Originally posted by Burntgnat:
I was just referring to the comparison...a American made car...against a German piece of art. IMHO, there isn't a comparison, even if the car per chance beats the M5 in any race because the M5 is superior in every crook and cranny of it's being.
I heartily disagree. There's nothing BMW does that the Lincoln LS can't do. The platform is there. It's in a class with any sedan on earth. All it needs is more guts.
Ford has the parts bin to give it guts. Take the Jaguar XJ-R engine and throw it in the engine bay. The non-supercharged 4.0 is already in the S-Type, so it will fit. Go to ZF or Getrag and get a MTX unit for it, otherwise, some Mustang units may also be substituted. The Jag unit will do for an optional ATX if desired.
From there, it's just tires and suspension parts, which Ford has the engineers just like everybody else to make and select.
Interior and exterior designers, which Ford has as good as anybody, would give the car the countenance needed to live up to its new muscle and ability. This would not need any major adjustments, but minor tweaks.
This would give you a car every bit of the M5 that could be priced about $45K - $47K.
The M5 is an excellent machine, but I would not say it's a work of art. Anybody could duplicate it, given the desire to do so. The XJR Jaguar is already close.
