Today's SVT convertible and hard top
Mustang will probably reach 100 kilometers in about 4.7 seconds and can
conceivably reach a top speed of 170 miles per hour. The purpose of
producing a car like the SVT Cobra Mustang is not the production of a car
ever intended to be driven at full power, but rather, to produce a car
able to compete with the best and fastest European sports cars, and to be
able to produce and sell that car for one-third the cost of European
competitors. Perhaps an even more important reason for producing the SVT
model is to use this product to test 21st century technologies. The
stresses and heat generated by this motor are greater in one month than
what would be produced over three years. This process has allowed Ford
engineers to discover and correct potential long-term problems and
deficiencies with the 4.6 liter series engine.
Often the first people
to be lucky enough to be able to purchase SVT vehicles are Ford employees
and these buyers, recognizing that their cars use state-of-the-art and
even unproven technologies, expect possible production delays as the
engines are often modified and improved to be able to withstand their
tremendous torque and hp. As these technologies are refined and improved,
they may eventually be incorporated into regular automotive production but
the development process means these engines do not currently meet the
reliability standards ford sets for regular production Mustang's, but this
is a small price to pay in order to own one of the most exotic cars in the
world. And by stressing this block beyond any reasonable limits, Ford is
able to learn about any potential long-term weaknesses and thus build one
of the finest and longest lasting engines and the world.
