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Ford Keeps Driving This Mustang Shelby GT350 Prototype around Phoenix, But What Is It?

Now that Ford has introduced the Shelby GT350 and its Porsche-defying GT350R, one might expect Ford Performance to move on to other projects, but it seems like this isn't the case.
Mysterious Ford Shelby GT350 Prototype 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Ford keeps driving the GT350 prototype in Phoenix, Arizona and multiple people have reported seeing the 'Stand over the course of the current month. Aside from a few unclear phone pics taken in full traffic, we've come across a video that shows the car accelerating away from a stoplight.

As you can imagine, the car's presence in the city has generated a terrible itch on forums and social networks, with aficionados willing to know what this thing actually stands for.

Many have rushed to conclude we are dealing with a GT500 prototype, but we'd take a step back and add a grain of salt before fuelling that fire. For instance, it might be a bit early for Ford Performance to test the Hellcat rival.

More importantly, listening to the exhaust growl of the prototype makes us believe we are dealing with the flat-plane 5.2-liter naturally aspirated Voodoo V8 animating the GT350.

Of course, even when narrowing things down to the GT350, there's still more than one lead to pursue.

This could simply be a GT350/R prototype that continues to gather data - it is a known fact that, due to the initial shortage of vehicles after a launch, carmaker continue to drive camouflaged prototypes for testing purposes. Bothering to remove the camo wouldn't make sense.

On the other hand, there are a few who mentioned the eagerly-awaited GT350S. Much like the Boss302S, this road racing Mustang is expected to land next year. It will be approved for NASA and SCCA events, but since it won't be street legal, it's not very likely that this is the answer to our riddle.

Regardless, one thing's for sure - the Blue Oval is making excellent use of these real-world marketing strategy to keep enthusiasts on their toes. If you think you can put a label on this bad boy, feel free to do so in the comments section below.

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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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