Razz1

I was planning on buying one until I saw the retro dash.

Sorry, don't want an old fashion dash. It's damn near like the 72 I had.

Then I looked at a 2004 used Mustang and realized its the same old thing over the last 30 years. Same interior no changes. It's cheap. Motor, Stereo but nothing else. Not even stero funtion on the steering wheel or outside temp gauge. Then everyone has a Mustang too. But I still like the Cobra.

Then I tested the RX8. Too bad we have a better car but no HP.

PoorCollegeKid

The driver of that Camaro doesn't have to worry half as much about wheel hop as one in an IRS RWD car does, which is a good thing performance-wise. Since his car also handles very well, I don't think that it'd be worth it for him to rip out his well tuned suspension and replace it with an independent design just because it's widely thought to be better handling wise. I mean, double wishbone suspensions are thought to be the best in terms of handling, but that doesn't mean that Porsche's can't handle the twisties well. I don't think that it really matters how much unsprung weight there is or what type of suspension a car has if the car gives results. People tend to get so caught up in technical terms and things that look good on paper that they ignore real world results. Tuning means almost everything when it comes to cars.

Take weight distribution, for example. People over here are excited that the RX8 has 50:50 weight distribution and believe (as I do) that it greatly improves the handling dynamics of the car. However, this doesn't mean that the Evo, with its 60:40 f:r weight distribution, must handle poorly because one statistic shows that it isn't "made" to be a good handling car. In fact, the Evo handles at least as well as the RX8 and probably even out does the lighter, better balanced Mazda in that department. This means that that Camaro, even with it's lowly solid rear axle, also out does a stock or even reasonably modded RX8 even though many of its statistics on paper may lead you to believe otherwise. Saying "Well, if you look at this number and this other one over here, you can see that it is really inferior" is like the Honda guys saying "Well, I only have a 2.0L engine, but it puts out 200hp so it's really better than your 400hp 5.7L V8" after they lost a race. You can't possibly argue that a superior machine is actually worse off than your car because of random numbers and terminology that you feel are important. The total package is all that matters, and as everyone knows and this Camaro proves, there's no one best way to make a great machine.

Detroit RX8

Neither was I until I got to drive the GT on a mock course.. Great car for the $$.. Only problem is it just isn't practical for a DD here in a state where it snows..

DOMINION

... Pick 2 likes like rice to me.

AbusiveWombat

Well said PoorCollegeKid

MikeW

That is good and all, but I live in the real world. and having a solid axle doesn't automatically negate the possibility of wheel hop.

G8rboy

If Ford really believed that a solid rear axle is the best thing for all that power, then why give the Cobra IRS?

AbusiveWombat

The point was not that a solid rear axle is the best solution but that a solid rear axle can have good handling. Good enough to beat one of the best handling cars for 30k in the SCCA solo2 nationals.

While a solid rear axle is not the ideal solution its there to cut the costs and keep the V6 around 20k.

Like PoorCollegeKid said above, look at the car as a whole rather than over analyizing it. Double wishbone may be the most favorable setup but there are many cars that do very well without it.

G8rboy

Don't get me wrong. I do like the 05 'stang as a whole... I think it's a huge improvement in many areas. Last year at this time I was considering waiting a year for this, or buying the RX-8... I fell in love with the 8 after the test drive and that was that. I just know from driving previous Mustangs that their handling (stock at least) was very poor compared to a balanced IRS setup (as a disclaimer, I had a fully tuned Miata that I use as a measuring stick, so I even think the stock '8 needs some improvements).

PoorCollegeKid

Just like having a solid axle doesn't automatically mean that the car will be overly unbalanced over rough surfaces and won't be able to handle as well as a car with an independent rear suspension. I'm glad that you see my point

Oh, and I said that the Camaro driver wouldn't have to worry about wheel hop as much as a driver of an IRS'ed car, not that he wouldn't have to worry about it at all. I don't think that I mentioned that a solid rear axle completely eliminated wheel hop, because this just isn't true as you seem to know. If you can show me where I said that, then I will apologize for my error, but until then please read and comprehend posts before shooting off a quick reply. Think of the bandwidth! :p

The Cobra got an IRS set up because the Cobra is meant to be more of a track car than the GT is and also doesn't suffer from the same price limitations. The Cobra is supposed to be Ford's version of the Corvette; that is, a relatively inepensive, great bang-for-your-buck track car with good all around performance. Ford certainly hadn't spend much time tweaking its solid rear axle for optimal handling when they released the '03 Cobra, so they went with a set up that they knew how to tweak and knew how to make perform up to their desired specifications beacuse they knew that not many people would spend $30k-$40k on a pure drag racer. The few people who would spend that much for a drag beast can and (sometimes) do swap out the IRS for a solid rear because of its proven strength and superior launching dynamics.

Murray16

It is really nice. Now. Wait for a month and count how many you see.

bean438

Wow, nice car, looks great and its a Ford so it should be reliable. I cant wait to sell my 8 and buy one.
American cars are better made than Japanese cars.

DOMINION

OK I seen a RED one on the road today and... Well I dont like it at all. It looks like a 65 fast back to me?. Yea it may have a ton of HP but as far as looks go...

Ophitoxaemia

there is a big difference here- it is a 3 link solid axle with a panhard bar, which is WAY better than the old 4 link quadra-bind suspension. it can be nearly as good as an IRS.

i am looking forward to driving the GT. if you took this car and went back in time to 1980, it would be the most super of any super car. even in 1990 it would have been unbelievable.

james

BlueEyes

What the heck does that mean! If I took my moms camry back to 1876 I would have been the fastest car around!!!

cortc

Seen a few on the road and drove one at one of our dealerships... A GT, drives OK; but the interior is made out of really cheap plastic. Looks like it was built by a toy company, it's actually cheaper than the out going model in terms of quality... I was very disappointed, I have had several GTs in the past including my last a 95...

legokcen

At first glance, it looked like a mid '90s 240 xs slammed into the back of a classic style mustang. I wasn't that impressed. I'll run by the dealer and drive one and see what it's like.

legokcen

LOL, thanks. That made my day!

VelociRedBeast

'how bout this..

BlueEyes

How about these,

Rouche and Steeda

Hibiki

I think Ford did a better job at trying to stay faithful to its American heritage. When Pontiac brought back the GTO they basically took an Australian design, slapped in a V-8 and called it the revival of an American classic. You have to give the designers a nod for not cheaping out that much.

Though after looking at the interior pics I'd wish that Ford jacked a foreign interior design instead of coming up with that retro monstrosity.

Elara

So I've now seen a few of these on the road, and I really can't tell what I think- it's a little bigger and squatter than I thought it would be...I saw one the other day and actually mistook it for a cadillac from the back.

shelleys_man_06

The Holden Monaro already had an LS1 inside. Hope that clarifies some things.

I saw a 2005 Mustang at a bank across the street from work, and I saw five for sale at a Ford dealer on the way to Austin. Oh yeah, and Ford had one on display when I attended MAES Symposium in Austin. Pictures don't do this thing justice. It's an awesome car, though I would never own one. I promise you it'll find many a happy home, whether it's a V6 or V8. Personally, I'll focus my chi energy on purchasing a 1984 Porsche 911 Cabriolet.