The current mustang has aluminum hood and front fenders. Most of the energy absorption however comes from the crumple zone in the front bumper and clip. The fenders and hood are there for looks and aero. Any lightweight additions from here on out will not come from making the car smaller, but from using lighter weight materials.
The F150 frame is still steel.
Okay then -- so some theoretical S550 built with the F150 construction methods and materials might shave -- what's your best guess? One hundred pounds? Two? Could it be close to the three hundred I want it to be?
Considering most of the F150 weight savings is in the aluminum body and bed...and the mustang already has some aluminum components, I wouldn't expect to save much more than 50-100lbs by going to an all aluminum body. More weight savings could certainly be had in changing some of the chassis components to aluminum however.
If the BMW M4 can be 3 inches shorter in length, have more interior space (especially in the back), be lighter overall, and only lose .4ftÂł in trunk space; I'm sure Ford can trim here and there on the s650 without sacrificing too much.
The packaging requirement for an I6 and a dohc V8 are quite a bit different. I would assume that the M4’s I6 would be a bit slightly longer than the coyote…but keep in mind, some of that engine can be tucked in the area between the driver and passenger. The tall and wide DOHC V8 doesn’t have that luxury. Look at the engine bay of each, and you’ll see they are similar in distance from the front of the engine to the front of the car.
I think I'll be a dreamer, and be a little more optimistic -- but you're likely right. My thoughts go something like this: From the 12th gen F150 to the 13th gen F150, the weight loss was 750lbs from the top model. Understanding that the Mustang is a lot smaller vehicle, the capacity for weight loss is much smaller -- I'm not sure what the curb weights of the F150's are (north of 4000lbs for a stripped out short bed, versus ~3700 for a stripped out GT), so I might be way, way off. But let's say that the Mustang can only lose 375lbs, and lets further say that half of that savings was already realized in the '15 Mustang with the hood and fenders already being aluminum. That leaves 187.5 pounds of potential loss -- but who knows what other requirements will creep in between now and then.
OK, go with the E90 series M3 with an admittedly slightly smaller 4.0 or 4.4L V8. It is shorter, but has a longer wheelbase and a couple hundred pounds lighter. There is definitely room to shed some lbs, shed a little overhang, push the wheels out to the corners and still have good crash performance. Just look at the Camaro with the bigger (but OHV) V8. About the same length as an S550 but longer wheelbase and lighter.
Really, weight loss is going to come down to cost. What good is a 3600lb mustang with a v8 if the base price is $50k?
The difference in price between a base '18 Mustang, and a base '18 F150 is $1795 -- the base models share the same body in white as the top trims. I'm not sure how you get to a V8 Mustang starting at $50k -- it seems a bit hyperbolic.
The price was hypothetical. What good does dramatically decreasing the weight of the mustang if the costs associated with it would likely dramatically increase the price.
There is one reason currently why the mustang isn't lighter...and it's cost.
Improvements must be made... Now that Ford has a fleet vehicle that uses lightweight materials, economies of scale may bring the cost within reach of the Mustang. If there aren't improvements, the Mustang will die.
