What It Is
Though it bears the Shelby name, this is the creation of Ford’s SVT group. It’s more the spiritual successor to the recent and beloved Boss 302 than the most recent Shelby, that ground-thumping supercharged beast known as the GT500.
So why call it a Shelby instead of a Boss or a Cobra or a Mach (or a
Sprint or a Ghia or . . .)? Because attaching the Shelby name allows
Ford to charge more.
Why It Matters
Why it matters? Why it matters?! What’s wrong with you—are you only reading this because you’re waiting at the doctor’s office?
Platform
The GT350 uses the same “S550” platform that underpins the 2015 Mustang.
We anticipate that this version will ride on a significantly stiffer
suspension with adjustable dampers. Early test vehicles, spotted around
the company’s Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters, wore cross-drilled
carbon-ceramic brake rotors. Those mules were also rolling on 19-inch
Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer performance tires, with bodies pierced
by a center hood vent and what appeared to be functional fender vents
behind the front wheels.
Powertrain
SVT isn’t trying to top its supercharged GT500 engine here. Instead,
expect a version of the 5.0-liter V-8 that powers the Mustang GT. This
engine might have a slightly larger displacement than the stock unit,
and SVT is known to be working on a flat-plane crankshaft for the
“Voodoo” engine. The lower rotating mass with such a setup should allow
this V-8 to rev past 8000 rpm and deliver about 550 horsepower. We
expect this engine to be mounted exclusively to a manual transmission
and send its power through a limited-slip differential.
Competition
Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, other Chevrolet Camaros, Dodge Challenger SRT, a used Boss 302.
What Might Go Wrong
If the SVT team can do a performance Mustang as good as the Mustang team’s old Boss 302, not much at all should go wrong.
Estimated Arrival and PriceFigure about $50,000 for this 2016 model
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