Next Corvette To Go Mid-Engine. Next Cobra...?

"Frank ess" wrote in news:G_ednUApILGyKUzbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Don't know what your problem is there, Frank, but you've got at least a few.

If you seriously thought that units sold is the sole mark of success, then you are either a high school kid or you are one naive sonofabitch. If neither is true, then you're just a friggin' troll.

Get off your ass and look up the facts for yourself.

Reply to
Joe
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Anonymous wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@hermetix.org:

Right. So post the production numbers, availability, and price for each, then get back to us.

D-oh..

Reply to
Joe

Or is the Magnum? Yeah, I've seen those. They are nice, but no thanks. If Ford is smart, they'll Magnumize the Mustang.

Reply to
John

From Edmunds -

PS - I think changing the Vette to a mid-engined car would be a move that "forgets" the heritage of the car, especially from what would most likely change about the styling proportions to accommodate such a move.

Corvette Goes Midengine? Not So Fast

August 23, 2007 Edmunds.com AutoObserver Posted by Michelle Krebs at 7:12 AM

Here we go again. Parts suppliers to automotive blog sites are atwitter about the prospects for a midengine Corvette. Indeed, that discussion

Reply to
Tony Alonso

Reply to
Tony Alonso

Actually Ford hasn't sold a GT40 since the 60's I think you are speaking about the NEW Ford GT Super Car...

The GT is similar to the original Ford GT40 cars, but bigger, wider, and three inches taller than the original 40 inches (1.02 m) - as a result of which, a potential name for the car was the GT43. Three production prototype cars were shown in 2003 as part of Ford's centenary, and delivery of the production Ford GT began in the fall of 2004

A British company, Safir Engineering, who made continuation GT40s in the

1980s owned the GT40 trademark at that time, and when they completed production, they sold the excess parts, tooling, design, and trademark to a small Ohio company called Safir GT40 Spares. Safir GT40 Spares licensed the use of the GT40 trademark to Ford for the initial 2002 show car, but when Ford decided to make the production vehicle, negotiations between the two failed, and as a result the new Ford GT does not wear the badge GT40. It is rumored that Safir GT40 Spares asked $40 million dollars for the rights, but this has never been verified. The partners at Safir GT40 Spares state they have correspondence from Ford declining Safir's $8 million offer. Early cars from the 1960s were simply named "Ford GT". The name "GT40" was the name of Ford's project to prepare the cars for the international endurance racing circuit, and the quest to win the 24 Hours of LeMans. The first 12 prototype vehicles carried serial numbers GT-101 through GT-112. The "production" began and the subsequent cars, the MkI, MkIIs, MkIIIs, and MkVs, numbered GT40-P-1000 through GT40-P-1145, were officially "GT40s". The name of Ford's project, and the serial numbers, thus show the story that "GT40" was only the car's nickname to be false.

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Reply to
My Name Is Nobody

They are not necessarily looking to create more power. What they're doing is creating efficiency. And efficiency creates more power. The problem is the more efficient they design things the more we consumers want -- more features, more safety and yes, more speed.

Exhibit T: Toyota Tundra

The Japanese have increased horsepower levels as much as the Big

3s.

Here's the latest Big-3 score card (using boxing analogies):

GM has, for the most part, got their shit together and are climbing up the rankings. They just can't pack an audience into the arena. The problem is everyone still thinks they're the punch-drunk company of old. But in fact, they've trimmed down and muscled up quite a bit. Look for them to be a real contender soon.

Ford is reeling on the ropes. However, they at least now have an eye on some of the incoming punches, so there's still hope they can weather the barrage. If they can land a few punches soon, they may buy themselves time to get their legs back. They're hoping they can starting putting a few punches together to start winning a some rounds.

Chrysler in the past has shown flashes of talent and tons of heart, but rarely can stay inside the ring long enough to win a fight. Just when they start winning a few rounds they get hit by a huge bomb and go flying through the ropes. The latest bomb was a crappy manager who left them flailing away without any direction, and then not wanting to see the outcome of the fight, left the arena. Their new manager who just took over looks like a clueless high-school gym teacher. Barring a Hail Mary miracle punch they'll soon take a horrific beating. We may even see a stoppage.

Patrick

Reply to
NoOption5L

The only thing that will move us off our dependency of oil is economics. All this global warming, go green babble is a money grab by Algore and a bunch of scientists from both sides. The price of oil is going to remain high indefinitely due to the explosive growth of several underdeveloped countries like China, India, Indonesia etc. China alone is going to be gobbling up crude oil at a rate even we here in the USA can't match. The oil producers can't suck oil out of the ground fast enough to feed two 800 lb. energy gorillas.

If oil prices go as high as I think it will in the next 10-15 years the consumer will create the demand for alternatives which, IMO, will first be hybrids and then full electrics with a small gas engine to charge and/or feed the batteries in a pinch. Once they get batteries that can recharge to more than 80% of capacity in less than five minutes the majority of the cars driven in the country will be all electric.

The great thing is that this doesn't mean the death of performance cars at all. In fact, I think it will usher in an era of performance the likes of which we can't imagine. We will have all wheel drive torque monsters that will have super low centers of gravity that will scare the hell out of us as we mash the throttle to the floor and enter curves at insane speeds and we live to tell about it.

BTW, the Japanese (i.e. Toyota) are embracing hybrids because they are the test beds for the all electric cars they know are coming. They just don't know when the price of gas is going to push the consumer over the edge to go for all electric vehicles. The fact we are accepting hybrids is the indication to them that the change will eventually occur but they know they have to move slow for now. Toyota is the smartest of the bunch because they are putting serious development resources into hybrid technology. Their next round of hybrids are going to be designed from the ground up as hybrids and not a retrofit of a gasoline only based vehicle. If the other automakers don't do the same Toyota will own the hybrid market for a long time to come.

Reply to
Michael Johnson

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