i wanna know how fast, powerful, and anything else you know about the 06 lightening. I heard about the cooling there going to do with the intake, but will this beat the stupid, ugly, anoing, dumb, hated srt10?

 

Sorry man but i heard that ford had to drop the lightning project b/c of some dumb tree hugging, city flammers that were complaing about it. Which really makes me mad that they let the minority take control all the freakin time. IT was going to be really awsome, 500hp,500 lb of tq, 6-spd. it was awsome. It really sucks this had to happen

 

The 3rd gen Lightning has only been shelved (not canceled) until at least 07-08 mainly so that SVT can devote more time to the new Cobra Mustang. Look up the thread "lightning canceled" in the search if you need more info on that area. I'd only expect to see cues come from the lightning concept in the 3rd gen, such as 2 large doors (unlike the regular 150 regular cab which has 4). The tranny will likley remain an auto- from a superduty. Expect the engine to be a 3-valve 5.4 with a twinscrew-compressor S/C(Whipple supercharger) not the 4-valve from the GT. I also expect to see alot of weight reduction as well in the 3rd gen.

 

o.k. I can wait because I have a red 1st gen bolt #1402 w/mods. I think it's funny that Dodge comes out with the SRT and the SVT team shuts the Dodge boy's off, I like that, at least I like to think that anyway. Lightning's will always be the best bang for buck offer out there, like I said I can wait, now it looks like I have no choice.
Waiting paitently.

 

I hope they come back sooner, I was so excited to see the new generation at the 2004 car show last year. I almost put off buying my 04.

At the time I bought it Ford had come out with some special lease that allowed you to lease the current SVT model and then be first on the list for the next generation. I almost did that, now I am glad I didn't!

When I bought my 04 it was right when the SRT10 was hitting show rooms. I considered that truck too, but the price was way to high. If I put the +10k saved into mods for my lightning, it would be one fast truck that an SRT10 couldn't touch on the track!

 

The SVT team up there has everything under control I'm hoping. What are they doing to the new Mustang that requires dropping the Lightning project? This is what I think it is. Just when Dodge thought they were gonna bust on the Lightning for once, SVT says we'll let you wonder what were gonna beat you with next. The 04 Lightning stats (based on a cable show I saw) against the SRT put the Lightning only a half second behind the SRT in the 1/4 mile. The lightning handled the twisteees a little better too. It took a V-10 to barely beat a V-8, think about it. The Dodge is heavier, more expensive, more gas $$$$ and I think the front end looks like a giant Carp (fish) in case your not a fisherman. Any way I don't tend to offend just putting out my opinion. I actually own a dodge mini-van, but wont by another one for the record. Have a good day.
BadBolt

 

It took ford about 4 years to bring out the 2nd gen Lightning in 99, when the new body emerged in late 96 as a 97 so figure 3-4 years is the design time, putting the 3rd gen in at 07-08. The cobra usualy takes 1 1/2 -2 years.
Here is the info i've gotten so far

The SVT Cobra Mustang is already scheduled to debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January of 2006 with delivery available in mid (May/June) 2006 as a MY2007. Prototypes that are on the streets today are almost indistinguishable from other SN197's other than tires and exhaust note. There are a couple using unorthodox hood arrangements but these are supposedly not the cars with the drivetrains we will see. Here is what I was told will be the heart and soul of the next Cobra. Time will tell...

Motor: 5.4 Supercharged, 3 valve heads (with HUGE valves), forged internals similar to the 4.6 (Crank, rods, etc), modestly rated (under rated actually) ~465 HP/495 lb ft Torque, using a twin screw S/C similar to that on the Ford GT but pullied differently, hence the lower HP. This motor was supposedly made official (in house only) just in the last few days. It will NOT be rated the equal or even close HP-wise as the Ford GT exotic for exclusivity reasons. It will have more restrictive intake/exhaust systems than the Ford GT which is partly to blame for the lower performance numbers. Also, a cold air induction system will purportedly being looked at as an option but may be standard if it can get past the bean counters.

Transmissions: 6 speed manuals standard with a heavy duty 5 speed auto (the tranny used on the Ford Superduty but programmed/geared differently) as an option in late '07 or the '08 M/Y.

Suspensions: A re-engineered, heavy duty IRS will be an option with a modified 3 link/panhard bar-live axle setup as the standard rear axle. SVT will be going for the Road Race buyer as well as the straight line racer with both axles optional. However, the Axle options are not set in stone as of the moment but look highly likely to be approved. The Cobra will be lowered about 1.5" from a stock GT.

Bodywork: The retro theme will continue with a serious nod to the '67 Shelby. The fenders may be flared more than the standard '05 but that is not for certain as of now. The ducktail will be factory installed. Also, no convertible is planned for now but no reason was given other than concerns over chassis reliability due to the torque volume.

