danielr0bert
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Here's a research paper I did on Terminators for my english class. enjoy
Daniel Chappelle
Mrs. Chace
English 3
2 March 2010
Coletti?s Struggle
In the early 90?s there was plans at Ford Vehicles to replace the historic pony-car the Mustang with a FWD (front wheel drive) model based on a Japanese vehicle company ?Mazda? platform. John Coletti, a highly respected Automotive Engineer was hired by Ford at the time and he lobbied hard against the idea, eventually Ford released the car, but not as a Mustang as a new model named the ?Probe?. Then Coletti was mustering up way to rejuvenate the faded glory of the Mustang, at the head of a largely secret program called the ?sn95? resulted in the all new 1994 mustang. With many more years of success Coletti now the Principal at SVT (Ford Special Vehicle Team) oddly had a struggle designing and developing the 2003-2004 Mustang Cobra.
As the Principal of SVT Coletti had his paws all over the prototype 2002 Cobra. With all new independent rear suspension, intake, and exhaust in the previous 1999 and 2001 models and previous problems with the 1999 not performing as expected the 2002 was looked forward to be different. With the 2001 model on the streets and testing going on for the 2002 Coleti was not impressed at all with it, during testing the all new SVT Focus was not far behind in all tests. The Ford Focus is a compact car, the SVT version is not a normal compact car its specially tuned for power and handling but still, a econobox compact car not too far behind the Cobra. No matter what the Cobra did during testing the little Focus hung tough, like a fly buzzing around an elephant.
?Johns just got that mist in his face like he?s ready to erupt,? Goffi relates. ?He?s ready to come unglued. He said, ?You know guys, I?m going to go into this store and see if they sell any Alpo. And I?m going to buy a six-pack and throw it in the back seat of this ting because it?s a dog. And I?m not going to associate myself with this thing because it?s a dog??
John Coletti still very upset during testing told the program manager at the time Tom Bochenk and the powertrain manager Bill Lane and told then ?This is it, we?re not doing this car anymore. That?s no Cobra, it?s an embarrassment.? Sadly the 2002 model was supposed to be a good year for SVT, projected sales and revenue was up but without it meeting Coletti?s expectations it wasn?t going to be made. Coletti then came up with the idea for supercharging the car. As expected the team whined and made excuses that there wasn?t enough time, or it wasn?t possible. Right then and there Coletti threatened to end the whole SVT Cobra project and go home. According to Coletti, Bill Lane says the project is too aggressive or impossible, but Coletti still went on and asked the team if they could find a way to fit the Eaton m90 supercharger on the car. A week later the team comes in and says ?No we?re not doing that, we found a way to fit the bigger and better m112 supercharger on?. Then the development began. Could the radical revision of the project be finished for the 2002 car? No. But it could bring much needed exposure and publicity to SVT for the 2003 car. Supercharging brought swag among this Mustang that none other has achieved and still it?s yet to be surpassed.
Camilo Pardo, an accomplished artist, sculptor, clothing and furniture stylist, and one of Ford?s brightest and most talented automotive designers and newly SVT?s design manager started to develop a new Cobra. Not the power that Coletti, Lane, and Bochenk we?re developing but the looks. Pardo looking at the previous Cobra saying ?Seeing the way it looked, it shouldn?t be a problem to make an improvement,? Pardo states. The previous Cobra wasn?t unappealing but it wasn?t sleek and smooth, the corners and sides of the vehicle stuck out a lot more than top and front. Pardo?s vision was to make the car lower and a lot stouter looking. The thing about the new Cobra that it?s clean with the ground, the car seems to fall away into the ground looking sleeker and cleaned up compared to previous models. The concept of the design of the Terminator (A codename for the 2003-2004 Cobra) was simplicity, from the body, rims, all the way to the molding. With time concerns hovering around this Cobra instead of spending loads of time drawing concepts of the car or making them from sheet metal, SVT took the previous cobra and added model clay around it for them to shape it any way they wanted. Problems did come with using those desperate measures to save time; the clay on top of metal wouldn?t sit flush all the time as it would with bare metal. Another problem was that they ended up pushing the wallet a little bit more than expected, but met the timing. Camilo kept trying to push the limit in the visual areas of the car just as the powertrain team was doing, by asking for 18 inch wheels but due to wheel clearance issues it wasn?t achieved. Also a different rear spoiler was an idea he had; the spoiler had changed from previous models but not as much as he wanted. But a lot of enhancements did take place such as new rocker panels, side skirts, and uncomplicated yet almost scary redesign of the Cobras front end. Thos ended up cleaned up the Terminator a bunch and simply improved the appearance of it. But theses changes didn?t only have to do with looks the front end needed to change to accompany more air openings in the front for cooling with the supercharger. With new testing going on with the supercharged engine they were having problems with the engine not lasting with the supercharger. After going through plenty of engines on 8-12 hour tests of the car they needed to figure out how to have this supercharger almost literally eat the engine apart. After contacting Manley Performance, special made forged internals were made for Ford?s 4.6L DOHC 8 cylinder