With the Adrenalin pickup canceled, Ford's in-house hot-shop has no work. Is Ford's performance shop, Special Vehicle Team, about to die? It looks that way, with no new products scheduled after Ford's launch of the Mustang-based Shelby GT500. The Adrenalin, which was to be an SVT-built performance version of the new Explorer Sport Trac, has been canceled.

The automaker has several performance projects in the works, Ford says, but the sweeping "Way Forward" plan, designed to dig the company out of its financial hole, has priority. As for Hau Thai-Tang, SVT's earnest chief, he's "not going anywhere," a Ford spokesman says.

Ford promises we'll learn more about the company's new performance direction soon. SVT has lots of name recognition, the spokesman maintains, although others suggest the SVT name isn't magic, like the Mercedes AMG, BMW M, or even the Shelby moniker. It's no coincidence that the GT500 doesn't have SVT in its name.

With the launch of the GT500, Ford also will allow all its dealers to sell SVT products. Until now, only a limited number of dealers were certified to sell and service SVT vehicles.