The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R and the 1965 GT350R might be 55-years apart, but what makes these muscles cars so revered is their illustrious heritage. The two American muscle cars may share a name tag, but their differences are as vast as their age gap. Jakub and Yuri of StraightPipes made a detailed comparison of the racing icons.
After 55-years, the Shelby GT350R is a new track animal. For starters, it packs a lot more juice than it did in the golden ages. It comes with a 5.2-liter V8 making 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. The 1965 GT350R, on the other hand, makes 306 hp, which is quite aggressive for a 60s race car.
All Mustangs have one thing in common, their signature exhaust notes. While the 2020 GT350R comes with a satisfying high-pitched raw and exotic exhaust tune, it’s not similar to the original’s deep and satisfying tune, and not nearly as loud either. Jakub and Yuri feel both cars tied on exhaust notes.
Ask any car sales expert, a vehicle’s value depreciates with time, but not the Shelby Mustang GT350R. If anything, it’s the opposite. Like their age, their price differences are also miles apart. The 2020 Ford Mustang GT350R starts at $74,630 while the 1965 GT350R can sell for more than $500,000, depending on the condition.
The 2020 GT350R drives nothing like a textbook muscle car. Based on Yuri’s experience, it is precise. It comes with different sports modes for steering and suspension, and a bonus auto rev-matching feature not available on the Mach 1.
The 2020 GT350R also comes with a six-speed manual Tremec transmission. The 1965 Shelby GT350R, on the other hand, comes with a four-speed gearbox. Jakub loved the long gears and the full range of the RPMs after-effect.
There's no doubt that the 1965 GT350R is the true legend of the two. However, the 2020 variant picks up more points for reliability. It makes a better daily driver compared to the 1965 GT350R that would be chaotic to drive in city streets. The 2020’s interior is also much more appealing and entertaining compared to the stripped-down original version.
When asked which muscle car they would choose between the two, both Yuri and Jakub settled for the 1965 GT350R.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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