Mustang: Shelby GT350 is Back!

While the all-new Ford Mustang GT has a lot of renovations to the chassis, the Shelby GT350 takes it a step further.

• GT350 is powered by a unique, high-revving flat-plane crankshaft 5.2-liter V8 engine that will produce more than 500 horsepower – the most powerful naturally aspirated Ford production engine ever
• Advanced materials, MagneRide dampers, aggressive brakes and finely tuned aerodynamics push the performance of Mustang to previously unmatched levels

The new 5.2-liter engine is the first-ever production V8 from Ford with a flat-plane crankshaft. Unlike a traditional V8, where the connecting rods are attached to the crankshaft at 90-degree intervals, this design evenly spaces all crank pins at 180-degree intervals.

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The 180-degree, flat-plane layout permits a cylinder firing order that alternates between cylinder banks, reducing the overlap of exhaust pressure pulses. When combined with cylinder-head and valvetrain advancements, this permits better cylinder breathing, further extending the performance envelope of the V8.

The output of the flat-plane V8 is 500 horsepower and over 400lb.-ft. of torque.  The high-revving engine is matched to a traditional six-speed manual transmission and a Torsen rear-differential to get the power to the ground.

Outright horsepower wasn’t the only change.

The brakes are two-piece cross-drilled iron discs mounted to aluminum hats. At the front are massive 394-millimeter rotors clamped by Brembo six-piston fixed calipers with integrated caliper bridges, while 380-millimeter rotors at the rear utilize four-piston calipers.

GT350 makes use of extra-stiff 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels – 10.5 inches wide in front, 11.0 inches in the rear – clad in state-of-the-art Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires with GT350-specific sidewall construction, tread face and compound. The custom tires are designed to deliver maximum grip on the road or at the track.

Those features, added to MagneRide dampers, make for a track-worthy vehicle capable of tremendous performance out of the factory.

A V8, proper suspension, rear wheel drive, a Torsen differential, and a six-speed manual?  What else could a car enthusiast want?