2007 Shelby GT500 Convertible News!
December 14th, 2005 by CobraMatt
It seems the 2007 Shelby Mustang GT500 will be making it’s magazine cover debut with Road&Track in the February 2006 edition. Road&Track will feature the article written by Matt DeLorenzo with an interview from Carroll Shelby along with never before seen photos of the prototype mule with no racing stripes.
A little excerpt from the article, Carroll Shelby tells it like it is, “For horsepower, performance and price, I don’t see anything else out there,”, talking about the competition for the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible. “I don’t know anywhere you can get nearly 500 honest horsepower with four seats.”
The Shelby Mustang GT500 is estimated to have 475-horsepower and zero to 60 mph times in the 4.5 second range. Also in the article they estimate the convertible price to be around $44,000. Does this mean a sub $40K price tag for the Coupe? We will have to wait and see.
Elvis Says
Boy do I want one of these. What is the best strategy to get one for sure? I have already put my name on a list with the dealer but I have not heard a thing. I have not signed anything or given any money. Is there anything more to do than sit and wait?
Dec 15th, 2005 at 8:26 am
Roger Says
I wish I knew. Put my name on the list in August. First to do so. It will be very limited production. My dealer said they probably will auction it if they get one.
Dec 20th, 2005 at 8:03 am
JOE Says
MY NAME IS ON THE LIST AT MY LOCAL FORD SVT DEALER BUT WILL BE SOMETIME IN EARLY 2006 BEFORE ORDERING INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE TO EVEN ORDER ONE. CAR 7 DRIVER ARTICLE SAYS PRODUCTION TO START IN JUNE 2006.
Dec 25th, 2005 at 10:00 pm
TBone Says
This is true. I have my name on the waiting list at my local svt dealership. But they have no info on msrp or options. It will be mid 2006.
Dec 26th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
Mark S Says
I too have my name with an outstate (rural) dealership. I called around the Minneapolis area (450 mile radius) and learned quite a bit about the availability of the 2007 Shelby Mustangs.
Ford has announced production level of approximately 5000 to 7000 units during calendar year 2006 with deliveries slated to start after June 2006. Now, the SVT dealers will be allotted a minimum of 2 units. Regular Ford dealerships will only get 1. Some higher volume SVT dealerships could receive additional volume beyond 2 units. FYI there are approximately 3000 Ford dealerships (including SVT) in the U.S. and Canada.
You really need to call around to find a dealership to work with. Some dealership owners are purchasing one Shelby Mustang for themselves, leaving fewer units for us consumers. Some dealerships are going to auction off the Shelby Mustangs to the highest bidder. Others are going to charge $10k to $20k over MSRP (sticker price) and simply go down the list of potential buyers until the inflated Mustang is sold. Others are having a lottery whereby everyone’s name from the list is put into a hat and the lucky winner is drawn. Others are only charging MSRP (list).
Good luck, I made many calls before finding a rural dealership with no list started yet who was willing to sell me the Shelby at MSRP. The other posts are correct, there is no ordering information from FoMoCo until sometime later in January.
Dec 29th, 2005 at 3:49 pm
BIG BAD WOOD Says
SO LONG MOPAR………………………………………………………………. HELLO MUSTANG, WHO WANTS A ….. 4 DOOR CHARGER WHEN YOU CAN HAVE A REAL SHELBY MUSTANG !!!!
THIS IS A BETTER IDEA !!!
I’M HEADED TO MY FORD DEALER TODAY $$$$$$$$
Dec 30th, 2005 at 11:38 am
JT Says
Local Ford dealer in Scarsdale NY is alloted 2 of the 2007 GT500s next year and they want $25K over sticker…$65,000 for a Mustang, they must be crazy!!! Good luck to anyone out there who thinks they can get one at MSRP.
Dec 31st, 2005 at 8:33 pm
Stan Johnson Says
I wonder if GM is still saying that the reason for the demise of the Camaro is because there is no longer a market for “pony cars” ? Ford is living the success of the retro performance Mustang and the consumers are getting what they want.
Jan 1st, 2006 at 10:59 pm
Ken Brougher Says
Ford is going to limit the number of 2007 GT500 Mustangs? They must be crazy since they are on the verge of going bankrupt. Why don’t they sell all they can?
Jan 2nd, 2006 at 11:53 am
Ronnie Jenkins Says
I would also like to see Ford build more of these cars.I don’t really care if they build 50,000 of them, I just want one.I have been on about 12 different dealers lists since April, but none of them could guarantee me a chance to order one.I called one dealer today to check on the news but he told me they still don’t know anything.
