Excerpt from "Team spiritless: Ford\'s SVT concept is history" by Steven Cole Smith for Edmunds. 03/06/2006
"...It appears that the balls-out effort to build the Ford GT by the company\'s 100th anniversary took its toll on the SVT staff, slowing development of more mainstream future products, such as the next-generation Lightning, an updated SVT Focus and an SVT version of the Fusion. The Ford executives who oversaw SVT, group vice presidents Steve Lyons and Phil Martens, didn\'t give SVT the resources it needed to rebuild.
Martens is gone; he\'s running Plastech, a company that supplies spoilers and scuff plates and other bits and pieces to the manufacturers. And Lyons retired March 1 to move to Arizona and run a Ford dealership. Reportedly Lyon\'s replacement, Cisco Codina, likes SVT, but it\'s too late.
Why Because SVT\'s top executives are gone, too. John Coletti, the bulldog engineer who was the heart and soul of SVT, retired at the end of 2004. Tom Scarpello, Coletti\'s counterpart on the marketing side, moved to Jaguar. Chris Theodore, a Ford vice president who spearheaded the Ford GT, is gone. This leaves the talented, personable Hau Thai-Tang to run SVT. Essentially, he\'s a captain without a ship.
It\'s painful to see what has happened to SVT, especially when you look at the success of Chrysler\'s SRT program, which in many ways mirrors what SVT was. In the grand scheme of Ford\'s problems, botching SVT is a small one. But to enthusiasts, it speaks volumes..."
Now that the Ford GT is complete, do you think there is room now to bring back the SVT program
The feedback regarding the legacy of the SVT program has been both insightful and passionate. Conversations are currently underway to determine how best to present these collective views to the appropriate departments at Ford. Progress remains steady as we continue to define the next steps for this initiative.
May 30, 2007
The momentum behind this petition highlights how much the legacy of the SVT program still resonates with automotive enthusiasts. I am encouraged to see this level of interest in reviving a performance division that prioritized engineering integrity and passion.
6 Comments
K
Kevin Fletcher
19 years ago
Featured
Used to be a ford guy but not anymore. why would anyone buy a base model when ford gave up on making them fun to drive?
D
Dave Zhang
19 years ago
Featured
Too many boring cars in the lineup now. we need that svt magic back ASAP
M
Mike Whitaker
19 years ago
Featured
bring them back!! svt made the best cars ford ever put on the road. dont even get me started on the lightning.
S
Sarah Hassan
19 years ago
Featured
My husband still talks about his old cobra. ford needs to realize how much brand loyalty they lost when they killed it off.
B
Brian Pearce
19 years ago
Featured
svt is legend. bring it back for the fans.
J
Jason Tran
19 years ago
Featured
The competition is killing them. dodge and chevy are doing great with their performance lines but ford is sleeping at the wheel.
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Excerpt from "Team spiritless: Ford\'s SVT concept is history" by Steven Cole Smith for Edmunds. 03/06/2006
"...It appears that the balls-out effort to build the Ford GT by the company\'s 100th anniversary took its toll on the SVT staff, slowing development of more mainstream future products, such as the next-generation Lightning, an updated SVT Focus and an SVT version of the Fusion. The Ford executives who oversaw SVT, group vice presidents Steve Lyons and Phil Martens, didn\'t give SVT the resources it needed to rebuild.
Martens is gone; he\'s running Plastech, a company that supplies spoilers and scuff plates and other bits and pieces to the manufacturers. And Lyons retired March 1 to move to Arizona and run a Ford dealership. Reportedly Lyon\'s replacement, Cisco Codina, likes SVT, but it\'s too late.
Why Because SVT\'s top executives are gone, too. John Coletti, the bulldog engineer who was the heart and soul of SVT, retired at the end of 2004. Tom Scarpello, Coletti\'s counterpart on the marketing side, moved to Jaguar. Chris Theodore, a Ford vice president who spearheaded the Ford GT, is gone. This leaves the talented, personable Hau Thai-Tang to run SVT. Essentially, he\'s a captain without a ship.
It\'s painful to see what has happened to SVT, especially when you look at the success of Chrysler\'s SRT program, which in many ways mirrors what SVT was. In the grand scheme of Ford\'s problems, botching SVT is a small one. But to enthusiasts, it speaks volumes..."
Now that the Ford GT is complete, do you think there is room now to bring back the SVT program
The feedback regarding the legacy of the SVT program has been both insightful and passionate. Conversations are currently underway to determine how best to present these collective views to the appropriate departments at Ford. Progress remains steady as we continue to define the next steps for this initiative.
May 30, 2007
The momentum behind this petition highlights how much the legacy of the SVT program still resonates with automotive enthusiasts. I am encouraged to see this level of interest in reviving a performance division that prioritized engineering integrity and passion.
6 Comments
K
Kevin Fletcher
19 years ago
Featured
Used to be a ford guy but not anymore. why would anyone buy a base model when ford gave up on making them fun to drive?
D
Dave Zhang
19 years ago
Featured
Too many boring cars in the lineup now. we need that svt magic back ASAP
M
Mike Whitaker
19 years ago
Featured
bring them back!! svt made the best cars ford ever put on the road. dont even get me started on the lightning.
S
Sarah Hassan
19 years ago
Featured
My husband still talks about his old cobra. ford needs to realize how much brand loyalty they lost when they killed it off.
B
Brian Pearce
19 years ago
Featured
svt is legend. bring it back for the fans.
J
Jason Tran
19 years ago
Featured
The competition is killing them. dodge and chevy are doing great with their performance lines but ford is sleeping at the wheel.
Used to be a ford guy but not anymore. why would anyone buy a base model when ford gave up on making them fun to drive?