The big reveal of the S650 was Sept 14th, and I missed most of it - there just wasn't a lot of information on it - if you look at https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en.html, it's all pretty vague stuff, really. Want a picture of the engine bay? Sorry, not available...
What does stand out is the really big message on the S650: "In a world without Camaro's and Chargers, WE'RE IT!" And, on that basis, the new product line is really interesting.
First, there are three basic levels - grocery getter sportscar (EcoBoost and GT), real sports car (Dark Horse, two variants) and then FOUR trailer-only models. Four? Really? DH S => HPDE, DH R => club racing, GT4 => IMSA, and GT3 => FIA.
So what does that tell me? Well, first, it means Ford is taking their performance car opportunity seriously. They absolutely are going after Porsche. They benchmarked the GT350/GT500 against the Porsche GT3/GT2, and this time around, they look like they've setting out to come out ahead. And, I used to joke that real Porsche enthusiasts all drove F350's with towing packages. Looks like real Mustang enthusiasts will have to go shopping for a Super Duty too. Maybe Ford will offer an F350 Dark Horse model.
Anyway, kidding aside, my expectations are that the S650 platform will be a pretty thorough re-think of the S550. The baseline suspension design and geometry will be built to handle at a level that's hard to reach with an S550. Driveline cooling will be vastly better, even at the bottom of the product line. Chassis stiffness will be a significant upgrade. The list will go on from there. The biggest question I came away with on the launch material is which cars are FP and which ones are Ford? There's no indication. If the Dark Horse is FP, then it will be spectacular - FP engineering knowhow and thoroughness applied to a more capable chassis. If it's mainstream Ford, well, expect some hair-tearing moments with AdvanceTrak and driveline cooling that's finally good enough after a bunch of mods.
In any case, my conclusion is that liking the shape and the interior is optional, but there will be a lot to like in the chassis and driveline. Here's hoping...
What does stand out is the really big message on the S650: "In a world without Camaro's and Chargers, WE'RE IT!" And, on that basis, the new product line is really interesting.
First, there are three basic levels - grocery getter sportscar (EcoBoost and GT), real sports car (Dark Horse, two variants) and then FOUR trailer-only models. Four? Really? DH S => HPDE, DH R => club racing, GT4 => IMSA, and GT3 => FIA.
So what does that tell me? Well, first, it means Ford is taking their performance car opportunity seriously. They absolutely are going after Porsche. They benchmarked the GT350/GT500 against the Porsche GT3/GT2, and this time around, they look like they've setting out to come out ahead. And, I used to joke that real Porsche enthusiasts all drove F350's with towing packages. Looks like real Mustang enthusiasts will have to go shopping for a Super Duty too. Maybe Ford will offer an F350 Dark Horse model.
Anyway, kidding aside, my expectations are that the S650 platform will be a pretty thorough re-think of the S550. The baseline suspension design and geometry will be built to handle at a level that's hard to reach with an S550. Driveline cooling will be vastly better, even at the bottom of the product line. Chassis stiffness will be a significant upgrade. The list will go on from there. The biggest question I came away with on the launch material is which cars are FP and which ones are Ford? There's no indication. If the Dark Horse is FP, then it will be spectacular - FP engineering knowhow and thoroughness applied to a more capable chassis. If it's mainstream Ford, well, expect some hair-tearing moments with AdvanceTrak and driveline cooling that's finally good enough after a bunch of mods.
In any case, my conclusion is that liking the shape and the interior is optional, but there will be a lot to like in the chassis and driveline. Here's hoping...