The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 will always live in the shadow of its bigger brother, the GT500, but that's only because it has less power and a smaller numeral included in its name.
Yes, it also offers lesser performance levels on almost any measurable front but ask anyone who cares about driving which one they would take down a twisty road, and most of the fingers will be pointed toward the GT350. That's because looking at the entry-level Shelby as just that, an entry-level Shelby, is quintessentially wrong.
The naming really doesn't do the GT350 any favors since most clueless people will look at the two Shelbys, remember what they learned during the math class, and instantly think the GT500 is better than the GT350 in every possible way. However, we all know the pair should not be compared in terms of better or worse, but just "different".
The GT350 is a driver's car and, quite frankly, a dying breed. It has a 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 putting out 526 hp (533 PS) and a massive amount of maximum torque for an engine that doesn't use forced induction: 429 lb-ft (582 Nm) from as low as 4,750 rpm. Most importantly, though, it also has a six-speed manual, a transmission people can't stop raving about how good it is, plenty of them going as far as calling it the best in the world.
What all this tells us is that the Ford Mustang ShelbyGT350, despite its power output, has no business drag racing. The rear-wheel-drive and six-speed manual combo make it a pain to launch, and when it finally gets going, the slower shifts of a manual are also going to cost it time. So much so, in fact, that it can actually lose to a lesser opponent like the Camaro SS.
The black one in the clip below is a 2018 SS model, meaning it gets a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 with less power - 455 hp (461 PS) - but, thanks to the larger displacement, more torque - 455 lb-ft (617 Nm), also available down low (4,400 rpm). Like all self-respecting pony cars, the Camaro SS is also RWD, but the owner opted for the eight-speed automatic instead of the standard six-speed manual.
All these, together with a poor track surface, combine to give the GM machine a clear advantage that will have Mustang fans fuming. However, Mustang fans also know just how good the GT350 can be when it's used as intended, so while the Camaro crowd might be loud in their win, they won't probably lose any sleep over it.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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