Shelby GT350 Mustang: Up Close
The door rolled up and in thundered the meanest looking Mustang to come out of a Ford studio in years: the Shelby GT350 Mustang, Ford’s newest high-performance version of an already high-performance muscle car. This is a car with more history and pedigree than most successful show dogs, stretching back to the original version in 1965 that was never meant to be a road car, but was sold to the public in order to satisfy racing regulations.
Related: More 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show Coverage
This new Shelby GT350 is just as much a racer as the old one, but the visual changes from the regular Mustang GT 5.0 are fairly subtle. The most obvious change is at the nose; all of the sheet metal forward of the windshield pillars is completely new. The fenders and hood are now made of aluminum and have been sculpted to optimize cooling airflow to the new 5.2-liter V-8 under the hood. It’s an aggressive look, but not all that different from the already-aggressive GT. You’d have to know exactly what you’re looking for to recognize this as the Shelby model. The two bold stripes on the top do help.
Standard 19-inch aluminum wheels look fantastic, showcasing the massive brakes and six-piston Brembo calipers up front. Out back, new quad exhaust pipes are staggered from the side view, looking huge and menacing, and release a throaty growl that somehow isn’t quite as impressive as you’d expect. Blame the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, which may have just ruined us for V-8 exhaust roar forever. The Shelby GT350 sounds powerful, no doubt, but there’s no wincing shock from bystanders when the driver gooses that throttle like there is with a Hellcat.
Inside, the changes are also subtle from GT to Shelby. A new steering wheel, some slightly different metal trim and gauges, and unique Recaro sport seats that look even less comfortable than the GT’s Recaro seats are the extent of the major interior changes. The display model Ford rolled out ahead of the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show was also mostly done up in blacks and grays inside, making for a rather somber, businesslike environment.
Overall, the new Shelby GT350 Mustang looks to be an extraordinary performance machine, both on the track and off. Ol’ Shel himself would be proud of this one.
Cars.com photos by Aaron Bragman
