67
The magnetorheological dampers
massage both ends of the ride-versus-
handling compromise, taking the
RQTR \ß aUR `^bN_R`a UVa` N[Q _RaNV[-
ing tight control of the GT500’s body
motions even as lateral forces surpass
1.00 g. The Cup 2 tires that are part of
the $18,500 Carbon Fiber Track pack
deliver enough grip in corners to get
back to full throttle early and with
P\[¼QR[PRaUNaaURfμ_RT\V[Ta\¼[Q
purchase. Trusting the tires is key to
exploiting the GT500’s full capabil-
ities, because its muted steering feel
doesn’t give much warning as they
near their limit.
@]RNXV[T\SP\[¼QR[PRaUR@URYOf
GT500 starts at $73,995, or $9300
more than its chief rival, the Chev-
rolet Camaro ZL1. But perhaps the
bigger rivalry resides within the
Ford family. Is the Blue Oval’s stable
big enough for both the Shelby GT350 and the GT500?
We hope so. Think of the naturally aspirated, manual-
transmission-only GT350 as Ford’s own Porsche 911
GT3 and the Shelby GT500 as the Blue Oval/blue-collar
911 GT2 RS and you’ll understand both how similar and
U\dQVßR_R[aaUR`Ra d\PN_`N_RFR`dRN_RP\Z]N_V[T
Mustangs with Porsche’s best sports cars. The Shelby
GT500 is that good.SNAKE CHARMER
—
Equipped with the
$ 1 8, 500 Carbon
Fiber Track pack,
the Shelby GT500
is equally menacing
on a track or a
great road, or
parked on third-
world pavement.the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine,
rear-wheel-drive, 2- or 4-passen-
ger, 2-door coupe
Base ............................... $73,99 5
Engine: supercharged and
intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8,
aluminum block and heads, port
fuel injection
Displacement ...... 315 cu in, 5163 cc
Power ................. 760 hp @ 7300 rpm
Torque ........... 625 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch
automatic
Dimensions- Wheelbase ............................. 107.1 in
- L/W/H ...... 189.5/76.6/53.7–54.3 in
- Curb Weight ........................ 4200 lb
Performance (C/D est) - 60 mph .................................. 3.5 sec
- 100 mph ................................. 7.0 sec
- 1 /4-Mile ................................. 11.0 sec
- Top Speed ........................... 180 mph
EPA Fuel Economy - Comb/City/Hwy ...... 14/12/18 mpg
TECH
Crank Yankers
The GT350’s flat-plane-
crank Voodoo engine would
have lent itself wonderfully
to a pair of turbochargers,
but Ford had other plans. By
switching to a cross-plane
crankshaft, Ford elimi-
nated the nasty secondary
shaking forces associated
with a flat-plane-crank
V-8 that surely haunted its
talented NVH engineers.
As soon as the decision was
made to go with the cross-
plane crankshaft, applying
an Eaton supercharger to
the engine’s intake was
an inevitability, because
without complicated cross-
over exhaust plumbing or
a reverse-flow hot-V setup,
a cross-plane V-8 can’t
evenly deliver exhaust
energy to turbochargers.