Jan 6th, 2006 at 12:08 pm
Darrell Tomol Says
Ford had made a statement about 2 months ago, saying they would build as many gt500 as they could sell, on the other hand the dealer in New Jersey where i have had a deposite since april says the gt500 is in limited supply. THE DEALER SAYS IM GUARANTEED A GT500 BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED THERE ALLOCATION FROM FORD..
Jan 10th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
pavan Says
crazy mustangs dude!
ove ‘em
Jan 11th, 2006 at 5:11 pm
Grant Parisi Says
We just took delivery of 2 new Fords Range Rover and Jag S Type R But I still hope to hear from my local SVT Dealer with some good news that this GT 500 will be available in greater numbers than everyone is eluding to. I really, really, want one.
Jan 17th, 2006 at 11:09 am
Andrew Says
mopar is gone
GM gave up
Mustang is king
Jan 17th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
eric Says
i’m glad that ford is going to build this car.i was feeling alittle bad,because i did’nt get my had on the 03-04 Cobras,and was debating on whether i should buy one,but i think i’m going to wait for this car.i’m very happy to see that they’re not comming with the 4.6Litre,but instead have the 5.4L.this will definitely blow away the C6 vette!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jan 24th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
jim Says
according to ford people at detroit auto show production should be around 14,000 and look for boss and mach 1 versions in the near future with even more horses.
Jan 28th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Allen Says
I heard a rumor that Ford is only going to make 5 or 6K of htem and that dealers will be able jack up the prices by 20K. Somebody please tell em this isn’t going to be ture.
Jan 30th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
Matt Says
After returning from IRAQ I recently purchased an 06 GT premium edition in yellow and in the deal told the dealership that I wanted the factory Ford double black stripes bumper to bumper. I received my Pony after they had put the stripes on only to find that they were wavy, crooked , and looked horrible, oh and lets not forget to mention that they used a razor knife on the paint to trim them. They have tried to fix it 4 times now!!!, and there are 4 sets of scratches in the paint were they trimmed the stripes each time. Well long story short, they have completely ruined my brand new car. These stripes were not after market, I bought the car and the deal was for a yellow car with black stripes from the dealership, all brand new even before I drove away. I am in the process of legal matters to have my car replaced or bought back. Welcome Home!!! Well I started looking around and when I found out that they were releasing the GT500 my heart dropped. I would give anything to own that car. Well I hope what all of you are saying is not true, that Ford produces enough to go around, and that the dealers don’t got nuts with jacking the prices up. I know what the bang for the buck is with this car, but to some of us 40K is just inside the realm of possible, where 65K just isn’t possible at all. So I was wondering, anybody have any thoughts on me asking Ford if instead of buying my Pony back, or giving me a replacement because of mine being trashed by the dealership, if they would let me pay the difference for a GT500 when I get to litigation? What do you guys think? I don’t even know if something like that is doable.
Soldier with a stomach ache
Feb 13th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
b.z.dearden Says
it sure seems like another ford dealer rip off for the new gt500 mustang msrp was to be $39,900 not 50,000 or 60,000.what a wonderful ford better idea.
Feb 15th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
C0braFan Says
There are a lot of decent, honest dealerships out there if you just keep looking. Seems like every dealership is totally different, some of these guys are jacking up the price because they are getting a ton of calls from potential customers, and would feel stupid giving away a GT500 for MSRP when there’s a feeding frenzy going on. Wouldn’t you do the same?
I got really lucky finding a SVT-certified dealership owned by Penske (UnitedAuto) that has a strict MSRP policy, way back in March-05 and I’m first on the pre-order list with a $500 down payment. It’s been an unbelievably long wait compared to some guys who just found out about the new GT500’s and are trying to get in on it.
Ford really shouldn’t sell too many of them because that would ruin the unique value of this car. They are just planning on production at around the same rate for the 03-04 Cobras, around 7,000 to 10,000. If you think about it, Ford stopped production of the Ford GT even though sales were still strong. So the GT500 is now the top-of-the-line Ford performance car for 2007.
Feb 16th, 2006 at 1:18 am
Steve Says
Don’t look now, but Dodge is cooking up a 6.1L Mopar Challenger that’ll give Shelby a run for the money. Gotta love this… it’s beginning to feel like the 70’s all over again!
Feb 23rd, 2006 at 5:22 pm
Larry Says
It took me nearly a month, but I beat the pack and reserved my GT500 Hardtop. Dealers who will be receiving an allocation of Shelby’s (dealers are generally going to receive 0-10 cars, depending on their sales volume). I actually located a small dealer in New Jersey who is allocated one hardtop and one convertible. I placed a $10,000 refundable deposit to guarantee delivery of the hardtop. I also agreed a flat mark-up of $10,000 above the manufacturer’s sticker price. Though that may seem high on spec, past experience shows its a reasonable mark-up…especially since the car is coming to the UK where upon arrival it will be worth at least double its US dollar sale price : )
Feb 25th, 2006 at 3:00 am
Dan In Raleigh Says
I saw the ford allocation letter at a local dealer (Raleigh NC) this last weekend. 2007 production is 7500 vehicles, but they have not put numbers on how many of those are hardtops and convertibles. This dealer is one of the biggest ford dealers in the country and they said they were guaranteed 4, and might get 5. They will definitly be limited.
