Ford's new designs....
 

I have to know if there is anyone out there who has fallen as much in love with Ford's new designs for the T-Bird and 2004 Mustang...

I can't say how proud I am the they are pushing the envelope on car design, and doing such a good job of it.

I know that buying a BMW might get you a better car, but I would MUCH rather be driving a 2003 Ford T-Bird than most other MUCH more expensive cars...:D

I agree. I love the new T-bird and the 2005 Mustang concept.

i haven't seen the T-bird but the Mustang looks sweet. GM needs to be taking notes, retards. the only thing they can manage to do is put the LS1 in a HOLDEN MONARO. i mean really.... and supposedly it's supposed to be "restyled after the first year to add hood scoops like the original GTO" but that's still a cheap-ass styling job. grow some balls GM! quit making us GM drivers look bad!

American companies as a whole seem to be failing us, in my opinion..

But Ford will restore 110% of my faith in them if they release the 2005 Mustang, without having it suffer the same wussification that strikes 95% per cent of cars before production.

Photo proof?

Concept:
http://www.autoworld.com/news/Mazda/minivan.jpg

Production:
http://sycomax.mpv-mazda.com/picture...es/at_rest.jpg



Concept:
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forum...onceptg002.jpg

Production?
http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...137_1_full.jpg

I really hope they change the mustang to look like that.

I can't stand most of their new designs (ford focus), but the mustang looks great.

The '05 Mustang looks incredible. If they don't bring it to production looking like that, it will be a crushing shame. Beautiful.

It is what a modern Mustang should look like.

Ugh. I can't stand the thunderbird, looks like pseudo-retrofuturistic crap.

The mustang, however... OH YEAH.

I really hate to say it, but Ford is doing so much right, even with the blunder of the new T-Bird. They're going the nostalgia route with a number of their new cars and concepts, and the consumers are going wild over it. GM had done nothing but produce lame-ass attempts at slapping an old name on an existing platform, sticking a N/A LS1 into it and patting themselves on the back. Their new SS concept got SPANKED in performance by the Ford concept, and the thing looks like a retarded RX8. Same thing with that hideous looking pickup which was supposed to have been on the market two years ago.

If that isnt bad enough, GM will now be using HONDA motors in their vehicles, starting with their "Malibu SS." They take one of the most coveted names in performance history and back it up by a N/A HONDA motor. Then there's the fact that GM refuses to put out any car that would challenge the performance numbers of the Corvette, until their flagship has come out with something even better.

What GM is doing is absolutely ridiculous, and its the reason that they're getting their ass kicked all over the place. The odds of me buying any new GM gets vaguer and vaguer every day.

I'd really like to see Ford make the Forty Nine, btw.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Say it ain't so!

Im driving a new t-bird retro and it drives as well as it looks

So your saying it drives like total, complete, and undeniable shit?:D

Honestly though, the new mustang looks rather nice, i really handle one of those..

If only ford could learn to put the mustang gt500 out again, i would get one.

The new Mustang looks sensational - GM has nothing to offer in comparison.

Down here, Holden (GM in Australian) has a pretty good reputation - but Ford has just come out with a new Falcon that craps all over what you guys know as the new GTO (Monaro in Australian) and its stablemates.

Even the current mustang shit all over GM's offerings.

Cant wait to see the new ones on the street.

Ford GT40
 

Have you seen the new GT40? That's a nice looking car. Way too expensive for me, obviously, but it looks beautiful.

Derek's Exotic Cars - GT40

GM using Honda motors? Please put down the crack pipes. Not in this lifetime, nor any others.

maybe it was mistaken for the Saturn SUV with the Honda engine.

Saturn SUV using Honda engines? I think not. The Saturn VUE uses a GM engine. Sure, it's GM of Europe, otherwise known as Opel, but it's still GM.

Think again.
_____

http://wardsauto.com/ar/auto_saturn_gets_honda

Saturn Gets a Honda Engine

By Drew Winter

WardsAuto.com, Jul 11 2002


General Motors Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. rocked the automotive world back in 1999 when they announced an agreement to share some technology and components. One provision of the agreement was for Honda to supply V-6 engines and transmissions to GM.

