At the L.A. auto show in November, Ford unveiled the highly impressiveFord Mustang Shelby GT350. A track-focused pony, the GT350 is powered by a naturally aspirated flat-crank 5.2-liter V-8 that revs to the stratosphere, packs Ford’s first adaptive magnetorheological suspension, and wears unique, aero-massaged bodywork. To say it’s prepared to slay apexes would be an understatement.
But what if you want, you know, more? More unique features, more capability, more focus? Well, first off, you’re insane. But thankfully so are the folks at Ford Performance, so feast your eyes on the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R—the R doesn’t stand for “righteous,” but it might as well.
Incredibly Focused
The R keeps all the components that make the GT350 great and throws out pretty much everything else not required by law or structural integrity, all in the interest of destroying road courses. So the flat-crank 5.2-liter V-8 stays, still eclipsing both 500 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. (Final output for the engine has yet to be confirmed.) The electronic, adaptive MagneRide suspension goes to work under the GT350R, too, but gets new, track-oriented programming and is teamed with revised spring rates and anti-roll bars, a lower ride height, and unique alignment settings, as well as revised bushings, bump stops, and cross-axis ball joints.
The bodywork is an optimized version of the basic GT350’s. As on that car, everything ahead of the A-pillars has been massaged, and the headlamps sit about one inch lower than they do on the standard-fare Stang. To maximize downforce, the R gets a revised front splitter and a huge carbon-fiber rear wing. Ford says the latter piece moves the center of pressure rearward and improves the balance between downforce and lift.
The brake calipers are painted red, and the badging and body stripes get red pinstriping. The racing seats have red contrast stitching, and the steering wheel has a red centering stripe. Red is racy, after all. The only transmission is a six-speed manual transmission, and the car is fitted with dedicated coolers for the engine oil, the gearbox, and the 3.73:1 Torsen limited-slip differential.
Diet for the Track
The GT350R, like the Camaro Z/28 that Ford’s engineers no doubt had taped to a dartboard in the break room, is about as stripped-down as a street-legal car can get in 2015. The GT350R buyer gets no air conditioning, no stereo, no rear seats, and no trunk upholstery or cargo floor. There’s no backup camera for reversing, and neither a spare tire nor a can of sealer can rescue you if you suffer a puncture. Ford also deleted the resonators from the exhaust system, a move the company claims saves weight. That’s undoubtedly true, but the resulting motor music is justification enough for us. Not that the garden-variety GT350 needs any help in that department.
And then there’s the rolling stock: The GT350R rolls on carbon-fiberwheels, a first for any major automaker and a rarity even among exotic supercars. Ford says that the composite wheels—sized 19 by 11 inches up front and 19 by 11.5 out back—save an astounding 13 pounds per corner and are stiffer than any aluminum wheel. And they’re wrapped in hyper-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires with a rubber compound and construction unique to the GT350R.
All the weight shaving adds up to a car that’s 130 pounds lighter than a GT350 with Track Pack. An optional Electronics Package means buyers can get a GT350R with dual-zone A/C, touch-screen navigation, and a seven-speaker audio system, but while those people will have turned their GT350 into a slightly more livable commuter, a bunch of weight has been piled back into their track car. Which makes those people ninnies.
Really, if you’re at all interested in what the GT350R is cooking, you’re the kind of magnificent masochist who relishes the idea of an interior that looks as if it were abandoned on the assembly line at the end of a shift. Even if you’re not a track-day hero, you probably went googly eyed at the sight of the huge chin splitter and the fixed wing—and the dead-eyed apex-hunting they promise.
We continue to be amazed that, in this heavily regulated era, major automakers can keep cranking out these sorts of bonkers track machines. The fact that Ford can take a vehicle as extreme as the Shelby GT350 Mustang and make it even more insane, and then sell it in showrooms next to Fiestas and Fusions, points to a bright and glorious future for all of us. And speaking of showrooms, Ford says the limited-production GT350R will arrive in one near you later this year. Get in line now.
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