LAAS 2014 - Ford debuts the 2016 Shelby Mustang GT350 - Impressions

[Sticky]

Ford took some wind out of the sails for journalists by revealing the GT350 early online before the LA Auto Show. That is how things go these days but Ford did have their GT350 on display as promised. The only problems is details on the car were nowhere to be found.

Unlike what most of the other automakers do for their debuts Ford did not provide any data panels on the GT350. For those in attendance who hoped to learn more about the car than in the initial press release there simply was no additional info to be gathered and nobody from Ford was around the car to ask for more info anyway.

What we know is still what we know and that is we can expect over 8000 rpm from the 5.2 liter flat plane crank V8 along with over 500 horsepower. Torque is expected to be over 400 lb-ft.

We also know that the Coyote 5.0 liter V8 serves as the foundation but we do not get a full breakdown as to what is changed. Obviously, a whole heck of a lot and likely just the block remains as a similarity between the two. Interestingly, the engine is lighter than the Coyote 5.0 liter V8 in the Mustang GT but we do now know by how much.

Regarding the styling, the car has a great presence in person although it could sit quite a bit lower on the 19's. The rear is a much better design execution than the front though. The car looks best from the front when staring at it head on but when one rotates their position to more of a side profile view the new headlights lose their attractiveness. A subjective point but the previous headlight design worked better at varied angles of view.

Like everyone else we await more details on this beast:

[richpike]

Latest rumor on pricing:

$52,995

HorespowerKings has learned from a Ford source during the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show the Shelby GT350 Mustang will cost $52,995, thus making it considerably more expensive than the Mustang GT Coupe which kicks off at $32,100. For an additional $2,995, customers will be able to add the optional Tech Pack bringing leather-wrapped electric seats, Shaker Audio, dual-zone climate control and MyTouch Ford infotainment system with an eight-inch touchscreen display.
The same source mentions the availability of an optional Track Pack which will bridge the gap between the GT350 and the rumored GT350R, a more hardcore version likely to be unveiled in January 2015 at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Don't hold your breath for a convertible GT350 as that won't probably happen because axing the roof would diminish the vehicle's stiffness and Ford doesn't want that.

If that ends up being true, it will be almost $20k less than a Z28. And an absolute bargain.

-Rich

[Sticky]

$52k... oh baby! That's a bargain no doubt about it.

[richpike]

$52k... oh baby! That's a bargain no doubt about it.

Ha! You're like my wife - she rounds everything down.

Me: "how much was that dress?"
Her: "$100"
I look at the tag: $199.95



But it does seem like a screaming deal.

-Rich

[Sticky]

Ha! You're like my wife - she rounds everything down.

Me: "how much was that dress?"
Her: "$100"
I look at the tag: $199.95



But it does seem like a screaming deal.

-Rich

I didn't round down by 50%

[whoosh]

$53k before markups, which we know Ford dealers love to do. If this thing performs as well as we're all expecting, it will be an amazing performance bargain. A nice alternative to the C7 if you're not in love with the styling or just don't like GM for whatever reason.

I haven't been able to sit in a new Mustang to gauge how much they've improved inside. I had the previous gen car as a rental several times and was always mixed in my impressions.