Feb 27th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
bob scarborough Says
it is all about supply and demand boys. if you want to be the 1st on your block, you will pay a price, so I say, let the rich guys get them 1st and the us poor guys can wait until the dust settles and get the best for less! you see this all the time in this industry. vipers, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, the ford GT (heck maybe chevy will make something cool someday)and they all sell over sticker. why because they can. I will be glad to wait 6 months to save 25 grand. but until then, to the rich guys….Can I have a ride??? Bob
Mar 7th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
DONNIE ROBERTS Says
just heard from ford dealer on march 7 that ford district manager for southeast says shelby will not hit dealership’s before november of this year. anyone else hearing this?
Mar 8th, 2006 at 11:04 am
Larry Says
Haven’t heard this…and gosh I hope not! My dealer received his order book yesterday and they expect their order slot to be in about two weeks time. Of course, I know nothing of what any of this means, its only what I’ve been told by the sales manager at the dealer where I’ve placed my deposit. Please update with anything else you hear!
Mar 9th, 2006 at 2:55 am
Larry Says
I think that was a false alarm. Even Ford’s official promo video http://www.fordvehicles.com/autoshow/?submitImg=vehicle30 states that the first Shelby’s will arrive at dealers this summer. There hasn’t been, to my knowledge, any official word this has been delayed. Besides, its cold in November!
Mar 9th, 2006 at 3:14 am
ms Says
ford have spoilt the look on this one not buyin it dont like the looks
Mar 9th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Moe Says
I sure would hate to go through a ton of trouble and a lot of money only to have a better Mustang model come out a few months later. Does anyone know what the future has in store?
Mar 9th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Mike Says
I just placed my order yesterday at my dealer. He is not sure how many he can order, but mine is the first one. I ordered it in “Alloy Metallic” thought he has no photos of what that color is. Just thought it would be some kind of silver.
Mar 14th, 2006 at 7:30 am
DONNIE ROBERTS Says
mike of march 14th. do all dealers have ordering info now? my dealer in southeast said they would contact me as soon as ford gave them ordering info and obviously i have not heard from them. congratulations, glad you have yours ordered!
Mar 14th, 2006 at 8:59 am
Gthipo Says
Just found out Colorado Red was changed to Torch Red ,(GOOD MOVE).
Also Yellow was Droped(GOOD MOVE ALSO) I have had a deposit for over a month and can’t find out any thing on when I can place the order,whats up?I read on E Bay this morning that Ford has a order guide on the fordweb that any dealer can go on and start to put orders in the system?
Whats up?……… get ur done,……wheres the Shelbys?
Mar 14th, 2006 at 10:02 am
Ron Says
Any ideas as to where the “mark-up” will fall on the hardtop or convertible?
My local dealer will be listing a hardtop for 25K over MSRP. Several locals think one could make a nice profit if you can obtain one for 10k over. What are some other opinions.
Mar 15th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
jon Says
Yuk! They’ve runined the GT500!
Mar 19th, 2006 at 4:25 am
Dan In Raleigh Says
Raleigh dealer told me $10K over list. They also said other dealers were doing other “deals” which could be higher or lower than what they were going to charge. They called last week and told me they were sending an info packet, but I have not seen it yet.
That makes this purchase a difficult decision. Do you buy and pay a significant premium, or wait and maybe still pay the premium… or maybe not.
Some people may say you will make a lot of money if you buy one and sit on it, but I have watched cars for many years, and I dont believe that there are many cars that appreciate after sale for the first 5 to 20 years. Sure 60s muscle cars are doing great right now… but they are 30 years old, and were not worth very much in the interim.
We had a car show in Raleigh this last weekend where they had one of the GT500 mules on a carosel and talked a lot about it. I had been hyped about the car, till I saw this one. In person, it really did not wow me. It might have been because they said in their adds it would be a convertible, and then it was a hardtop. But overall, I am starting to wonder if 475 horses, some really great breaks and the Shelby name plate are really worth an extra $25K over a GT. Other than that, it looked pretty much like a GT with ahood hump.
But then, its got almost as much HP as a C06, and it is $15-20K less, and a convertible. (at least the one I want)
Also, one of the sales guys there was saying that the insurance companies have already found the GT500 and are planning to make you pay significant premiums for insurance too.
