Here's the thing. For the most part, US vehicle production is still the big three. Ford, GM and Chrysler.
GM and Chrysler have decided to make their "ultra-products" relatively affordable to the American general population.
Ford on the other hand has decided on exclusivity taking theirs out of reach.
Now you may want to point out that Shelby American (Las Vegas) is still in business and that their vehicles are in the "relatively affordable" catagory (the upper end) and that they are "Fords" not Chevys but that's not what we are really talking about here.
We are talking about Ford's decision to compete with the Euro exclusivity of Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, etc.
Now if I think about it, going way back in my lifetime, this has been the trend from "the Deuce" all along. He always wanted a Ferrari type offering and played with that on more then one occasion.
Certainly Shelby himself enters into this equation with bad mouthing Ferrari and battling with Cobra offerings.
At this point you COULD introduce the GT350 as an argument but it was never really intended by anyone as a Ferrari fighter. It also probably would never have existed if Iococca didn't "commission" Shelby to put more "pizzaz" in the Mustang.
So anyway, enter the GT40. ANOTHER Ioccoca conception of battling Ferrari in Europe with the desirable effect of making the Ford domestic offerings more "sexy".
Now what's my point? There isn't anyone that can argue that the GT40 was intended to be a domestic Corvette market fighter ever. It was in Ford's eyes, a Euro racer, but at some point someone suggested exclusivity to Leddo and they offered 15 Mark III's.
Hum? Now wait a minute. Shelby thinks that sure, I want to beat Ferrari into the pavement with the Cobra. I can offer it to the US public for around 1/2 of the cost of a Ferrari? It SHOULD sell like hot cakes here right?
Not according to the total build data we now know. So eventually Shelby comes around to the thinking of exclusivity with the Cobra.
Why think of them as "Secretaries cars" like the initial reaction to the Mustang was at $2,300 starting prices?
I don't think that was the initial thought of CS but I do think that he changed his thinking eventually and felt vilafied when used Cobra prices escalated like a Saturn 5 at liftoff.
It became a thing that he didn't want the guys in the mail room owning and driving around LA in 427 Cobras. He wanted "Captains of Industry" exclusively owning them. Stands to reason, that sure satisfied his ego.
Now the nature of Corporate people like Ioccoca is to be multifaceted and set the table for future posibilities where the Corporation could steer in with new self images of what it is or could be? That's really why they command astronomical remuneration well beyond what normal pay would be.
They are there to ENVISION possibilities and influence others into that thinking of discovery.
Lee had that effect at Ford and at Chrysler as well. At one point under his leadership Chrysler bought Lamborghini. Remember him introducing the Diablo with the Chrysler VIN tags in '91?
This present thinking at Ford of exclusivity is just a continuation of this thought process. The "office of the Ford GT" is just an almost independent arm of Ford commissioned to experiment with a bit of creative thinking, seeing where this will all lead to. That's all well and good for the Corp and with their current profit levels is affordable even though if they look at the Ford GT's in any form on a cost per unit basis, a major financial loss.
The sticker price on those things was initially set arbitrarily at $250,000.
Do you think that GM and Chrysler don't watch what the other guy is doing? Of course not.
Previous to the Ford GT, Chrysler had decided on offering the Viper. In all fairness to Chrysler, they never could find a design theme or designers to offer anything that didn't look like some sort of a Hemi taxi cab. A Checker cab of sorts with a Hemi and automatic transmission with push buttons on the dash.
Ok. I guess they knew their market but the Viper is hardly a Ferrari beater so back to the taxi cab theory of putting monster engines in four doors. Just leave off the push button transmissions?
900hp Demons? Sure BUT they are offered to the general public to commit mass suicide in if desired.
Now GM's idea is a better point and maybe just because they are in a better position of having established product identity in the Corvette? They can take their product development in the Corvette (AND HAVE), eventually apply it to all GM products in one form or another and marginally offer it to the general public without Italian supercar exclusivity prices.
This has the added benefit of rubbing the noses of the Exec's at Ford and Chrysler in the dog do-do amongst other things.
As a just everyday pion at some point in the near future I MIGHT be able to afford the C8 Z06. It is a possibility. It is certainly more attractive to my Walter Mitty-ism then spending $75,000 on a new F150. That simply doesn't cut it.
And (never start a sentence with an And) although the leather in the new Shelby's is intoxicating, somehow, someway along the lines I have lost the desire for those skiny red Penticostal Lemans stripes and street pimp 21" wheels? Those simply aren't going to get me laid anymore! All those 19 year old cashiers at Trader Joes simply don't dig me any more.
So that's the thing. The C8 Corvette is affordable with the same wow factor as the Ford GT at something like 1/4 the price of the Ford GT. That's reality. MY REALITY and even if I had a Ford GT, I couldn't park it in the lot in front of Trader Joes. The Corvette I probably could get away with putting it way in the back.
In addition, ANYONE SUGGESTING that it was Ford who made their exclusive racing parts available to ANYONE across the counter is simply incorrect AND WASN'T there.
Us OLD GUYS were.
GT40 289 heads '60s XE blocks were simply for the 'Friends of the Program. Whereas I could walk into Byrne Brothers Chevy Parts Department in White Plains and buy across the counter absolutely any high performance part that I could come up with the part number on.
Z28 short blocks for $350 for instance, so stop the crap about Ford making their racing parts available. You absolutely, positively DON'T KNOW WTF (in street racing vernacular) you are talking about! I fought those wars. I'll show you the scars. Make up some other stories that sound good.
Ford simply now won't take up the challenge of making their wares available. Chevy is. Where's this all going? It kinda' all looks predictable based upon past history but maybe Ford will surprize us but I wouldn't count on it and I might add, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN AN EV MUSTANG SUV! Get real FoMoCo.
I guess I'm just not one of their Peeps anymore. It's sad. It's like thinking of an old girl friend. Yea you're right. So what? She's pretty old by now.