Found this disturbing article on the much anticipated 2005 Mustang.



The next Cobra is in serious straits.

Suppliers say the Mustang product planners, in an effort to shave piece costs, began gutting the DEW chassis. The independent rear suspension was the first thing to go, replaced by a solid axle. Then the front end reverted to a strut-type setup. All of a sudden, this new "modern" Mustang was beginning to look an awful lot like the current car, which is based on the aging Fox platform that dates to the Seventies and the old Ford Fairmont.

Problem is, a stripped-down chassis like this is no platform for a Cobra in sophistication, handling capability, ride quality, or the ability to handle 400-plus horsepower. So SVT now faces the gargantuan--and expensive--task of re-engineering a new IRS for the next Cobra.

Likewise, a normally aspirated 5.0-liter version of the 4.6-liter "mod" V-8 that was planned for the new Cobra reportedly has fallen victim to the cost cutters and is likely to be replaced by a supercharged 4.6, which undoubtedly will be heavier and more complex, not to mention just as expensive as the 5.0.