Its just hard to cypher.
Mar 22nd, 2006 at 12:49 pm
Mike Says
For all of you who are on a list with your local dealers, do what I did and get a sales contract signed with a deposit or you might be sorry. They have to sell me one. Word is that the one’s on ebay are dealers trying to sell there up coming orders and that could cause all the one’s on lists to lose.
Mar 25th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
WP Says
$48 to $50K is what I was quoted, I paid a deposit and got a signed sales contract.
Allocation is what it’s all about for the dealers, I have my name in with three SVT dealers here in the San Francisco Bay Area and the smallest one called me on 3/13 when they recieved the Major Product Summary. They said they will probably only be allocated one or two GT500’s. The other two dealers haven’t called yet, are they keeping their options open, probably??? $8-10K over est. sticker is a lot to pay for the privlige of getting an early one, but I can see some dealers will hold out for more $$$
Anyone seen a picture of a GT500 in Grabber Orange (code U3)? Post link if you have.
Mar 26th, 2006 at 3:33 am
Mike Says
WP try this site for grabber orange.
http://www.autoweek.com/files/specials/2005_newyork/mustang/pages/1.htm
Mar 27th, 2006 at 1:46 am
Larry Says
My dealer has one GT500 hardtop coming (which is guaranteed by sales contract to me) and one convertible allocated, which has not yet been sold. Anyone interested in the convertible would be required to pay a fully refundable deposit of $10K and agree to pay $10K above MSRP to be guaranteed the car. If interested, post a reply with contact info and I’ll contact you offline with dealer contact information.
Mar 28th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
jordan Says
omg i soooo want one of these cars like really bad!!!
Mar 30th, 2006 at 9:40 am
al Says
i just ordered a red convertible yesterday w/the interior upgrade, satellite radio, stereo upgrade. cost is 10 grand above msrp. delivery is forcasted for late august.
regarding demand for these down the road, that remains to be seem. remember the silver/black 78 corvette pace cars. they folded pretty fast on the high prices.
Mar 30th, 2006 at 9:59 am
DONNIE ROBERTS Says
anyone paying list + has more money than patience (brains) and certainly do not mind losing a bundle on the car. ford is going to build at least 13,000 maybe more. as they put it, it depends on demand. as two different dealers told me this week, be dumb and in a hurry or wait 4-6 months and buy the shelby under normal circumstances like any other car. most dealers are putting out info to the public that is just not true. ford wants to sell as many as possible. if you can talk to a ford official at least at the regional level you will start to good a more reasonable idea of what is going on. so for all you rich folks go ahead and pay the extra and enjoy the car. see you in mine about 6 months later!
Mar 31st, 2006 at 9:07 am
Michelle Says
Well, Donnie I really hope your correct. I must ask have you talked a ford official at the regional level to confirm this? I really hope so. We all want one, and a lot of us want to be able to afford it also.
Apr 3rd, 2006 at 11:37 pm
DONNIE ROBERTS Says
michelle, as you would expect, i have not spoken directly with the regional rep. however, i am working with 2 medium size dealers who have volunteered the info discussed with ford rep. ( i am dealing with the owners, not a sales rep) who have been very honest with me from the start. they are only getting two vehicles in the beginning. they have told me all along that i might not get one of the two at list because of people willing to pay list+. they did so though, that they will get me a car at list if i am willing to wait a few months which i will clearly do, as you cannot expect to recover list+ for any kind of ford. again, for people with money it does not matter to them that it is a bad investment. they just want the car. can’t fault them for that!
Apr 4th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Dan In Raleigh Says
Ford has only forecasted 7000-7500 shelbys for ‘07. (I saw the letter saying 7000) They are limited by the ability to build the motors and have to forecast the parts, so I dont think we will see 13000. Dont know if they will build more in ‘08. They may switch to a Boss 5.4 or something like that, and stop the run on Shelbys.
But who knows.
Apr 5th, 2006 at 8:44 am
James Miller Says
I ordered mine last week and was also told there were only going to be 7000 this year. Of those, all but 2435 were already promised. Each dealership is supposed to get one and presidential or SVT certified dealerships may add one or two according to my information. Good Luck waiting it out. I am one of those people willing to pay a little more to have what I want.
Apr 15th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
David in Houston Says
I ordered mine through a small dealership. They say they are only getting one. I have made hundreds of calls, found some one who had a relative at the Romeo Engine plant and asked how many engines Ford ordered. Your not going to believe this, but 150,000 5.4 3V supercharged. My next question was what other vechicle was Ford going to put that motor in. I just don’t see Ford making that many Shelby’s. F-150 lighting and Harley truck is my guess. I have some one looking into how many motor mounts that Ford has requested for the 5.4 3V supercharged for the Mustang platform. Also, two cranks have failed in the Dyno room at Romeo and production has been delayed until Sept. Ford is not going to let that car out with problems.
