Hey, do you remember that one special edition Mustang? You know, the one with the vinyl stripes and stickers and the loud exhaust that was really rare?
…yeah, that doesn’t narrow it down. I know, I know, they all look the same. But ol’ Carroll himself picked this year’s Barrett-Jackson auction as the place to debut his latest tape-and-stickers-and-go-faster-goodies Mustang special, and it actually seems like it’s gonna rock. Called the GT350 (original!), it’s a faster and harder version of the 2011 Mustang GT, retuned for a little more face-punching power and grip.
Starting with the brand new 5.0L Ti-VCT 32v V8, Shelby decided that 412bhp wasn’t enough, and the GT350 is fitted with a Ford Racing supercharger setup, with a claimed output of 500+bhp. This is definitely stepping on the toes of the big-dog GT500, with it’s heavy 32v iron-block 5.4L supercharged V8 – so perhaps the GT350′s powerplant is a sign of things to come. Who wouldn’t mind a GT500 with tons of power, but a lighter, more responsive front end?
Other performance goodies include a Ford Racing suspension setup, Borla exhaust, huge Baer brakes, and a set of gigantic Cragar alloys. And unfortunately, there’s all the Shelby body-goop: huge front bumper with splitter, hood scoop, rear decklid fill panel, side quarter window fill panels (because Mustangs weren’t hard enough to see out of already) and a center-exit exhaust setup. The mechanical setup sounds pretty solid (and that engine is beautiful) but the whole package comes off as sort of cobbled-together and slightly amateurish. Especially some of the “upgrades” on the inside, like the slightly ricey 3-gauge A-pillar pod. Yuck.
So really, besides the neat supercharged 5.0L, it’s business as usual for Shelby- well, sort of. The GT350 will only be a post-sale upgrade for 2011 Mustang GT’s, and with a pricetag of $33,995 (plus a new Mustang GT!) it’s not going to be cheap. In fact, it’s going to be even more expensive than the GT500 – which isn’t cheap to start with. But you know these blue-over-white GT350′s are still going to empty the wallets of all sorts of Mustang nuts. The world continues to turn.
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March 1st, 2010 at 4:19 am
Nice take on the iconic GT350. I really like the fit and finish of the interior. It’s sure a big step from the first 2005 models, with the rock hard plastic dash and nondescript seats.
April 27th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
You want to know the worst thing to happen to the Mustang? Putting ‘SHELBY’ on the back of it. Why? Because what was once an affordable fun car, The Cobra, now has his stupid name on it and costs a ton more than it used to. I bought an 04 Cobra NEW OFF THE LOT for 33k. It had forged internals, supercharger, the works. Next year they ‘Shelby Cobragt500omgheedawgy’ edition, and not only jacked it up by a little… they jacked it up where NOBODY with a brain could afford one.
I had hoped with the release of the 5.0 that Ford had finally come to its senses. That the overpriced horsecrap Shelby moniker would FINALLY be coming off the car. But oh no, we need a 70k car with 500hp that in the end is still essentially a Mustang GT with some stickers on it.
What’s the Cobra going to cost? 1.5 million?
It’s cars like this, complete wastes of power and plastic why I am enjoying and loving my 2008 STi. Yes, I went Japanese after this list of cars:
93 5.0
99 Cobra
01 Cobra
97 Vette
04 Cobra
Why? Because I refuse to pay a premium for a stupid name that yields absolutely nothing to the performance of the car it is attached to. I mean for this price the car STILL HAS FREAKING STICKERS FOR STRIPES. And the original FORD paintjob.
Enjoy your orangepeel suckers, scoop up this Shelby crap with a giant spoon. I’ll be blowing past you with my little rice burner that cost a reasonable amount and has all wheel drive and handling to boot. NO STICKERS NEEDED.