I first tested the twin-striped snake<\/a> \u2014 the track-goosed, $66,970 GT350R \u2014 over the rolling hills of Monterey and Laguna Seca, California a year ago. The $57,970 GT350 in my driveway is no less intense. Lope along in SPORT mode, and the flat-plane, 5.2-liter V-8 gurgles like a T-rex stalking its prey. Nail the throttle and rex takes off in a bellowing sprint to 8,000 rpm. The ground shakes. Birds flee from the trees. Fire hydrants explode.<\/p>\nThere\u2019s plenty of torque at low revs, but the piercing wail of a V-8 at 8-grand is other worldly. You NASCAR fans know what I mean. It oughta be a phone ring tone.<\/p>\n
The Roush motor is different. Or rather, the same, core 5.0-liter eight you\u2019ll find in the 435-horse Mustang GT. Unlike other hot rod shops that have to buy their cars and modify them, Roush gets exclusive access to Mustangs right out of Flat Rock Assembly so customers can accessorize them through dealers and have them delivered in full Roush attire. Get a Roush and you\u2019re accessing performance engineering that has won 32 racing titles and 400-plus races.<\/p>\n
Roush herds its pony recruits through their Plymouth plant where they are given a nose job, tattooed and generally hardened into track-ready stallions. Roush works its magic on Mustang\u2019s V-6 (RS package), turbo-4 (Stage 1), and V-8 (Stage 2 and 3). But Ford holds back the 8,000-rpm screamer for Shelby only. It\u2019s Ford\u2019s signature engine.<\/p>\n
Roush\u2019s signature is supercharging: An Eaton TVS supercharger spins atop the V-8 boosting horsepower by a mind-blowing 235 horsepower. I tuned the ACTIVE EXHAUST mode to TRACK, buried my right foot out of a Telegraph stoplight and was sure I was going to the moon. With a chirp, the 20-inch tires channeled a wave of horsepower arcing to the 6,800 rpm redline. Unlike the old, solid-axle, 662-horse GT500, this animal (priced from $56,410-$72,080) never feels unstable. It never threatens to throw its rider.<\/p>\n
This nimbleness translates to the track where Shelby and Roush record sports-car like, 1-plus G cornering numbers. Indeed, at this year\u2019s Car and Driver Lightning Lap, the $66,000 magnetic shock-equipped GT350 lapped faster than a $105K Porsche Cayman GT4. Cradled in heavily-bolstered Recaros, drivers can enjoy the performance in leather-wrapped comfort.<\/p>\n
What sports cars don\u2019t have, however, is The Look \u2014 that intimidating visage that appears in slower vehicles\u2019 rear-view mirrors causing them to reflexively pull over (neon blue Civics exempted, apparently). The Roush machine breathes down your back with a unique front clip, but what catches your eye is the \u201cROUSHCHARGER\u201d hood scoop.<\/p>\n
The Shelby\u2019s hood scoop is more aerodynamic and therefore less obvious. Not that you\u2019d notice because the twin stripes and massive \u201cflying buttress\u201d front splitter scream \u201cSnaaaaaake!\u201d My front splitters were jet black, yet still glinted in the sun like two machetes.<\/p>\n
Shelby GT350 and Roush Stage 3: Twin-stripes or gaping hood scoop. High-revving snake or supercharged demon. These stallions perform as good as they look.<\/p>\n
2016 Roush Stage 3 Mustang<\/strong><\/p>\nspecifications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n\n\nVEHICLE TYPE<\/strong><\/td>\n| FRONT-ENGINE, REAR-WHEEL DRIVE FOUR-PASSENGER SPORTS COUPE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nPower plant<\/strong><\/td>\n| 5.0-liter, supercharged \u201cCoyote\u201d V-8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nTransmission<\/strong><\/td>\n| 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nWeight<\/strong><\/td>\n| 3,892 pounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nPrice<\/strong><\/td>\n| $56,410 base ($72,080 as tested)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nPower<\/strong><\/td>\n| 670 horsepower, 525 pound-feet torque<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nPerformance<\/strong><\/td>\n| Quarter mile: NA; top speed: 155 mph<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nFuel economy<\/strong><\/td>\n| EPA 14 mpg city\/23 mpg highway<\/p>\n \/17 mpg combined (automatic as tested)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n report card<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n\n\nHIGHS<\/strong><\/td>\n| ROCKET-LIKE POWER; DISTINCTIVE LOOKS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nLows<\/strong><\/td>\n| Cop magnet; tight backseat for family burnouts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Overall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\nGrading scale:<\/strong> Excellent \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605Good \u2605\u2605\u2605 Fair<\/p>\nPoor \u2605<\/p>\n 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350<\/strong><\/p>\nspecifications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n\n\nVEHICLE TYPE<\/strong><\/td>\n| FRONT-ENGINE, REAR-WHEEL DRIVE FOUR-PASSENGER SPORTS COUPE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nPower plant<\/strong><\/td>\n| 5.2-liter \u201cVoodoo\u201d V-8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nTransmission<\/strong><\/td>\n| 6-speed manual<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nWeight<\/strong><\/td>\n| 3,791 pounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nPrice<\/strong><\/td>\n| $49,995 base ($57,970 GT350\/$66,495 GT350 R as tested)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nPower<\/strong><\/td>\n| 526 horsepower, 429 pound-feet torque<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nPerformance<\/strong><\/td>\n| Quarter mile: 12.3 seconds est. (Car and Driver); top speed: 155 mph<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nFuel economy<\/strong><\/td>\n| EPA 14 mpg city\/21 mpg highway<\/p>\n \/17 mpg combined<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n report card<\/strong><\/p>\n\n \n\n\nHIGHS<\/strong><\/td>\n| ENGINE OF THE GODS; FEROCIOUS VISAGE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nLows<\/strong><\/td>\n| Ticket bait; tight backseat for thrill ride-sharing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Overall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I knew a tennis player once upon a time who showed up at the courts dressed like Bjorn Borg. Headband, bright sweatbands on both wrists, multiple tennis rackets, and carrying an expensive tennis bag so big it needed a caddy. Then he walked out on court and hit 10 mph fluff balls. Why the big […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19322"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19323,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19322\/revisions\/19323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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