Too much $$$$$.

[orange2004cobra]

I dont care how bad a$$ they are...
They still cost too much damn money...
Ford should have brought them around 100 large, then they would only be 20k more than a Viper...
As it is no, you could procharge a Viper, do the Hennesy susp. conversion, and smoke the $hit out of one for half the $...
I wish Ford had stuck to the 100,000 dollar game plan..
L.

 

[Chaucer]

why? when they are only producing 700 this year? How many vipers they doing? 10000-12000? I would rather pay the extra money and have a car that you dont see on every corner. Also, when the new cobra comes out, it'll be in the $90k range and it will smoke the shit out of the viper just like the gt does. Hell, the viper isnt even in the same class as the gt. The gt was made to compete against the low to mid range Ferrari's, which it does very very well.

 

[orange2004cobra]

The Viper beat all but 2 Ferrari Models on the Ferrari test track when it was initially designed..
research the Viper history.
Dodge actually rented out the Ferrari test track prior to the first run cars.
I dont know where your from, but you dont se Vipers on every street corner..
And its not "extra money" its "double the money..
All I am saying is, they are overpriced, period, no matter what they will go up against.
And Ford will probably piss on all their warranty issues like thay do with those of us who have problems with our even "non modded" 03/04 Cobras..
L.

 

[CGoeschel]

Dont worry about them being overpriced..........youll never have the chance to pay the price anyway! Ford isnt comparing the GT to a Viper anyway.......they went after Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche..........and kicked their ass while they were at it for many thousands less than those Italian exotics. These cars, if kept to a minimum production quantity, will end up as amazing collectables that command thousands more than their original cost down the road. They're not going to depreciate like a rock as the Viper does.

 

[Paul Vincent]

orange2004cobra, When the GT actually hits the track (and the streets), we shall all see just which car is better. Remember, the GT can also be upgraded (as you talk about the Viper). What if (nightmare of nightmares for not only Viper lovers, but all other super car lovers as well) Jack Roush gets a Ford GT? Wanna bet that it will be modified to his satisfaction? Wanna bet that the GT platform has more to offer than almost any other sports/performance car which beat it to market (especially those which were made for a fraction of the GT's price)? Actually, I can almost understand your being upset with the price of a GT (I'd like to pick one up myself), but for now, the premiums that dealers are asking (and getting) seem to indicate that the GT's sticker price isn't really too high for what it offers. Also, for those who genuinely want a GT, there is always the GT 40, which can be gotten in a variety of packages at a variety of prices.Yes, it isn't the same as getting the new Ford GT, but it sure makes it easier for this have not (me) to deal with the economic realities of life.

 

[Vic]

The GT starts out with better materials than the Viper- Aluminum body, aluminum frame.

One of the common problems with sports cars is too much weight- Like Lotus founder Colin Chapman said, "first, you make a great sports car, then, you add lightness" And if you can't add lightness, add a bunch of horsepower!

Once you start with a steel frame, like the Viper, and many other sports cars have, you are already behind the 8-ball. By the time you add the suspension, steel rotors, engine, drivetrain, etc, you end up with something over 3000 lbs. Even starting with an aluminum frame, the GT easily went over 3000. For real low, hyper-exotic weight, (Sub-3000, like 2500 or so) you need to start with a carbon fiber tub, like the McClaren, and ceramic rotors, like the Enzo. But then you are priced into the stratosphere. OR you could go Mosler style, and make a very light, loud car, devoid of practical amenities and sound deadening. Kinda like a very powerful kit car, but not very fun to drive for any length of time, unless you only drive on a track, in which case, you don't care about the noise.

Oddly enough, I almost only drive my Viper on the track now, and barely take it out on the street. After owning a high horsepower car, and finding its limits on the track, the next thing you realize is that street cars are absolutely b.s. on the track. They have high ground clearances, for public street use, they have long suspension travel, for street use, the brakes work best at lower temperatures, they are uneccesarily heavy, because of the cheap materials ("cheap" steel, vs expensive carbon fiber and ceramics found on real race cars), they have air conditioning, stereos, and a host of other things that you never need on the track. In short, a street car is a compromise between performance and cost/practicality, and IN NO WAY REPRESENTS ANY PINNACLE OF PERFORMANCE!

