All very interesting, and to a Ford/Shelby buff, pretty exciting.
Ford shareholders over the longer term may have a different viewpoint. Ford's recent forays into "retro" have been, IMHO, a little less than stellar. The long anticipated current T-Bird is failing, and perhaps has one more season ahead of it. The soon to be produced Ford GT is, at an estimated $150K, out of the reach of most enthusiasts. The eagerly anticipated Mustang is still a no show, and the recent Mercury Marauder is as dead as Julius Caesar.
Over the past several years, Ford's bread and butter has been full size trucks, and it appears that the all-new F 150 is going to be a big winner. The problem is that their traditional base is now being wooed by several outstanding new products announced from GM and Chrysler and now recently from Toyota and Nissan, and their continuing dominance in the future remains to be seen.
Also disturbing is that the company that originally put America on wheels apparently can't today field an affordable family sedan that can compete on quality and value with the likes of Nissans Maxima and Toyotas Camry/Avalon. While the GT and the other rero offerings of the recent past may have gotten people into the showrooms, they don't necessarily sell cars. Ford needs world-class product.
It is good to see the Blue Oval and Carroll Shelby together again, and the media attention the union will surely generate must be considered positive. What it does to help enhance Ford's financial health and well being (and it's stock price) remains to be seen.
Bud
