Ever since Ford discontinued the epic Mustang Boss 302, we’ve been hunting for a hardcore, track-focused Mustang like it was an apex. With the introduction of the new Shelby GT350 and GT350R, the direct descendants of the Boss 302 and the Boss 302 Laguna Seca models, the wait is finally over. Whereas the old Boss Mustangs were seriously warmed-over Mustang GTs, essentially, the Shelby GT350 sports special bodywork ahead of the A-pillar and an all-new 5.2-liter V-8 with a flat-plane crankshaft. So far we’ve only experienced the GT350R from the passenger seat on a racetrack, but from what our butts told us, this thing’s gonna be good. Like, really good. As if sensing our anticipation, Ford has fired up its online configurator for the GT350 and GT350R, and so we jumped on it and virtually built the hot Mustang we’d buy.
MODEL:
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (base price: $49,995)
Some of you might have noticed that our selected GT350 lacks an “R” in its name. Indeed, we totally dig the ultra-track-focused GT350R’s sense of purpose, but it seems you can get most of its skills for less money while retaining a back seat, air conditioning, and a radio. Of course, you can spend $13,500 more to get the GT350R instead of the GT350, then pay even more money ($3K) to have Ford reinstall the A/C and radio, but why? We stuck with the regular GT350 because you can add in most of the GT350R’s go-fast bits while maintaining a modicum of everyday usability and staying well shy of $60,000. And for $48,695 plus a mandatory $1300 gas-guzzler tax, the Shelby GT350 is a crushing bargain. You get the same 15.5-inch cross-drilled front brakes squeezed by six-piston Brembo calipers and 15-inch two-piece cross-drilled rear brakes with four-piston calipers as the GT350R, the same 526-hp 5.2.-liter V-8, cloth Recaro seats, Tremec six-speed manual, and nearly the same Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires (they are the same 19-inch diameter, but slightly narrower), and niceties like air conditioning, a radio, and a back seat.
OPTIONS:
Track package ($6500)
Blue racing stripes ($475)
Oxford white paint ($0)
Remember how we said you could get close to GT350R levels of performance for much less money? That capability is unlocked by the GT350’s $6500 Track package, which includes heavy-duty front springs, MagneRide adaptive dampers, a drive-mode selector, an aluminum strut-tower brace, a rear spoiler, and coolers for the engine oil, transmission, and differential. This option nets you everything that makes the GT350R an “R,” minus that model’s carbon-fiber wheels, aerodynamics package, and lack of a back seat. To give our Mustang a classic Shelby look, we specified Oxford White paint and threw $475 at blue racing stripes; the stripes have extra pop thanks to their black-painted edges, and the blue-over-white theme transports us back to [insert the 1960s-era California racetrack of your choice]. Some color combinations, when attached to certain vehicles, are just plain classic. This is one.
Interestingly, opting for the Track package precludes buyers from also snatching up the $7500 Technology package. We’re fine with it. After all, we can take or leave the Tech package’s Sync 3 infotainment system and navigation, heated and cooled power front seats, and leather upholstery (the package also comes with the Track pack’s MagneRide suspension and heavy-duty springs, but not the various coolers and strut-tower brace). We’d rather have the Track package knowing we could go comfortably assault a circuit on the weekend and drive to work on Monday, content listening to the radio and relying on Waze on our smartphones for navigation. If you really must have it all, the track-ready GT350R with the optional Technology package exists for $65,195, but that’s a lot of dough for a Mustang, and we’d hate to scuff or shatter those gorgeous carbon-fiber wheels on our terrible local roads here in southeast Michigan. If we lived somewhere with smoother blacktop, our feelings might be different (hey, even that top-spec GT350R is cheaper than the outgoing Camaro Z/28), but it’s difficult to argue against a $55,670 Mustang Shelby GT350 that’s equally comfortable on the daily grind and the track.
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