Apr 20th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Danny Hyde Says
I paid 4000 depoist in Aug. of 05 .but i was able to order my car in mid March
for a July delivery as of 4/18/2006 build date from Ford will be last week of June price was 5000 over msrp dealership owner is a personal friend
in rual Ga
Apr 21st, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Danny Hyde Says
I paid 4000 depoist in Aug. of 05 .but i was able to order my car in mid March
for a July delivery as of 4/18/2006 build date from Ford will be last week of June price was 5000 over msrp dealership owner is a personal friend
in rual Ga order code 820A
Apr 21st, 2006 at 2:08 pm
Paul Judson Says
You guys paying anything over list have more money than brains, this is one time i am glad i live in canada. Up here it is a gainst the law to sell over MRSP. So although it may be harder to get the price for once will probably cheeper in Canada. Caint wait to get mine ordered.
PJ
Apr 24th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
joe Says
you will be lucky to see these cars before the fall. specs were just released on March 13. That does not mean you can order one. The order banks are not accepting any orders right now. The other thing is they will go to the highest bidder. We have to eat to. Your best bet would be to buy a 2006 gt saleen pac or the gt rousch…these go for about 70k..it will look like bargain compared to a cobra…good luck…
Apr 26th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
Thomas M. Rose Says
The S.A.A.C will have the 07 Shelby in the registry. Performance wise,
this Shelby is so much more than the Classic Shelbys. I don’t think it’s likely, that the price is going to come down. Classic Shelbys are not coming
down in price, and although this 07 is new, I wouldn’t be suprised if this Shelby becomes one of the most prized Shelby’s to own. I’m not a gambler, so I have my order in now. Best of luck to all!
Apr 26th, 2006 at 10:49 pm
WP Says
August or September is what my dealer is saying on delivery. Joe is correct, you can put a deposit on one but the the dealers can’t put a order in for one yet, they haven’t recieved the order forms for the Cobra.
Apr 30th, 2006 at 11:56 am
David in Houston Says
Romeo engine plant will not ship motors until the damper on the front of the motor comes back from the engineers. Shelby’s will not be here before Sept. 06. I have my VIN # but that doesn’t mean anything. Ford eta’s don’t mean a thing either.
May 20th, 2006 at 11:51 am
troy Says
Ok a new video on the net has just said they will for sure make 7,500 shelbys a year but if the demand is high enough they will make 10,000 a year so people calm down there will be enough for everyone.
May 27th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
CobraMatt Says
I agree troy, there will be plenty at MSRP a few months after the initial supply comes out. I can wait a few months to pay MSRP
May 27th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
Larry In Evergreen Says
I ordered mine and have the confirmation from the Ford ordering system. The deliveries start June 5th. I don’t know whether pricing will drop or not. Many dealers have put 50 or more people on their lists and they will only get 2-8 cars.
May 30th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
SoutheastMIguy Says
Personally saw 10-12 converts and 25+ hardtops in the lot at assembly plant in Flat Rock last week. Look ready to roll unless waiting for drive train parts.
Jun 3rd, 2006 at 6:18 am
Bert Says
Troy,
Where’s the video on the net you are talking about?
Jun 5th, 2006 at 1:31 am
Mikey Says
The dealerships have not been authorized from Ford to receive pre-orders, although it is happening.
I agree, just gonna wait a few months, the car is guaranteed to be made for the next 3 years, if demand calls for it, up to 10,000 per year…
Jun 12th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
Arno Wiens Says
This car is 1 of the most beautyfull cars in the world
Jun 16th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
WP Says
The dealers can now take orders for the GT500, I entered my order and recieved my “Vehicle Order Confirmation” with my name on it on Wednesday 6/14.
I ordered a coupe, black with black interior, I deleated the top stripes and just went with the side stripes in the Tungsten color. I opted for the premium trim package but not the Shake 1000 stereo or the Sirius satellite radio.
My base price with option is $43,570, the dealer mark-up is $10,000; total out the door with tax (8.5%) and license will be just under $59,000.
My dealer says that the production line for the GT500 will start running July 3 and delivery should be 6-8 weeks after that, so mid to late August.
A side note, I had my name in with three dealers here in the San Francisco area, the one that I placed my order with I gave a $5,000 deposit to in March (see my post above), I can’t say that I’m happy paying a $10,000 premium but the other two dealers that I was talking to both wanted $25,000 dealer mark up. Some of you “wiseguys” may say that I have more money than brains but I’ll be driving my GT500 when you guys that are waiting for the price to drop are sitting around hoping and guessing that there will be any GT500’s left for you to buy…
BOLD MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jun 16th, 2006 at 11:50 pm
Shelby101 Says
Has anyone noticed that the recent pictures of the rear show SHELBY in smaller letters on the top left area verses spread accross the entire trunk area??
Anyone know what the final lettering will be??
Jun 21st, 2006 at 11:25 am
Shelby101 Says
Answer; according to SVTOA Performance group, the change was due to 2 factors.
1. added a 3rd tail light which original prototype did not have
2. The over the top striping is Vinyl and the letters do not stick well.
Not, vinyl also has plasticiser which will eventually dry out and chip. This is my past experience.
Jun 21st, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Kevin Says
Ford is is crazy to let their dealers rip people off for the GT500. The whole scene just leaves a bad taste in my mouth about the Ford brand, even though I am not even in the market for this car. It’s the tail (dealers) again wagging the dog, at the expense of public goodwill.
The GT500 “feeding frenzy” is understandable given large the number of people out there who can afford to pay 30-50% more just to have something that no one else can get their hands on. As others have said, good luck getting the price premium back if you sell the car in a few years. By that time, Ford’s competitors will have a lot more muscle cars from which to choose.
Even if I wanted to pony up an extra $15-25K for the new pony car, there are many other high performance cars that I would consider today for the price of the GT500 after that kind of price premium is applied. I owned a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang and my brother had both a ‘66 GT350 and a DeTomaso Pantera (mid-engine 2-seater with Ford 351 motor). At the time, those cars were all pricey but affordable. More to the point, they didn’t have as much competition at their respective price points as the GT500 has today at its inflated price.
The game may change far faster than U.S. manufacturers anticipate. The Japanese may even get into the muscle car game. Muscle cars are now a high-demand, high-margin segment, partly thanks to the millions (billions?) of dollars that Ford, GM and Chrysler have collectively spent promoting their new high-tech hot rods. Remember, Honda (as much as I detest that brand) has a strong international racing reputation that they are beginning to play up in their advertising. Who knows what they have up their sleeve? Generation Xers and Millennials are more likely than Boomers to consider Asian muscle cars.
Considering Ford’s financial position and their concerns about the future of the company, they should be making every effort to polish their brand reputation and win loyalty to Ford brands. They missed opportunities years ago with the redesigned Thunderbird by letting dealers charge customers thousands over MSRP. The T-bird is an entirely different class of car but it was the same dynamic: low supply and high demand with dealers taking advantage of consumers at the expense of the brand. I know three people that walked away and bought another brand of car. They never got a T-Bird. In fact, two of the three never bought a Ford again.
Saturn has the right idea with its new, heavily pre-marketed SKY 2-seater. Very nice car for the money. And it IS designed to meet a price point. If you get much above $30K, many other 2-seaters all of a sudden become more interesting. A dealer in Minneapolis told me that Saturn absolutely will not allow its dealers to charge over MSRP for this car. Smart move. Sell as many as you can make, then take orders for next year and the year after that. People that really want one will pay a higher but fair MSRP, and they will wait.
As for the GT500, why not require Ford dealers to sell at MSRP, then place each month’s orders in a national lottery run by a third party auditing firm? Ford can keep taking orders for as many high-margin GT500s as they can sell at MSRP, and make as many as fast as they can year after year, perhaps allocating some of their manufacturing space to GTs at the expense of those middle-of-the-road sedans that they make that still don’t compare well with Japanese and Korean sedans for the same money.
As for the need for Ford to balance its overall fleet mileage to meet Federal guidelines, the high-paid Ford execs in Detroit shoudl be able to figure something out. Start a high-performance subsidiary or something. Lobby the feds to change the rules. They and our government need to get more creative to beat the Asian auto juggernauts. That is, unless Ford wants to be bought by an offshore competitor like Chrysler did. Somehow I think that Henry Ford would roll over in his grave and come back to haunt Bill, Jr.
Jul 2nd, 2006 at 8:43 am
WP Says
Good post Kevin. There are a lot of reasons for the GT500 “feeding frenzy”, I suspect after this summer the dealers will be hard pressed to charge the premiums that they are getting today. From eveything I’ve heard and read the GT500 will be available at least into the 2008 model year; if I was a betting man I’d say come Nov. or Dec. you’ll be able to order one at MSRP, that is, if there are any 2007’s left to be had???
Did paying a $10,000 dealer markup sour my taste for the Ford brand? No, this will be my second new Ford vehicle purchase in 6 years and my wife is eyeing that new compact SUV Ford has. Yes, it will take me longer to recoup the $10K markup, but I’m buying my GT500 to keep under cover in my warehouse and drive occasionally for pleasure only on sunny California days.