According to "John Doe" (he does not want to get 'relieved' of his assignment), only 3 of the Cobra protos built so far have the S/C'd 5.4 in them. There are actually 6 or 7 on the streets now, not all at the same time but there are similarly painted versions of different cars. There are also supposed to be three Protos with 6+ liter motors in them, 2 with blowers, one that is N/A but these will not be used in the next generation Cobra.

Supposedly, the 6+ Liter motors (he does not know the precise specs on them) are a Hurricane based engine with radical camming and a "first for Ford style of fuel delivery." I have no idea what he means by that and he would not elaborate to my sister either - apparently he was only repeating what he was told.

Tires: Alledgedly, the 5.4 S/C'd cars are running 315's on the rears, 275's on the fronts using 18" rims. Similar setups are on the other Protos. However, the 315's may only be optional with 295's being the standard fare.

Performance: The 5.4 S/C'd cars have been clocked in the very low 12's (12.10-12.25) in the quarter at nearly 120 mph and have been traction limited, according to "John". They are also supposedly able to pull over 1 G in handling.

Per "John", SVT is also adding enormous brakes and will be using an air cooled Intercooler, opting away from the water cooled version used previously due to reliability concerns (?). Other touches will possibly include some form of active/adjustable suspension as an option but he did not know much about it.

Supposedly, we should expect a price to be in the very high $30k range (base price - 6 speed, live axle, base tire/wheel combos) according to his sources in the know.

Also - prototype Mach 1's are also on the streets. These are supposedly running N/A'd 5.4's, tuned for 370hp with the 6 speed transmissions for now and debate still ongoing about which auto to use. None of the proto Mach's are running the Shaker hood to keep them cloaked to spying eyes. This car is supposed to appear for the '06 M/Y with some final tweaking to be set in stone by Jan/Feb 2005.

"John Doe" is considered to be an extremely reliable source. He said that Ford will rely heavily on already built/designed components rather than exotic pieces.

He also said that Ford is hoping to stymie the rumored F-body's comeback sales numbers with more powerful engines in the V6/GT Mustang in M/Y 2007 cars, perhaps as high as 20% increases in HP/Torque with 10-12% increases in fuel economy. If true, we could be seeing 320/325 HP GT's in 2007! Purportedly, GM is planning to use detuned LS2's in the F-bodies and Ford wants to head them off early with upgraded 3v motors.

 

Thanks for all the info. Now I want a mustang.
Badbolt

 

Yall are all wrong,
The project got shelved until August of 05.
Thats when they will roll out of the factory.
They delayed it last year but since the cobra project is up and running they should start soon. Plus they said if not in 05 then it would defintaly be an 07 model who told u 08 that is way of its gonna be an 06 or 07 model

 

They ARE going to use the 3 valve/cyl engine from the GT which would put the HP rating at 550 even tell the dodge fans to suck on that we already have there Viper in a deep hole. The next gen lightning will kill the srt-10 it wont even be a contest!!!!!!!

 

The concept lightning borrowed the motor from the GT (of which is a 4 valve)but in a production truck they will most likley use the 3 valve 5.4 or a variation that they are developing for the new cobra. The specs for the GT's motor are as follows
Engine Type: DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, supercharged V-8
Engine Displacement (L): 5.4
Bore/Stroke (mm): 90.2x105.8
Displacement (cu in/cc): 330/5409
Compression Ratio (in/mm): 8.4:1
Material: Aluminum block
Horsepower @ RPM: 550@6,500
Torque @ RPM (lb ft): 500@3,750
Horsepower Specific Output (hp/liter): 101.9
Torque Specific Output (lb ft/liter): 92.6
Recommended Fuel: 91 octane (premium)
Fuel System: Sequential multi-port electronic fuel injection -(SEFI) with dual injectors per cylinder
Oil Capacity with Filter (quarts): 12
Usable Fuel Capacity (gal): 17.5

And those SRT's can only outrun a stock 2nd gen lightning if they are driven by a professional driver, and then only by 2/10 of a sec (in a 1/4 mile). Add a chip and a pulley to the L (<$500 )and it should be no contest.

BTW- the dates I gave were for model years not the year in which production would likely begin, and I said the lightning, not the lightning design project, was shelved until that time. I agree the 3rd gen lightning project will begin after the launch of the Cobra, but I’m sure there are designers at SVT already thinking up new ideas for the 3rd gen today. In my own personal opinion when you can buy a new 3rd gen lightning I will consider it un-shelved. The main setback for the designers right now is putting the new F-150 on a diet, that has caused some concerns that it could take up to a year or longer to totaly work out the details. Either way its going to be a great truck, look at the diffrence between the 1st and 2nd gen lightnings, now imagine the 3rd.

 

dont expect the lightning until 2008. Ford says its waaay too expensive right now. email Bill Ford and let him know how you feel about that!!!!

 

Sorry dude. It was announced today that the Lightning has been killed until 2008 MINIMUM!!! What the heck is ford thinking?? Could also be the end of the SVT cobra mustang.