So then practical sports cars become a comprimise between cost and performance. If a manufacturer says they have made the ultimate performance machine, then it would look something like an F1 racing car, and it wouldn't even make it over a speed bump on the street! It would get high centered, stuck, and Honda Civic drivers would laugh and jeer, as they easily hop over the bump with their street car suspensions! The F1 car couldn't even carry a six-pack of beer back from the local 7-11 on a Saturday night! I don't know about you, but if I get a GT, I may want to pick up something from the store on the way home! I think they will have enough "trunk space" if you could call it that, to pick up a six-pack. The point I am driving at here is to show that street sports cars never represent that best that can be done with modern materials and technology, but rather, they are only a balance between performance and real world practicality.

The GT doesn't represent the best street sports car that can be made, but it may be the best that can be done with aluminum. Since I don't have the money for the proposed Enzo-stomping Chrysler ME 4-12, at this time the GT is the best I can buy. (unless I sell my house, or I win the lotto) Arguing about the GTs' relative merits, vs the ME 4-12, or the Enzo, is just a waste of time, since there were only a few hundred Enzos made, that only went to invited buyers. And the ME 4-12 may or may not be built at all. Why argue about a car that you will never own? Bench-racing, Walter-Mittyism!

Here is an old, tired argument- "I can stick a s/c on my (fill in this blank with whatever make or model the guy owns), and smoke a (Fill in this blank with whatever make or model the guy can't afford), kick his asz in the 1/4 mile, and still have money left over" This is basically a $ vs HP argument, that only rationalizes the position of those who can't afford something better. When a guy is done pouring money into a lesser auto, he has not increased its worth measurably, and no one on the street is in shock and awe, because it still looks like the car it once was. If you saw a Yugo on the street with a big rocket strapped to its back, you wouldn't drop to your knees in worship and admiration, and salute its superior acceleration. You would just look at it and say to yourself "Man, that poor bastard is really insecure and ridiculous to waste his time on that old p.o.s.!" And if that rocket powered Yugo beat you in the 1/4 mile, you would only say, "Yeah, well, if you strap a rocket on any old p.o.s., its gonna go fast, but who cares?" Certainly not the girl riding with you, in your nice, factory-powered exotic. The Yugo driver's girl, with her three teeth is very impressed, though, with her low-budget hero and his rocket powered Yugo exotic-stomper. They are King and Queen of the trailer park. Basura de Blanco. All the above is just to show that only the way a car comes off the showroom floor is the car in its natural state, and as soon as anything else is done to it, its not the same car anymore, its something different. Which is not to say that tuning is not a noble art, its only to show that we shouldn't be smug about what we own, nor disdain those can afford better. Let every car stand on its own merits, and respect the faster car from the factory for what it is.

The Viper that will be out when the GT is in "widespread" distribution may well be 625 HP, with some carbon fiber body panels. That may make it a very even match for the GT. I'm in the "wait-and-see" mode for now.

 

[A2V2NV]

Just wait until they get the dreaded engine "tick"!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[98svtcon]

Originally posted by orange2004cobra
I dont care how bad a$$ they are...
They still cost too much damn money...
Ford should have brought them around 100 large, then they would only be 20k more than a Viper...
As it is no, you could procharge a Viper, do the Hennesy susp. conversion, and smoke the $hit out of one for half the $...
I wish Ford had stuck to the 100,000 dollar game plan..
L.

I cant belive that you would even think of ever comparing a FORD GT to a viper. The GT is way under priced for the preformance that you get. You would have to buy a Saleen S7 or an Enzo to bet a car like the GT. and in the motor city you see vipers all over the place.

:kaboom: :kaboom:

 

[98svtcon]

I sould not have even responed to your post it was so wrong. Know that you are a Ford guy you really let me down and I am sure that you let a lot of other people on this site down as well.

A domestic car the womps on everything eles out there. You are just so wrong. I would go so far as to say i would like if you never posted on this site again because you have no passion for the SVT divison of FORD.

 

[gallardo]

Originally posted by Chaucer
why? when they are only producing 700 this year? How many vipers they doing? 10000-12000? I would rather pay the extra money and have a car that you dont see on every corner. Also, when the new cobra comes out, it'll be in the $90k range and it will smoke the shit out of the viper just like the gt does. Hell, the viper isnt even in the same class as the gt. The gt was made to compete against the low to mid range Ferrari's, which it does very very well.

viper production is typically 1500-2000 cars per year.
This car is in a different league.

 

[ac427cobra]

Based on performance ALONE the GT should be selling for $250,000.00 period. End of story. It is a bargain at $150k. Not that you can buy one for that? Well, not now anyway!

:thumbsup: :coolman: :beer: