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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mr. OAM" data-source="post: 231247" data-attributes="member: 9816">I'm going to try to throw out some perspective, if I can remember everything....SVT is still alive. SVT is involved in the Shelby Mustangs. Right now Ford has to straighten out their core car business before they can put any money and effort into SVT, or else there won't be any SVT or Ford. Gotta pay the bills before you can play.The modular engine has been around since before the incarnation of the Chevy smallblock. Take a peek into a Sherman tank and you will find a Ford modular motor, no kidding. Hasn't anyone seen the video of the guy who dropped one of these engines into his 1969 Mustang?? It's only about 1,000 cubic inches!!As for Ford building bigger, badder engines.......THe Federal government is going to pass SOME sort of average fuel mileage legislation that the manufacturers will have to meet. This will require more engines and cars that get better fuel mileage, on average. Building a run of horrible fuel mileage engines is going to eat greatly into that average and is not a wise decision. Even more fuel mileage requirements will be passed after that, not to mention alternative fuel legislation. It is a different world we live in.A little more perspective.....in 1985 the Mustang GT, who's only competition was the turbo'd Buick Grand National (considered "cheating" by many purists) had a 302 that put out 210 HP and was at the top of it's game. The V-6 you get in the current Mustang puts out 263 HP!! When the '05 was introduced I heard and read next to nothing negative about the HP to $$$$ ratio.....nobody else was offering 300 HP for only $24,000 and was touted by magazines as one of the best deals in town. That's another reason for the car's popularity. This was accomplished with only 281 cubic inches.Now that the car has been around for 3 years and people are used to it these accomplishments seem forgotten, especially when we see other versions of the Mustang with 500 HP. While our enthusiast dreams are being debated here there is legislation and "changing times" that are having a profound effect on our hobby, but these are being ignored. Ford announced last week that they will be introducing GTDI V-6 engines in 2009 model year.....Gas Turbo Direct Injected engines. These will produce V-8 power figures (and if the current V-6 is producing the power of the 1985 V-8 how much do you think they mean?) and will give fuel mileage of a V-6, would you be game? Would you like a 325 HP hotrod that gets 30 MPG? Ford thinks a lot of people would. Will this engine get into the Mustang? I don't know.I think what they should do is work on not making it look so god damn cheap, those huge guady plastic mirrors, the pathetic excuse for a side body line, the huge cheap plastic grill. I just don't think the car flows, overall I think the S197 looks and feels cheap.Unfortunately you were born in the wrong era. The days of vinyl covered, padded door skins and metal interior trim and side mirrors are gone. Recyclable, light weight components are in for fuel mileage, emmissions, and environmental concerns. Also plastic injection molded parts are much cheaper than stampings.I agree with you guys about the Mustang being underpowered. But if they start dropping 400-450hp engines in, who's gonna be able to afford them? Sales will drop. Mustang will lose it's head of the line status.Dead on. We are not the only Mustang customers. There are tens of thousands of others that are not looking for the performance level or modification ability that most people here are interested in, and they help pay the bills too.As much as we all love the Mustang hobby we have to consider the big picture, the business aspect of it from the manufacturer's point of view.....Ford's present situation and restoring themselves to profitablilty first. On top of that is the new era, high oil and gas prices, enviromental concerns of the public, and other related issues. Yeah, it takes all the fun out of it but it can't be ignored. Steve</blockquote>