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2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Almost Crashes During Nurburgring Testing Spin

The Ford engineers working on the 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350 / SVT or whatever they’ll call it, have definitely sampled the meaning of the Nurburgring’s “Green Hell” nickname earlier today - the prototype nearly crashed during a hot lap.
2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 near crash on Nurburgring 14 photos
Photo: Carpix
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The Independent Rear Suspension (IRS)-gifted Mustang was exiting the infamous Carousel bend when the rear end decided it was time to renounce its grip. In an instant, the muscle car went from the inner liner of concrete to the outer one and, as it went further wide onto the asphalt, the vehicle went sliding.

The driver countersteered promptly and, also using the brakes to control the lateral momentum, recovered from the slide quickly. Alas, as it often happens, he didn’t manage to prevent the Mustang from sliding to the other side. As an unfortunate consequence, the car also had two wheels on the grass at this point, which accelerated the issue.

From this point on, it appears that the test driver kept the brakes on while countersteering again (yes, this is full opposite lock we’re talking about) - the car spun an extra 250 degrees plus until coming to a tire-smoking (all four) stop across the track.

The ‘Stang prototype missed the impact with the side barrier, which would’ve sent it spinning violently the other way) by the length of its number plate.

The 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350 is expected to be previewed on September 19, as revealed by an Easter Egg Ford dropped during the past weekend’s Indianapolis Motor Speedway broadcast.

Truth be told, the supped-up Mustang has become one of the Nurburgring’s favorite children lately, running lap after lap of testing. Still, the technical info is scarce. Judging by the sounds of pleasure it emitted while lapping the Nordschleife, this is a naturally-aspirated beast.

The Blue Oval is expected to play with the Mustang GT 5.0-liter Coyote V8, supposedly taking this from its 435 hp to a meatier 550 ponnies. Of course, the IRS, along with the brakes and other tech goodies of the car will also be upgraded.

The rumor mill even states that the Shelby GT350 is a starting point for a Mustang Mach 1 revival that’s expected to bow subsequently.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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