Iron Fist, Lead Foot: John Coletti and Fordýs ýTerminatorý

by Frank Moriarty

Like every other Mustang fan, as soon as I heard about this supercharged car I couldn't wait for it to be built.-William Clay Ford, Jr.Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Ford Motor CompanyA factory supercharged Ford Mustang had long been on the wish list of muscle car fans, but it took the passion of a single man to make it O. John Coletti. Coletti? That was one name in the Ford Motor Company phone book guaranteed to stir up differing opinions among the huge auto manufacturer's upper management. Maverick or visionary? Tyrant or leader?One thing was certain about the mercurial he had an unswerving faith in the value of high performance. And after almost single-handedly rescuing the Ford Mustang from discontinuation via a covert, renegade program, Coletti had ridden his notoriety into his own throne within Ford-as head of the elite Special Vehicle Team. But in late 2000, Coletti stretched the boundaries of his own legend, abruptly canceling the division's highly-anticipated 2002 Mustang Cobra while disrupting marketing plans and enraging SVT's network of dealers.This is the untold story of how Coletti's performance mandate led to the creation of a car known as the "Terminator", the 2003-4 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra. How did a major American auto manufacturer secretly create a vehicle that turned the performance world on its ear? Iron Fist, Lead Foot takes readers deep behind the scenes for the answers.

188 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2006

Reviews

[Michael Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the definitive story of Ford’s ‘Terminator’ Cobra. It begins with head of SVT demanding more from SVT’s flagship vehicle. From there, it covers the complete design process of the car. From the starting-from-scratch clay designs, to the IRS suspension geometry-calibrations and ending with the grand and well received public unveiling. The book goes very in-depth into each facet of designing the car. Interviews are conducted with various members of the SVT team that provide insight into the making of the car. The book does a great job of portraying the hardships of making a high-performance vehicle on a strict budget and stricter deadline. For anyone interested into reading more about the “Terminator” Cobra or just SVT in general, this book is definitely worth picking up. On the other hand, it can be lengthy and ramble about car facts, which could be boring to someone who doesn't have a through understanding of cars or appreciation of SVT Cobra’s.

[Cile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Caseytyrrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great insider interviews and little-known info!