engine. Forged internals allow more power put into the engine because of stronger parts and less rotating mass, this goes to make a lighter, faster, more efficient, and overall stronger vehicle. Also a new and powerful 6 speed transmission was added into the mix. Now with the two biggest parts of the vehicle put behind them, the team could focus on the suspension. With new bushings put into the IRS (Independent Rear Suspension), new shocks, and new tires gave the Cobra an all new and very much improved handling and steering. Also with softer spring rates in the convertible it allowed for a lot of parts trimmed off of it for it to only be 115lbs more than the standard coupe. At the Romeo engine plant in Detroit, Michigan the process of hand-building the Terminators engines had begun, but not after doubling the size of the Niche-Line section of the plant. New testing with trial engines built and now using the 2003 body instead of previous tests using the 2001 people were slowly finding out what the new 2003 car looked like even after having skirts over most of the new additions. A big finding was when spy photographers snuck into the SVT/Roush Racing head quarters and snuck ?spy-spots? of a 2003 Cobra. The media reacted crazily about this car. Many mustang, automobile, and racing magazines raved about this car and once SVT gave them the chance to issue a magazine with the Terminator on its cover the magazines were all over it. Magazines didn?t get to drive the car yet but pictures were taken and an overall review and the new additions were published. The new design wasn?t discussed much with the new magazines, they were all talking about the new engine, and people were very excited about a supercharged Cobra. This doesn?t mean the looks were lacking, it just goes to show how much of an impact this engine made to the media.
There is no argument that the Terminator set a standard. Ford was yet to overcome the speed and handling of a Terminator until recently the 2010 Ford SHELBY GT500 was released. The Terminator was the last Cobra SVT made, but they?re still a big part in the new GT500 and just recently released a new baja-racing oriented truck called the RAPTOR. Coletti is no longer a part of SVT. Even though a short time allotment for the new Cobra and an out of the question idea for a supercharger on the Mustang was a long shot at the time the Terminator is now known as one of the greatest mustangs ever created. A supercharger from Eaton is now seen on every GT500 since the Terminator. After John Coletti?s smooth ride from the early 90?s-early 00?s he had the struggle of building the Terminator. In my opinion is was well worth the struggle.
TL;DR=Terminator is awesome.
Daniel Chappelle
Mrs. Chace
English 3
2 March 2010
Coletti?s Struggle
In the early 90?s there was plans at Ford Vehicles to replace the historic pony-car the Mustang with a FWD (front wheel drive) model based on a Japanese vehicle company ?Mazda? platform. John Coletti, a highly respected Automotive Engineer was hired by Ford at the time and he lobbied hard against the idea, eventually Ford released the car, but not as a Mustang as a new model named the ?Probe?. Then Coletti was mustering up way to rejuvenate the faded glory of the Mustang, at the head of a largely secret program called the ?sn95? resulted in the all new 1994 mustang. With many more years of success Coletti now the Principal at SVT (Ford Special Vehicle Team) oddly had a struggle designing and developing the 2003-2004 Mustang Cobra.
As the Principal of SVT Coletti had his paws all over the prototype 2002 Cobra. With all new independent rear suspension, intake, and exhaust in the previous 1999 and 2001 models and previous problems with the 1999 not performing as expected the 2002 was looked forward to be different. With the 2001 model on the streets and testing going on for the 2002 Coleti was not impressed at all with it, during testing the all new SVT Focus was not far behind in all tests. The Ford Focus is a compact car, the SVT version is not a normal compact car its specially tuned for power and handling but still, a econobox compact car not too far behind the Cobra. No matter what the Cobra did during testing the little Focus hung tough, like a fly buzzing around an elephant.
?Johns just got that mist in his face like he?s ready to erupt,? Goffi relates. ?He?s ready to come unglued. He said, ?You know guys, I?m going to go into this store and see if they sell any Alpo. And I?m going to buy a six-pack and throw it in the back seat of this ting because it?s a dog. And I?m not going to associate myself with this thing because it?s a dog??
John Coletti still very upset during testing told the program manager at the time Tom Bochenk and the powertrain manager Bill Lane and told then ?This is it, we?re not doing this car anymore. That?s no Cobra, it?s an embarrassment.? Sadly the 2002 model was supposed to be a good year for SVT, projected sales and revenue was up but without it meeting Coletti?s expectations it wasn?t going to be made. Coletti then came up with the idea for supercharging the car. As expected the team whined and made excuses that there wasn?t enough time, or it wasn?t possible. Right then and there Coletti threatened to end the whole SVT Cobra project and go home. According to Coletti, Bill Lane says the project is too aggressive or impossible, but Coletti still went on and asked the team if they could find a way to fit the Eaton m90 supercharger on the car. A week later the team comes in and says ?No we?re not doing that, we found a way to fit the bigger and better m112 supercharger on?. Then the development began. Could the radical revision of the project be finished for the 2002 car? No. But it could bring much needed exposure and publicity to SVT for the 2003 car. Supercharging brought swag among this Mustang that none other has achieved and still it?s yet to be surpassed.
