"BOLD MOVES" AND THE SHELBY GT500

Fast forward forty years or so and imagine what current Ford Motor Company (tm) products might generate interest at one of the annual collector car auctions that mark January in Scottsdale . . . .

Of Ford-branded models, the dearly departed GT supercar and the brand's current "halo" --the Shelby [Cobra] GT500 -- are perhaps the only "bold" models which may still hold interest as anything but antique artifacts from a tumultous, yet bland time long past.

Moreover, given FoMoCo's continuing ability to lose millions in its vehicle business in North America and a salivating dealer base scrapping at the chance to laddle on $15,000 to $20,000 in "additional dealer markups" on the occasional GT500 rolling off the transporter, it's no wonder that www.fordboldmoves.com devotes three video segments to the newest iteration of the venerable, iconic Mustang.

More surprising, however, is FoMoCo's reliance on the GT500 as the dominating lead-in for a Dealer co-op direct mail folder promoting Ford's 2006 Summer clearance sale.

Such a folder arrived in Speedzzter's mail this week.

The "Bold Moves"-themed folder inaccurately reports that the GT500 will have "450 horsepower" (long after the automotive press repeatedly reported the actual dyno number was a convenient 500 ponies) and claims the new Shelby won't be available until "Fall 2006."

Of course your local Ford dealer (name and address affixed) can make you a screamin' deal right now on the left-over 2006 model glue-factory Mules languishing in the paddock . . . .

Somewhere in the Glass House or elsewhere in the FoMoCo Empire, it probably made sense to focus inaccurate, if not misleading, attention on a rare, somewhat dissimilar "future" model that is inelligible for any sales incentives as a means for moving more pedestrian, laggard metal stuck on Ford lots.

Yet the logic of such advertising doesn't even track with the controversial "halo" theory.

Under modern "halo" practice, the halo model is supposed to attract positive attention and showroom traffic from admirers, who will then consider more attainable "lesser" models for purchase. All of this presumes the halo cars are out and about in sufficient numbers to generate light on other models.

Stating in the ad that the halo car will be AWOL during the entirety of the BIG SALE simply begs the question "why bring the halo car up in the first place?"

And then to tarnish the halo (or comparatively pump up the flaccid specs of the ordinary Mules) by materially underreporting THE SPECIFICATION of the once and future supercar, creates additional cynicism about the "boldness" and attention to detail of the whole process.

Apparently "Bold" sometimes means stretching things beyond their reasonable contexts.