you would actually buy a GT500 if Ford lowered the price 2 grand...... it's out of my price range too.

My points are:

1. you are NOT going save a couple grand if Ford dropped the Shelby name. Like the ZL1, Ford (like any company) will simply charge what the market is willing pay versus what's needed to make the vehicle profitable.

2. If you actually want a GT500... and you can afford it... you're going to buy it. If you can't afford it (or aren't really intrested in it in the 1st place), you're going to complain about the price (or think that changing a name is going to save a few grand).

The ZL1 costs a nickel under $55,000.

The Shelby GT500 currently costs a few bills under $54 grand, and the 2013 is likely to go up a grand over the current model.

When you're spending that much money for a car, you simply aren't value shopping (that's for us mear mortals that drive Silverados and Cobalts).

If you're spending over 50 grand for a car, you already know what you want.



Here's a bit of trivia for everyone that will clear up a "Cobra" emblem debate:

With the exception of the single year 1968 models, No Shelby badged Mustang EVER carried the Cobra name!!! Shelby simply used the Cobra emblem as a reference (marketing if you may) to his original AC Cobra to sell his Mustangs.

Sure...most Shelby badged Mustangs carried the Cobra emblem.... But they were called simply Shelby GT350s or GT500s

Know GTO's wound up with the nickname of "Goat"?? Same with Shelby Mustangs being called Cobras (only GTOs didn't have goat logos plastered everyplace).

The name had enough value that Ford bought the Cobra name from Shelby back in the mid 60s, and used it on everything from engine names to midsized Torinos to even a version of a 4 cylinder MustangII in the mid 70s (the V8 was optional in the Cobra II).

Ford bought back the Cobra name in '93 only because they were at risk of losing the rights to the name due to years of lack of use (the same thing happened with the GT40, and why the modern version was simply called the Ford GT).

Until Ford was alerted that they were at risk of losing the rights to the name "Cobra", this Mustang was going to simply be called the "Mustang SVT" (like the SVO Mustang before it).


The current "King Cobra" and "Super Cobra" are the only Shelby badged Mustangs outside of 1968 to use the word "Cobra" in it's name (most likely as part of a deal that lets Ford use the Shelby name, and another reason why it's ridiculous to think dropping the Shelby name will cut the GT500's price.... there's also for Ford the tie-in with Shelby's Raceshop).

Hope this clears up the confusion on the Cobra emblem without the Cobra name.



One last bit of trivia.

Caroll Shelby had a lovefest with Lee Iacocoa's Chrysler of the 1980s. Lee's history with Shelby went back to the Mustangs that made both famous. Shelby made or had his name numerous Dodges (even a Dakota pickup) that decade, and the whole concept of the Dodge Viper (right down to the name of a snake) was based on his original Shelby Cobra.

A fellow named Bob Lutz got the ball rolling, Caroll Shelby was heavily involved in design (with Tom Gale) and input on the concept of the Viper. Iacocoa himself gave final approval, and Shelby himself drove it on the parade lap at the Indy 500.

One last trivia you probally didn' know:

The Viper engine block and heads were done by Lamobrgini (Chrysler owned them at the time).

Kevin Blown 95 TA

How can it be a horse and a snake at the same time? And who wants a car named after a guy that is blind in one eye, can't walk, and can't even pee on his own, no matter how great his cars were in the past. I just wouldn't want to pay for that. Not a comment on the car as much as on the whole Shelby marketing ploy. He was a great guy in his day - I'll admit that much. Personally, I think the car is something special and will look forward to seeing which is the better car in the performance trials. I don't really care who wins - I like these types of cars being produced and hope to see some of them on the road in a couple years.

HAZ-Matt

Sometimes the answers are just a google search away.

When Ford was planning the new SVT Mustang around '05 it was indeed going to be called the Shelby Cobra GT500. Quite the mouthful. The preproduction cars were even reviewed by the magazines under that name. However, they decided to drop the Cobra bit before they went on sale. The badges stayed out of nostalgia.

There are many articles about "Ford Drops Cobra Name" from around that time period.

94LightningGal

"The ZL1 costs a nickel under $55,000."

Plus the gas guzzler tax.

"The Shelby GT500 currently costs a few bills under $54 grand."

Plus ZERO gas guzzler tax.

The 2013 GT500 will have ZERO gas guzzler tax, also. It's fuel economy rating is significantly higher than the ZR1 Vette.

OutsiderIROC-Z

Wow! I wouldn't have expected this.

colin911

guionM

Wow.....just, WOW!!

Just imagine going back... forget 20 years... just imagine going back just to 2003.

The supercharged Mustang Cobra was making a then amazing 390hp.

The most powerful Corvette was the 405hp Z06.

Dodge Viper just gained 40hp to make a mindbending total of 500.


Now, imagine going up to some car guy on the street and tell him in less than 9 years, he's going to be able to go into a Ford showroom....

...and buy a stock regular production Mustang....

...that has 650 horsepower......

...for the price of a mid level Corvette...

...whose fuel economy is high enough that it isn't even hit with a gas guzzler's tax!

You'd find yourself in a straightjacket and in the type of hospital you couldn't get out of unless the medical coverage expired.

94LightningGal

LOL, no kidding.

I believe the GGT on the ZL1 is supposed to be the same as it is on the CTSV. $1300 for the manual, and $2600 for the auto.

Ouch.

bossco

Yeah man, since MY2011 the GT500 has had no GGT.


Now if Ford will keep the price in check on the 2013 car.

OutsiderIROC-Z

Impressive indeed.