Hanzo

It looks pretty badass IMO. I would buy one.

RX8Lover

that's a pure racer - i wouldn't want to live in that interior.

But you're right, the outside is pretty sweet.

XDEEDUBBX

i hate to admit it but that ***** pretty badass!

murix

Ford got this one right. It has their 500hp 302 crate motor in there.

bubble

Ford gets them right all the time. That's why the Cobra kicks the 8's *** all over the place.
I think the GTR looks like *** but I would be more than happy to sport that mother.

mental pimp

I heard its 440 HP, looks incredible!

wakeech

ugly as hell (worse than the new mustang), and just... really really ugly paint. really ugly. it's just so thick... i dont' mind the aesthetic, but it's just so thick and heavy compared to the classic shape that it's supposed to be emulating that it's just so hideous.

oh, one high point: the rear wing looks fab.

the interior is (almost needlessly) race car barren, if this went into production i'd hope that there'd be a smidgen more refinement, and things like AIRBAGS (no one really wants to wear 5 pt harnesses and a helmet driving around town, any more than they'd want nylon mesh for side windows).

people bitch about the low gas mileage of the 8, how well do you think that motor would do?? any better?? ha, no. how comfortable do you think the ride would be around town?? anything tolerable?? of course not (people bitched about the first gen RX-7's ride, and this bad boy is going to be way worse). with all that exposed painted metal, and people, y'know, tracking in sand and rocks it'd be only a (short) matter of time before the floor pan rots out (not an issue with a race car used for racing).

i could see this as a spec racer in an all-Mustang series, but there's no way they'd sell this as a production car. it's just another show car that makes you wanna say "oh i'd get that!!" (when of course you wouldn't) and buy a regular V6 Mustang with all the trimmings instead.

Hanzo

So negative, it is supposed to be a racecar. Definitely look purpose built. I just hope some of the aesthetics carry over to the new cobra version. This is a mustang not supposed to look sleek like RX8.

Boozehound

When did Ford start outsourcing their concepts to APC?

ricer meets muscle car <throws up in trash can>

Hanzo

I wouldn't call a racecar "rice". The wing is for down force in this example not paper weight.

zoom44

GTR? where did that nomenclature come? not Ford or any previous mustang that i can think of.

toss that racing wing, make the pipes go out the back instead of the side, move the race fuel filler down to the side where a normal car's would be( or bettter yet for the really retro feel put it at the rear back dead center so it wouldn't matter which side of the pump you pulled up to) . also drop the "GTR" and name it the GT500KR and it would be a worthy succesor to this car:

zoom44

anothr one

Hanzo

That's a street car not a racecar. Which is what the topic is about.

Boozehound

I'm gonna stick with rice because of the new body panels (thought we got away from the glued-on 99 mustang look...), the excessive creases and vents in the body work, etc. And there are several better ways to make a parkbench spoiler look good. In fact, I'm guessing there are better ways (at least aesthetically)to achieve downforce too. Race cars aren't ugly, but this one looks like a tarted-up GT that periodically goes to the track.

BTW, I'm not a mustang hater, I though the last Cobra-R was pretty awesome looking. Spoiler included.

zoom44

yeah i got that hanzo. i was answering wakeech's comments about-
"i could see this as a spec racer in an all-Mustang series, but there's no way they'd sell this as a production car. it's just another show car that makes you wanna say "oh i'd get that!!" (when of course you wouldn't) and buy a regular V6 Mustang with all the trimmings instead."

my reply is that if they did the things i am saying there would be people lining up to have a reincarnation of a GT500KR. but because he is canadian, wakeech is not able to understand that without me(or someone) pointing it out to him.

edit: i love the overall "feel" of this mustang and think with a couple of tweaks it could easily be made production worthy.

jonnyb

its a ******* racecar, it doesnt have to look good.



last i heard, shelby was supposed to come out with an anniversary edition gt500 that looks identical to the one from gone in 60 seconds.

Prod

The front end is sickening. The spoiler looks a bit too riced to me. The dual exhaust out the sides is cool. I read about it at www.caranddriver.com it's supposed to be a racecar concept, not a production model.

bubble

It has no interior. If no stereo, no sound deadening, no insulation, no carpet, led readouts & no air conditioner doeen't say "racecar" then I don't know what does.

Hanzo

You said it there, "look good", I don't think they care as long as it works.

Hanzo

It's father:

Boozehound

And it's "father" looks waaaay better. Prod is right, I think the front clip is what's defining it's looks. If it's all race and no street, why the bumper? It's clearly not a stock piece...

Johnny B & Hanzo-

And as to not caring whether or not it looks good so long as it's functional - this car will probably never see the track - it's goal is to get people all excited and into the ford house. I'm all for functionality at the expense of aesthetics if it means winning races, but this car could've looked better IMO. And this isn't a racecar, it's a pseudo racecar. It's only real job is to sit there and look pretty.

And aesthetics are periodically addressed on racers - Tell me where are the "disrupters" or whatever they were called on F1 cars that used to be on the side pods that stuck up to the height of the rear wing? Gone. Why? Too ugly - they're now outlawed.

Bubble - so if I go tear the interior out of my 8 and put a recaro in there, a 5 point harness, and a monster spoiler on the deck, does that make my car a racecar? No. There are more factors than a freaking INTERIOR in a racecar.

Here's the real question - if Ford was going to build something for the track and real competition, would it look exactly like this?

Hanzo

Got this from the press release:

"Nearly ready for a variety of race series, or could be offered to weekend warriors as an affordable, factory-supplied race package."

The full doc is here.

Hanzo

You mean these things?



They still use them, they are for aerodynamics purpose.

Boozehound

Actually, those aren't what I was referring to. It looked like a mirror that came straight out of the pod up to the height of the spoiler and had a smaller wing that looked to be about 4-5" long on it. I understand why it was there, but the sanctioning body stepped in.

Boozehound

From the PDF:
"The Mustang GT-R could be adapted to conform to different series and budgets but, in this variation, serves as a dream machine"

A few other things from the Ford info:
- It really isn't a ground up racecar - it's 85% from the new GT.
- I can't believe it has a solid rear axle for what's supposed to be some wicked road course car... Even the current Cobra has IRS. I understand the solid rear axle for drag racing, but what's this car trying to be?


I'll tell you what, if they do race it (other than drag) and it actually starts winning events consistently, I might change my tune about it's looks - come to think of it, I really like the superbirds of 60s....

One last thing - did you see how the ford info ended?

"This unrivaled driving excitement will continue to come at an attainable price. The base V-6 model will remain the best rear-wheel-drive car for under $20,000; the Mustang GT will be the most affordable 300-horsepower performance car in the market.
Ford and legions of worldwide fans will celebrate Mustang’s 40th anniversary April 17, 2004, in Nashville, Tenn., at a birthday party hosted by the Mustang Club of America.

The 2005 Mustang will hit showrooms in the fall of 2004. It will be built at the AutoAlliance International assembly facility in Flat Rock, Mich., just miles from its current home at the Dearborn Assembly Plant on the Rouge River.

Pricing will be announced closer to launch."

Now what was this car for again?