General Motors Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. rocked the automotive world back in 1999 when they announced an agreement to share some technology and components. One provision of the agreement was for Honda to supply V-6 engines and transmissions to GM.

Since then the rumor mill has been working overtime and had Honda engines in any number of GM Vehicles, including Cadillacs and Buicks.

This week our sister publication, WardsAuto.com, confirmed that the '04 Saturn Vue -- a small SUV -- will be GM’s first Honda powered vehicle. The engines will be built at the same factory in Ohio that builds V-6s for the Honda Accord, but they will be specifically engineered for Saturn.

It’s possible the Honda engine might also be used in the Saturn L-Series sedan, but a GM insider says it’s unlikely any other GM division will use engines that aren’t made by GM or one of its affiliates.

GT40 is now called the "FORD GT" due to naming rights.

As far as teh Mustang GT, I am already getting ready to buy one by selling my current mustang, dropping the duckets into a 6 month CD (so I dont spend the $$) and am going to put in an order as soon as the dealer starts accepting then. I just need to know the color palat..

snakeyes i dunno how good yer sight is but that a definite Mazda symbol on the bottom picture... Uh does ford own mazda? I dunno.

Love the tang, I'm a honda driver so mustangs haven't been my thing but I would pay full price for that tang!

yeah...
here's Ford's holdings:
Ford Motor Company is a global leader in the automotive industry, selling more than seven million vehicles annually in more than 200 markets worldwide. The company employs more than 370,000 people, and has 112 wholly owned, equity-owned and joint venture manufacturing plants in 30 countries on six continents. Ford has nine automotive brands — Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar, Mazda, Volvo, Aston Martin, Land Rover and TH!NK. In the U.S., Ford (including Visteon, its automotive components and systems subsidiary) employs over 173,000 employees and has manufacturing and assembly facilities in 47 cities in 14 states.

http://www.autoalliance.org/ataglance.htm lists some of the others, but does not include information on the relationships of Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, Honday/Acura.

If that isnt bad enough, GM will now be using HONDA motors in their vehicles, starting with their "Malibu SS." They take one of the most coveted names in performance history and back it up by a N/A HONDA motor. Then there's the fact that GM refuses to put out any car that would challenge the performance numbers of the Corvette, until their flagship has come out with something even better.

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"Facts are stupid things." -Reagan

and even if GM were to put a Honda motor in the Malibu, it'd be better than the wussy pile of crap they've got in it now. I couldn't believe it when I saw the new Malibu - I was expecting something really cool like the old Malibu used to be. Now it's just a generic family sedan piece of junk with a pedestrian engine and the standard GM cheap "acres of gray plastic" interior. The new Impala looks boring as well. At least the previous impala (the one with the Caprice body) could be excused as a great sleeper car, but the current Impala isn't that quick, its brakes suck royally, and it looks like yet-another-family-car.

I can't wait to see the GTO over here. Living in the States means I've never gotten to drive a Holden Monaro, but I've read a lot about it and it sounds like one hell of a car. Hopefully it will sell well here and the GM execs will figure out that the reason their sales suck right now is because many of their cars are basically the same thing. I mean, there's very little real difference between the Malibu, the Impala, the Lumina, the Grand Am, and the Caprice. They're slightly different sizes, but they all feel pretty much the same to drive - i.e. they're dogs in the performance world and their ride isn't ultra-plush, which means they're not going to make any target market 100% happy. The only thing I can say for the current Impala is that its interior is nicer than most GM products these days. The Grand Prix is just a large version of these cars. They're all boring, and the "ribbed for her pleasure" body cladding crap they put on a lot of their cars is a styling pukefest that should never have seen the light of day.

It's irritating because you look at cars like the Corvette and realize that GM knows how to build REALLY good cars (I'm talking the C5 here -the other versions were crap as far as build quality went), yet they seem to still think they can foist junk on the general public and the general public will still buy it simply because it's a GM product. Well that strategy is working with some people - I know a few who are die-hard GM fans and won't buy anything else even if GM only offers a pedal car, but their sales figures reflect that a lot of people are moving to other makers.