Camilo Pardo, an accomplished artist, sculptor, clothing and furniture stylist, and one of Ford?s brightest and most talented automotive designers and newly SVT?s design manager started to develop a new Cobra. Not the power that Coletti, Lane, and Bochenk we?re developing but the looks. Pardo looking at the previous Cobra saying ?Seeing the way it looked, it shouldn?t be a problem to make an improvement,? Pardo states. The previous Cobra wasn?t unappealing but it wasn?t sleek and smooth, the corners and sides of the vehicle stuck out a lot more than top and front. Pardo?s vision was to make the car lower and a lot stouter looking. The thing about the new Cobra that it?s clean with the ground, the car seems to fall away into the ground looking sleeker and cleaned up compared to previous models. The concept of the design of the Terminator (A codename for the 2003-2004 Cobra) was simplicity, from the body, rims, all the way to the molding. With time concerns hovering around this Cobra instead of spending loads of time drawing concepts of the car or making them from sheet metal, SVT took the previous cobra and added model clay around it for them to shape it any way they wanted. Problems did come with using those desperate measures to save time; the clay on top of metal wouldn?t sit flush all the time as it would with bare metal. Another problem was that they ended up pushing the wallet a little bit more than expected, but met the timing. Camilo kept trying to push the limit in the visual areas of the car just as the powertrain team was doing, by asking for 18 inch wheels but due to wheel clearance issues it wasn?t achieved. Also a different rear spoiler was an idea he had; the spoiler had changed from previous models but not as much as he wanted. But a lot of enhancements did take place such as new rocker panels, side skirts, and uncomplicated yet almost scary redesign of the Cobras front end. Thos ended up cleaned up the Terminator a bunch and simply improved the appearance of it. But theses changes didn?t only have to do with looks the front end needed to change to accompany more air openings in the front for cooling with the supercharger. With new testing going on with the supercharged engine they were having problems with the engine not lasting with the supercharger. After going through plenty of engines on 8-12 hour tests of the car they needed to figure out how to have this supercharger almost literally eat the engine apart. After contacting Manley Performance, special made forged internals were made for Ford?s 4.6L DOHC 8 cylinder engine. Forged internals allow more power put into the engine because of stronger parts and less rotating mass, this goes to make a lighter, faster, more efficient, and overall stronger vehicle. Also a new and powerful 6 speed transmission was added into the mix. Now with the two biggest parts of the vehicle put behind them, the team could focus on the suspension. With new bushings put into the IRS (Independent Rear Suspension), new shocks, and new tires gave the Cobra an all new and very much improved handling and steering. Also with softer spring rates in the convertible it allowed for a lot of parts trimmed off of it for it to only be 115lbs more than the standard coupe. At the Romeo engine plant in Detroit, Michigan the process of hand-building the Terminators engines had begun, but not after doubling the size of the Niche-Line section of the plant. New testing with trial engines built and now using the 2003 body instead of previous tests using the 2001 people were slowly finding out what the new 2003 car looked like even after having skirts over most of the new additions. A big finding was when spy photographers snuck into the SVT/Roush Racing head quarters and snuck ?spy-spots? of a 2003 Cobra. The media reacted crazily about this car. Many mustang, automobile, and racing magazines raved about this car and once SVT gave them the chance to issue a magazine with the Terminator on its cover the magazines were all over it. Magazines didn?t get to drive the car yet but pictures were taken and an overall review and the new additions were published. The new design wasn?t discussed much with the new magazines, they were all talking about the new engine, and people were very excited about a supercharged Cobra. This doesn?t mean the looks were lacking, it just goes to show how much of an impact this engine made to the media.
There is no argument that the Terminator set a standard. Ford was yet to overcome the speed and handling of a Terminator until recently the 2010 Ford SHELBY GT500 was released. The Terminator was the last Cobra SVT made, but they?re still a big part in the new GT500 and just recently released a new baja-racing oriented truck called the RAPTOR. Coletti is no longer a part of SVT. Even though a short time allotment for the new Cobra and an out of the question idea for a supercharger on the Mustang was a long shot at the time the Terminator is now known as one of the greatest mustangs ever created. A supercharger from Eaton is now seen on every GT500 since the Terminator. After John Coletti?s smooth ride from the early 90?s-early 00?s he had the struggle of building the Terminator. In my opinion is was well worth the struggle.
TL;DR=Terminator is awesome.
