{"id":26069,"date":"2020-10-01T12:10:06","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T16:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26069"},"modified":"2020-10-01T12:10:06","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T16:10:06","slug":"payne-in-heritage-white-ferocious-mustang-shelby-gt350-takes-its-final-bow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/payne-in-heritage-white-ferocious-mustang-shelby-gt350-takes-its-final-bow","title":{"rendered":"Payne: In heritage white, ferocious Mustang Shelby GT350 takes its final bow"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 is not going out quietly.<\/p>\n

The screaming\u00a08,250-rpm, V-8 pony car rides into the sunset this fall wearing the historic Wimbledon White and Guardsman Blue stripe paint scheme of the original\u00a01965 GT350 that tore up race tracks and made Mustang a legend 55 years ago. It marks the last batch of GT350s to roll off the Flat Rock assembly line since its 2016 debut.<\/p>\n

You may have heard your windows rattle last week when I rode Mustang\u2019s demon to Hell, Michigan’s challenging roads and back. With its high-pitched pterodactyl shriek, the 526-horse, 5.2-liter flat-plane crank V-8 \u2014\u00a0different than the low-pitch T. rex gurgle of Mustang\u2019s traditional V-8\u00a0\u2014\u00a0has always stopped bystanders in their tracks.<\/p>\n

Add its original paint scheme, and the last GT350 proves irresistible. It has always been so.<\/p>\n

\"Ken<\/p>\n
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In 1965, Shelby race driver Ken Miles \u2013 immortalized in\u00a0“Ford v. Ferrari”\u00a0\u2014\u00a0 won at Green Valley Raceway in Texas, establishing Mustang as a racing force. As the GT40 thrilled international crowds, GT350 made hearts race back home.<\/p>\n

As the Mustang Mach E leads Ford into electrification, the sixth-generation muscle car shoulders\u00a0a burden beyond its traditional role as America\u2019s favorite sports car. Together with the Ford F-150 pickup and Bronco SUV, Mustang is\u00a0now a key corporate pillar in Ford\u2019s promise to deliver toughness, adventure\u00a0and performance.<\/p>\n

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For the last five model years, the GT350 has defined performance.<\/p>\n

With its daring 2015 Mustang redesign, Ford reestablished its pony at the head of the Detroit muscle car pack after years of trailing crosstown rival Camaro. Keen to rekindle its performance cred, too, Ford resurrected the\u00a0Shelby GT350 for the first time since 1965. It led a stampede of speed including the Bullitt, GT500\u00a0and forthcoming Mach 1 models.<\/p>\n

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Given its \u201960s heritage, there\u2019s no doubt the GT350 is the brand halo. Like its 1965 forefather, its racing version \u2014\u00a0the GT350R-C\u00a0\u2014 was an instant success on the race track, winning in its 2016 IMSA Daytona debut.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back on it, what Ford and Carroll Shelby created back in the mid-\u201960s was so important to Mustang,\u201d said Mustang marketing boss Jim Owens. \u201cThe Shelby GT350 Heritage Edition vehicles are a meaningful tribute to the Shelby legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

With its manual transmission, wicked Shelby Cobra badge and athleticism, GT350\u00a0embodies Mustang\u2019s ethic: a wild stallion in a field of pure-bred horses.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve driven more precise cars \u2014 Porsche, Corvette, Supra \u2014 over Hell\u2019s undulating roads this year, but none made my hair stand on end like the Shelby. With 31 more horses than the mid-engine Corvette, the GT350 gulped real estate along Hadley Road. But with 317 cubic inches of V-8 up front, I always felt like I was hanging on to the great beast\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

Boasting magnetic shocks and huge\u00a0Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 gummies available on my GT350R tester, Ford engineers have worked miracles to strap the 3,700-pound \u2019Stang to the asphalt. But the naturally aspirated engine \u2014 rare in this turbocharged age \u2014 begs to be revved to 8 grand, where it hits a deafening 104 decibels (the dB race car limit at some race tracks, FYI). It\u2019s the highest-horsepower, normally aspirated eight-cylinder\u00a0Ford has ever crafted. It creates a deep bond between car and driver.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re still deeply in love with the GT350R,\u201d wrote Car and Driver magazine at its annual Lightning Lap competition at Virginia International Raceway in 2016. \u201cWe love that every time the throttle opens, it sounds as if a million tiny hammers were being fired into the exhaust.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0760-horse\u00a0supercharged Mustang GT500 cyborg sibling may be faster, but GT350 is the class heartthrob.<\/p>\n

Back off the throttle, and the V-8 pops and gurgles like it’s digesting a meal. Stab the throttle for a heel-and-toe downshift, and the Cobra seems to spit fire. During my time in Hell, I never turned on the radio. The engine is soundtrack enough.<\/p>\n

But like the standard Mustang upon which it\u2019s based, the GT350 is an easy daily driver. Dial back its Sport and Track\u00a0modes (my preferred settings for Hellish delights) to Normal\u00a0and it cruises along happily through Livingston County.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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I gave it navigation instructions through the Android Auto app, tuned to my favorite comedy stations on Sirius XM, set cruise-control for town speed limits. These are alien concepts to the 1965 GT350 that spawned generations of enthusiasts six decades ago.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a seductive package that\u2019s been in demand for five years. In 2016 GT350 sold for $49,995 \u2014 my winged, more track-focused GT350R was $66,495. For 2020 those prices are $61,635 and $74,630, respectively. Demand has been through the roof.<\/p>\n