This is the new Shelby GT350 Mustang, the most extreme iteration yet of Ford's sixth-gen pony car. And under that angry, stripped bonnet lurks nothing less than the most powerful naturally aspirated motor ever fitted to a production Ford.
Over 500bhp of power, to be more precise, courtesy of a 5.2-litre V8 that Ford calls ‘essentially an all-new powerplant."
It's the Blue Oval's first production V8 ever to employ a flat-plane crankshaft, a configuration Ford says permits faster revving, better cylinder breathing and an even better noise (a "distinctive, throaty howl," according to Ford performance boss Jamal Hameedi). Oh, and no shortage of torque, either: the GT350's peak twist output stands at over 400lb ft.
All that power reaches the rear wheels through a lightweight six-speed manual transmission. Though Ford's yet to release performance figures, the GT350 is surely to significantly undermine the 4.4-second 0-62mph run of the latest 435bhp Mustang GT V8.
There are plenty of other performance goodies, too. Behind its 19-inch alloys, the GT350 boasts what Ford calls its ‘most track-credible brake system ever', with 394mm rotors and Brembo six-piston calipers up front, and 380mm rotors with four-piston calipers at the rear.
The Shelby is also the first Ford to get continuously controlled magnetorheological adaptive damping - or ‘MagneRide' in Blue Oval-speak. This can be adjusted with the five-mode driver control system, which also toggles ABS, traction and stability control, steering and throttle mapping depending how fervent the call of your inner Stig. On the outside, you'll spot the GT350's deeper front splitter, new bonnet vent and diffuser at the rear: all changes, says Ford, driven by necessity rather than aesthetics
It's the Blue Oval's first production V8 ever to employ a flat-plane crankshaft, a configuration Ford says permits faster revving, better cylinder breathing and an even better noise (a "distinctive, throaty howl," according to Ford performance boss Jamal Hameedi). Oh, and no shortage of torque, either: the GT350's peak twist output stands at over 400lb ft.
All that power reaches the rear wheels through a lightweight six-speed manual transmission. Though Ford's yet to release performance figures, the GT350 is surely to significantly undermine the 4.4-second 0-62mph run of the latest 435bhp Mustang GT V8.
There are plenty of other performance goodies, too. Behind its 19-inch alloys, the GT350 boasts what Ford calls its ‘most track-credible brake system ever', with 394mm rotors and Brembo six-piston calipers up front, and 380mm rotors with four-piston calipers at the rear.
The Shelby is also the first Ford to get continuously controlled magnetorheological adaptive damping - or ‘MagneRide' in Blue Oval-speak. This can be adjusted with the five-mode driver control system, which also toggles ABS, traction and stability control, steering and throttle mapping depending how fervent the call of your inner Stig. On the outside, you'll spot the GT350's deeper front splitter, new bonnet vent and diffuser at the rear: all changes, says Ford, driven by necessity rather than aesthetics
. "Everything we changed on the GT350 is purely function-driven design with the goal of improving the overall performance of the car," reckons Mustang designer Chris Svensson.
No comments:
Post a Comment