I’m not looking at this purchase as an investment, if I were, I probably would turn it right now and make a quick $10-12K selling it on eBay; as one did auction close for $69,995 two weeks ago on a blue/white stripped loaded GT500 from someone (a dealer I suspect) that claimed to have an assigned V.I.N. number. My order (see my above port from 6/16) was assigned a V.I.N. number on 6/29.
No, I would guess that it will be 10+ years, maybe more, to recoup the MSRP on a 2007 GT500; to those of us paying over MSRP, longer…much longer and if you are looking at it as an investment, you’re best advise to keep it mint with little milage, so you won’t be enjoying it as much as you’d like to, at least not road time.
Although, the GT500 has it’s investment strengths, 500 HP!!! The most ever in a production Mustang, the end of the SVT brand and the possibility that this will be the last SVT designed Mustang, the retro body design of this generation is a winner both astetically and as a performance sport car platform. All that adds up and could pay you back very nicely someday, maybe?
Ford can’t be bought, Jr.’s ego won’t allow it.
GM is another story, what about a Nissan / GM merger??? Or a GM merger with China, WOW! That would be huge!!!
Jul 2nd, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Z06 Baby Says
GM gave up
Mustang is king
Really? I can’t wait until you roll up on my Z06 and get walked……..:)
Jul 6th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
CobraMatt Says
Will a GT500 get walked, not sure about that. A Z06 will win but not in that fashion. A few mods to the GT500 (ie..smaller pulley, exhaust, air intake, throttle body, etc..) and the Z06 will be nothing but eye candy in the rearview mirror.
Jul 6th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
WP Says
July’s Car & Driver reports the following:
0-60mph - Z06= 4.3 sec. GT500 = 4.5 sec.
1/4 mile - Z06= 12.8 @113 GT500 = 12.9 @ 112
So it looks like it comes down to which driver is faster off the line.
Neither car will be “walked” as Z06 Baby smuggly believes.
BTW I recieved the VIN on my GT500 (see above posts) and my production date is 7/24.
Jul 7th, 2006 at 11:58 am
dond Says
i work for ford store in florida … and am getting a red coupe / our dealer offered it to me for $3000 over sticker. Top msrp for my ordered unit is 43750 … no shaker 1000. I think this is a fair deal.
don in florida
Jul 27th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
John Jaworowski Says
At the Las Vegas Ford meeting today Ford unvailed their plans to produce a Shelby mustang GT in the near future that will be in between the Mustang GT and the Shelby GT 500….Kind of like what they did with the GT and the Cobra by introducing the Mach 1 back a few years ago….I wonder what that will do for all the people buying the GT 500’s….
Aug 3rd, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Tammy Hales Says
I just brought my convertible shelby mustang home yesterday. Didnt pay a penny over sticker price and LOVE IT!!!!
Aug 12th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
WP Says
Anyone out there believe Tammy’s post above? If it’s true, she either knew someone, like Daddy or Hubby works at a Ford dealership, or she had to “polish the chrome on the dealers trailer hitch” to get such a deal on the first allocation.
Anyway, if I’m wrong Tammy, post a link to a copy of your purchase order for your new GT500 convert. and tell us the dealers name, city & state, make me a liar Tammy-Brag.
If it’s true Tammy, you wanta race for pinks? You name the time and place, I pick up my GT500 couple on Wednesday 8/23.
WP in Oakland, CA
Aug 21st, 2006 at 10:11 pm
WP Says
I picked up my GT 500 coupe last night…It’s been 15 months since I first read about it in Road & Track and it’s been totally worth the wait.
In 7.5 hours I put 106 miles on it
Spun the tires in the first 4 gears and chirped them into fifth.
Floored it in first gear going 6-7mph and lit-up the tires and got sideways.
12:30 am Got it up to 125 mph in 5th gear at 3900 rpm, then went 140 uphill at 4900 rpm in 5th, stomped on the brakes at 140 and brought it down to freeway exit speed FAST w/o any shimmy,front end dive or sideways pull, smooth as silk.
Got a ticket from the Calif. Highway Patrol, radar coming towards me at night… Our conversation went like this, “How can I help you tonight officer?” ” You can start by slowing down. Why were you going so fast?” “Was I going over the speed limit? It didn’t feel like I was going over the speed limit? Darn new car, I’m still getting use to it.” “You wait here, I’ll be right back with your citation.” “You bet, I’ll just read through my owners manual while you do that, take your time officer.”
The last thing he said was, “Nice car, try not to kill yourself or anyone else in it.” I replied, “Thanks, I’ll do that.” He wrote me up for the full bore, 89 in a 50, I guess I failed his attitude test…BFD, I haven’t had a speeding ticket in over 7 years.