You guys know me as a honda guy, but if Honda started pulling the crap GM has been pulling for decades I'd drop 'em like a rock and find another company. My loyalty goes to the company that's making quality.

And BTW regarding Honda engines, even American car fans acknowledge that Honda makes some of the best engines on the planet. While they don't have the raw torque figures of the American engines, they're built much better than other company's engines and will on average last much longer. 200,000 and even 300,000 miles is really no big deal for a honda motor. I'm always hearing people with chryslers, GM's, and Fords (and Mitsu's, and BMWs, etc) talking about how their car has a LOT of miles on it when there's only 150,000 on the clock.

I'd love to be able to buy an American car. I'd really love to be able to buy a GM because they're low priced compared to other companies, but until they start making quality cars other than the corvette, which I can't afford, I'll keep buying Civics and Accords as my daily drivers.

Yeah, I hope ford will make the mustang into what it was in the 60's and early 70's. I think that the mustang now is basically a POS, are underpowered (excpet for the cobra) and the styling is uglier than hell. If ford can make their new mustangs any better, it will revive my faith in them :).

too bad they never did.
maybe shelby can work his magic again

It's okay, there is help out there. :D

I recently saw a pic of the Saleen T-Bird concept car. Gotta admit, that thing looked damn nice.

Umm...you guys...yea, you're all on crack.

When I saw the '05 Mustangs I nearly cried. They are the ugliest, pseudo-techno machines that Ford's ever put out. That day I went to my dealer and bought an '03 SVT Cobra before they destroyed them.

I love my Focus (SE sedan), as well as the European Ford cars (Ka, StreetKa, Euro Focus), but the new Mustangs...there are no words. Can't they leave well enough alone?

BTW - wave bubye to the T-Bird...ain't gonna be no more after this year.

Tbird looks pretty nice, but its a little bit over-priced, and you have to be a small person to fit in it comfortably. I really hate driving them with my head touching the roof.

Yep, the T-bird is getting the axe (again).

I'm a movie guy, and all that's been coming out lately is Prequels, Sequels, Remakes, and movies for already existing franchises, ie: Pirates of the Carribean, and EVERY COMIC BOOK MOVIE! It's strange, but i'm seeing the same fad in american car design. There's this huge trend in business that's working for the most part, and it's the idea that recognition is half of selling something. I think this ideal came from the dot com crash, if you didn't have a name, you were nothing, but we've still got the memorable ones, Yahoo, Amazon, etc. Now, take games, movies, cars, ANYTHING, and if you add something from the past, something you know already then ... bingo. I'm subject to it as well, i think the new 'stang is hot, but... i think 'stangs are shite so this won't change my mind. to me 'retro' its a publicity stunt turned common place in business. The T-bird is the sad proof that its simply selling tool, and a bad one at that, since its getting cut.

If the new RX-8 powerplant lives up to expectations don't be surprised to find it under a Ford hood in the future (Ford owns 25% of Mazda?)...

It really has nothing to do with the dot com ideal. Brand recognition is really important to business, part of that branding is how the franchise itself sells. Viacom has very recognized brands that you see and know immediately what it is. MTV is known world wide, when someone asks where I work I don't have to explain what product we have or what shows we produce. It's a recognized brand that is known internationally as the Coca Cola wave, and the Pepsi blue/red ball.

The Tbird just wasn't up to par with it's competition. There were better, smaller, more powerful machines that put the tbird in a position that it couldn't compete. Remember the Edsel, that was all marketing behind it, and it failed miserably. Sometimes that happens, it's all part of the game of business.

Im not a FORD lover but I gotta say that makes the Mustage look bad ass again, time to move away from woman car and compete with the Vette again.

As far as Ford doing the retro deal with the T-bird, and the up coming 2005 mustang... i am amazed that they are still trying their luck with it. The new T-bird is a good looking car but for the price they are charing for it I personally wouldn't buy it. And many people agree considering sales have not been so good so far.

I am not sure if it is the retro aspect or the price issue for sure... but if Ford plans on doing more retro deals ... it would be a good idea to look at the mistakes they ahve done with the T-bird.