When people think about the Ford engineers that test the 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350, the first though that comes to mind is, on many occasions, stealing their jobs. Well, ladies and gentlemen drivers, today we want to show you these people’s daily work isn’t all that easy. For instance, there may be times when the car... refuses to start.
This is precisely what happens in the footage below, which shows a GT350 prototype having trouble bringing its new 5.2-liter naturally aspirated engine to life. The scenes were captured over the weekend, with the ‘Stang prototype being spotted in Woodward Avenue, Michigan, not too far from the Blue Oval’s headquarters.
Nonetheless, once that vee eight was woken up, it treated everybody around with a stunning soundtrack - notice the exhaust tips are camouflaged, a new detail we’ve haven’t seen in the past.
The 5.2-liter V8 is new
Then again, we wouldn’t expect any less of the GT350. This is expected to be the hottest naturally-aspirated new-generation (S550) Mustang, so massaging the 435 hp 5.0-liter V8 of the GT wouldn’t do. Thus, the engineers did some serious work on the engine. Right now, the exact distance between the the aforementioned engine and the new 5.2 V8 that will power the Shelby (confirmed by a leak) is anybody’s guess. We’re expecting power to sit in the 500-pony area though.
By the way, the aforementioned leak also let us know we’ll be getting the Shelby GT350 in both Coupe and Convertible guise.
Returning to the not-so-easy life of the Ford people testing the 2015 Mustang Shelby GT350, we’ll remind you August was also a troubled month. That’s when a prototype visited the Nurburgring. The Mustang acted like any... horse would, going down the grazing route.
Yep, the Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) testing caused the Shelby Mustang to spin out, barely avoiding the barrier on the side of the track.
Remember when we said the Shelby GT350 will be the spiciest NA Mustang of the new generation? That may change, as the rumor mill states the vehicle will serve as a starting point for a Mach 1 revival that should appear later on in the car’s life.
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. Full profile
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