I’m buying a radar detector today.
Oh, the last thing, I smoked a Porsch 911 GT4 on the freeway tonight, it couldn’t keep up with the GT500 starting at 55-60 up to 120 or so, and what’s it cost, $125-135K. But it looked real nice…in my rear view mirror.
Remember Folks, FORD = First On Race Day
WP in Oakland, CA
Aug 24th, 2006 at 3:46 am
WP Says
My new land speed, 150 mph at 5400 rpm in fifth gear. The key is finding smooth freeway pavement in a sparcely populated area that doesn’t have two many access points, AND having a good radar detector which I now have a Escort Passport 8500 X50 and I’ve got the Shifter ZR3 (laser jammer and shifter) ordered.
WP in Oakland, CA
Aug 25th, 2006 at 7:41 am
WP Says
Hmmmm wonder what your wife will think of this once she gets wind of the fact that a guy with 2 young kids is out driving around at 150 mph and getting $500.00 speeding tickets?
Aug 30th, 2006 at 11:18 am
WP Says
HMMMMMM, not much it seemed….
Typical wife, always wanting to spoil a guys fun…Let this be a lesson to you un-married guys out there, get it ALL out on the table B4 you say “I do”; no hard feelings, no supprises, no “I didn’t know that about you” bullshit later down the road of life and married w/children.
A week later and I still love this car, the wife on the other hand…
WP, the real one this time.
Aug 30th, 2006 at 11:43 pm
Sean Accolla Says
Does anyone know whether or not the shelby will be a good investment? for the long run? I was thinking about buying one and keeping the miles off regardless of how tempting it is to drive it. Ive seen old shelbys in mint condtion going for over one millions dollars; could this be the case with the 2007 Shelby?
Sep 11th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Josh Willoughby Says
I am a dealer located in hillsdale michigan…… we have a 2007 shelby conv…..black on black on black……selling for 60000 call and let me know if interested….at 517-849-2121 ask for Josh Willoughby. Hurry wont be here long!!!!
Jan 17th, 2007 at 10:03 am
John Jaworowski Says
does anyone know if the 2008 shelby will be different in anyway from the 2007???
Jan 17th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
CobraMatt Says
It should be the same as the 2007 model, there might be a few subtle changes like interior options or different color options but I am sure it will be the exact same car.
Jan 17th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
John Jaworowski Says
Hey thanks…I kind of felt that they might do something to distinguish the 08 from the 07…..
Jan 18th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Allan Haggar Says
Don’t know what all the stink is about. I walked into my local Ford dealer. He had two in the show room. I bought the convertible. I plan on putting it away and minimally driving it. As a matter of fact they are going to deliver it to my home on a flat bed truck wrapped in plastic as it arrived at the dealer. For what it’s worth, the dealer told me they are only making 2800 Shelby GT 500’s.
Jan 21st, 2007 at 11:48 pm
B-rad Says
20k over sticker???? what!? the gt500 got outran by the c6 vette, which has 100 less hp.. Anyone who is willing to pay this ridiculous price is a fool. Ford got the look right but this car is a fat pig. Im mean lets be honest for a car with 500 hp its SLOW! 60k for a damn mustang? Now thats funny
Mar 5th, 2007 at 12:01 am
rags1010 Says
Does anyone believe you can show a profit on the purchase of the Mustang in a few years?
Mar 14th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Sharon Says
2006 Mustang convertible — Can you get a boot in the tan color?
Mar 15th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
John Jaworowski Says
does anyone know when you can order a 2008 gt 500..I only see ordering info for the 2007…thanks
Apr 5th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Mark Powell Says
Screw the Shelby!!!! Until these scum dealers start selling at a reasonable price, this overpriced boat can rust on their lots. Has anyone seen the latest sales figures for Mustangs from Ford. Sales are down 19% for the Mustang model. GOOD, thanks in no part to your dishonest dealers. I’ve owned 8 Mustangs, 1 Shelby and 3 Ford trucks. I just switched to a Toyota after being totally insulted by my local dealer and seeing all the greedy dealers online selling these cars. I was all set to order a GT500 when they came out, but not at $20k over sticker. So long Ford, it’s just a matter of time before you go down anyway. The Mustang can’t save you after the Challenger and Camaro hit the streets again.
Apr 11th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Donnie Mac Says
If ford an the other car companys do not start selling cars that the american people wan’t. At a fair price then they will go out of business! Have the american people tell the dealers to go to hell! Ford motor co. needs to limit the price that a dealer can ask. Write to ford tell them that we the people will stop buying any cars if this continues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apr 14th, 2007 at 7:44 pm