Dave's Shelby Surprises
I’ve read just about every article written about the new Shelby GT500, but there were still a few things that surprised me after I finally met it face to face.
One: It’s loud as heck … on the outside. Seriously. Click on the video to hear it. With the hood up and engine revving it sounded as violent as any Harley you’ll come across. But inside, the engine didn’t sound much louder than the regular 300-hp Mustang GT that the Shelby is based on.
Two: Even though its suspension isn’t as sophisticated as the Corvette Z06, I felt much more in control of the Shelby’s 500 horses than I did the ‘Vette’s 505. This goes a long way to validating Ford’s claim that a large percentage of Shelby owners will actually use them as daily drivers. Beth also commented on how she couldn’t tell much of a difference in the around-town driving personality.
Three: This thing is bad. So bad that I want one. I’m not endorsing the Shelby GT500 straight out — it was registering just over 8 mpg at the end of a long day of journalist testing, though auto journalists don’t take it easy on cars like this. But the Shelby GT500 is the kind of car that will tempt you to open your checkbook at the dealership and apologize to your wife — or husband — at home. I also understand that because of the exclusivity and limited numbers some buyers might not actually get a chance to test drive one before they have to commit to it. Hopefully this series of posts will alleviate any fears about what is usually a very risky way to buy a car.
