Ford's Shelby GT350 Mustang unleashed

The Shelby GT350 Mustang, the new high-performance version of the sixth-generation Ford Mustang, features the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 production engine ever built by Ford. The carmaker describes the Shelby GT350 Mustang as “a track car that’s also street legal”. It is powered by a high-revving, naturally aspirated V8 engine that produces “more than 500 horsepower” according to Ford and boast “a torque peak above 55kgm”.

 

The 5.2-litre powerplant, which is unique to the GT350, is the first-ever production V8 from Ford with a flat-plane crankshaft, an architecture typically found only in racing applications or exotic European sports cars.

 

The engine is mated to a lightweight six-speed manual transmission, while a standard Ford-tuned Torsen limited-slip differential optimises cornering grip and straight-line traction.

 

The front-end stiffness of the GT350's platform has been further improved over the standard Mustang. The front track has been increased while spring rates and bushings have been recalibrated all around and the ride height is reduced compared to the Mustang GT.

 

The GT350 is fitted with 19-inch aluminium alloy wheels clad in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres which have a sidewall construction, tread face and compound that are bespoke to the car. The Shelby GT350 Mustang uses sophisticated MagneRide dampers, the first such application on a Ford production car. All bodywork from the windscreen forward is unique to the GT350 model and up to 50mm lower than the Mustang GT. 

 

Front and rear bodywork elements such as the fascia and diffuser have been optimised to enhance their aerodynamic effectiveness. The new aluminium bonnet has been lowered and sloped, compared to the base Mustang, tightly wrapped around the engine.

 

The interior of the Shelby GT350 features Recaro sport seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel, upgraded gauges and a reduction in chrome and brightwork, which could reflect the sun and distract the driver during track work.

 

An all-new driver control system allows selection of five modes that tailor ABS, stability control, traction control, steering effort, throttle mapping, damper tuning and exhaust settings.