2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang rated at 526 hp, 429 lb-ft

[72MachOne99GT]

Its crazy when you listen to the praise they guve the Camaro in these reviews..limitless power... losds kf grip

The. They jumo into the GT350 and it doesnt diminish the performwnce of the Z, it just expounds upon it.

Both cars looked planted as dick shit on nlentrance, exit snd mid corner bumps..


Bravo to both..

Also... i smiked a big ole toothkess grin when bob showed uo in the cmaro

[Stingray]

Impressive it is! The sound is amazing indeed. Like a mixfure of foreign exotic and domestic muscle.... definitely a different and unique tone. Arguably, the FPC Voodoo sounds better than GM's LS and LT motors. My GT350 Track sounds better than my Z06.... of course that's my opinion.

[MauriSSio28]

Wow, that gt350 looks like it ran away from the z28 pretty badly. I wonder how much better these cars will get in the future and how much farther they can be pushed. I'm sure both manufacturers still have some tricks up their sleeves.

[havelegs]

It's like living in the HP wars again. Even though I never experienced it since I'm 35, but looks like its happening again!

[Snoman]

Stock vs stock, price no object, the cars are equivalent and it comes down to a personal choice of styling. The 1 second difference in the track can easily be explained by driver mod. For those that didn't watch the entire video, the Z/28 walked away leading the majority of the video, the only reason the 350 won was the "drag race at the end". The 2015 pro racing season and Stevenson motorsports already proved the Z/28 is the best track car available. Once price becomes a factor, Ford fails miserably at $40k+ more and once you take a step back and realize this is a 6th gen vs. 5th gen.....just...no words. I have no doubt GM will continue to dominate for several years to come.

[72MachOne99GT]

We watched very different videos, and drew significantly different conclusuions from the racing series.

It's hard to debate with someone who won't even entertain an opposing opinion, so I won't try.

Clearly you've negated any victory the Ford might have mounted with several bits of "logic". One of them is the daunted "new platform vs old platform" argument. Those are my favorite.

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by 72MachOne99GT

We watched very different videos, and drew significantly different conclusions from the racing series.

It's hard to debate with someone who won't even entertain an opposing opinion, so I won't try.

Clearly you've negated any victory the Ford might have mounted with several bits of "logic". One of them is the daunted "new platform vs old platform" argument. Those are my favorite.

Fixed it for ya

Ford wins styling and interior quality hands down and GM has never understood what this means, ever. Their Cads have been a laughing stock of the luxury crowd for 20 years or more with most of those I know of going to Hyundai if they ever come off their European leases.

I do respect how Ford builds 'collectible one offs' every other year and over the past 50 years or more, has a proven fan base that GM could only ever dream to accomplish. Ford also has a better relationship with it's owners, from corporate all the way down to the dealer.

More closer to our healthy debate, ultimately in the end these cars are identical in performance on the track. Both have their merits, but I am simply unable to get over the $35-50k price differential.

[72MachOne99GT]

I'm curious where the next Z/28 or ZL/1 is going to price in at.

Clearly they'll be quicker around a track than the GT350 models, bow how much and at what price?

I know it's not a popular point of view, but I feel a ZL1 was a much better bargain than the Z/28.

I'm the kind of person who is willing to sacrifice a little road track ability for power, cost savings, and daily usability

Which is why I own a base GT500, and the ZL/1 seems more appealing.

[crysalis_01]

There's no "/" in ZL1.

And this whole thing brings up a question that I've asked before but it got overlooked because i posted it right before a tread derail.

So, will the first, of I assume, the 2 separate Zxx Camaros coming down the pipe be designed to immediately strike back at GT350 and attack the track hard in NA guise or will be be made to combat the non-secret GT500 that's coming by being a high powered FI all-rounder?

[72MachOne99GT]

Don't tell me how to type ZL-/1. I'll type Z/L1 however the hell I feel like it.

It doesn't matter what it's set to strike back against. I would imagine they already have a performance mark they intend to hit, amd odds are it's higher than the marks the R is going to set on other tracks.

[72MachOne99GT]

Reread your question.

Odds are it'll be a track oriented car. It seems like GM has sort of let the quarter mile game slip out of the Camaros specialty. Even the ZL/\-1 was a dual purpose car that would've been much faster without all the suspension goodies.

[crysalis_01]

I only ask because GM has two distinct paths in front of them.

Intro a Z/28 first and immediatly take back the track crown. However his would allow Ford to debut a high HP GT500 first.

Or

Intro a high HP ZL1 to the market first. This would allow even more handling knowledge gained on Camaro's specific Alpha. Which would lead to a better Z/28. This however would lead to a delayed "reaction" to GT350.

So, do they seek sales to the customer seeking track prowess or those who shop looking at HP numbers first?

Both plans have merits and downsides. I'm very interested in seeing which way this all plays out.

Then of course we'll get to see 1LE and what I'm convinced will be Mach1 (which I'm still willing to bet will be powered by the gen2 3.5EB @ ~500/485).

[72MachOne99GT]

Where does Ford price that "envisioned" Mach 1?

Above, or below the +/-50K that the GT350 starts at.

The base GT350 is already 526hp right at that mark. And wheres the entry into the next GT500? I hope similar to the 55k I paid, but I'm also realistic.

[crysalis_01]

GT350 is, from what I remember, a 4yr run so '15-'18. I would imagine, and this is straight conjecture on my part, we'll see GT500 bow in for MY '19 along with a MCE.

I'd imagine that a base GT500's intoductory msrp will be in the bottom $60k range. That'll increase rapidly with additional packages bumping the cost easily to mid/upper $70k range.

To keep a higher than GT performance option available and "affordable" I see Mach1 at say a $6-8k premium over GT Premium's msrp. That would start it in the mid $40k range. This would also probably come about in MY '20 and finish out the 6th gen.

This would be very similar to the '03/'04 Mach1 development method, unlike the GT350 or GT500 a new powerplant won't have to be developed. So, R&D would be mostly spent on fitment, tune, and emissions. This would comparatively keep costs down. Also, the added cost of aesthetic modifications would be minimal. Use of the gen2 3.5EB would be multipurposed. It would provide an output for the above GT slot in a ready to use form. It would also allow Ford to gauge the public opinion of a TT-V6 under the hood of Mustang in a performance oriented option, which if goes well will make using said engine in the gen7 GT all the easier.

Of course I could be wrong on every single point. But that's why this is merely conjecture. I do somewhat attemp to keep it "real" but in the end it's all guesswork. All I do know is that these are indeed amazing times in the pony car world. . . not so much for my bank account though.