All those months of rumors and spyshots are over now that Ford finally unveiled the new Shelby GT350 which promises to be a full track-day car you can also legally drive back on your way home. In a time when more and more icons sell their sould to the forced induction devil, here comes the hottest naturally-aspirated 2015 Mustang.
That’s because the Shelby GT350 is the most powerful naturally aspirated Mustang you can get. There are no exact numbers on the matter, but Ford says it will make over 500 hp and obviously over 400 lb-ft (540 Nm) of torque coming from a 5.2-liter V8 using a flat-plane crankshaft, which is a first for the company.
The new crank allows the cylinders to fire alternatively between the banks, which reduces the overlap of exhaust pressure pulses. Combine this with cylinder-head and valvetrain advancements and you get better cylinder breathing which further extends the engine’s performance. Lucky thing they don’t use a live rear axle no more.
Bolted to it is a six-speed manual gearbox which is shafted to a Ford-Tuned limited-slip differential that optimizes cornering grip and straight-line traction.
Dynamics much?
The new Shelby GT350’s racing nature comes from the strongest platform Ford ever used so far on the Mustang. It is 28 percent stiffer over the previous model and this makes sure the suspension geometry remains consistent even when driving like a maniac on back roads and tracks.
Ventilated brakes mounted to aluminum hats can be found all the way around, measuring 394 mm at the front and 380 at the back. Attached to them you find extra-stiff lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels, which combined with the brakes further keep the unsprung mass down.
To keep the tires sticked to the ground all the time, continuously controlled MagneRide dampers are used for the first time on a Ford. They’re filled with hydraulic fluid and iron particles which react when an electric current is passed through it.
That’s not it, because most of the changes you see on the GT350 from the normal Mustang are said to be functional. Like the new lowered and sloped aluminum hood that makes the car more aerodynamic. The resculpted front fascia along with the front splitter and other aero elements also help with downforce.
Driving focused cockpit
With all these performance oriented changes happening, there’s no wonder the interior got the same treatment, where hundreds of hours went into creating and even more driving oriented place to be.
First, you’ll notice a set of Recaro sport seats wrapped in a unique cloth material. Then comes a flat-bottom steering wheel, upgraded gauges and almost no chrome or bright finishes to distract your attention.
A new integrated driver control system will let you select one of the five modes that alter ABS, stability control, traction control, steering, throttle, suspension and exhaust parameters to suit every condition.
There’s also a Tech Pack that ads power leather trimmed seats, a Shaker Audio system, 8-inch MyFord Touch LCD touchscreen, dual zone climate control and more.
All these sound amazing, but nothing compares to how that throaty new V8 gurgles at you in the video bellow. Forget about the Ecoboost, this is exactly how “legendary” should always sound.
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