RE: Ford Shelby Mustang GT350: Driven
Discussion
sumpoil said:
I didn't think you could import the bits from Shelby for a GT350? The 350 is a Ford factory product, Shelby just bolt a supercharger on to the Coyote do they not? The Voodoo may share the engine block with the Coyote but that's about it ..... so the only way of getting a 350 is to buy one.
Correct - it shouldn't have the moniker 'Shelby' on it really. All of Shelby American's Mustang product is based on a stock 5.0 GT with a Whipple blower and Wilwood brakes and tatty American Muscle plastic bits and vinyl stripes. Anyone who pays $80k+ for one needs their head examining.sumpoil said:
Matt Harper said:
Stig said:
For those desperate for a GT350, just import the bits from Shelby and get Bill Shepherd to fit. Job done. Shelby's are all just bolt on modifications anyway, despite the marketing blurb.
I agree with this - and don't lose sight of the fact that Shelby's power claims are usually nonsense. This month's Road & Track tests a 2016 m/y Shelby Super Snake that claims 750hp - but runs 3.9sec 0-60 and 12.3 quarter and costs base $87,000.For comparison my 2015 392 Challenger (stock, other than drag radial tires) runs 3.8 0-60 and 12 even in the quarter - and weighs conservatively 500lbs more and costs $45,000 less.
As an officially licenced outlet, Bill Shepherd can apply Shelby VIN plates too. No different from getting one from the factory in the US.
Matt Harper said:
Correct - it shouldn't have the moniker 'Shelby' on it really. All of Shelby American's Mustang product is based on a stock 5.0 GT with a Whipple blower and Wilwood brakes and tatty American Muscle plastic bits and vinyl stripes. Anyone who pays $80k+ for one needs their head examining.
Stig said:
Speak to Shelby or Bill Shepherd. If you are prepared to open you wallet, you can have what you like!
As an officially licenced outlet, Bill Shepherd can apply Shelby VIN plates too. No different from getting one from the factory in the US.
Well, whatever the case I think the GT350 is the absolute dog's danglies .... and seeing it in the hands of Ben Collins at Goodwood just confirmed my thinking. One way or another I'm definitely going to try to get hold of one, but I'm going to give it a few months to see if Ford have a change of heart before I start looking seriously at the import route.As an officially licenced outlet, Bill Shepherd can apply Shelby VIN plates too. No different from getting one from the factory in the US.
It was part of the same program that PH attended at Laguna Seca; likewise we in fact did not get to drive the GT350R (despite the invite and itinerary). Three laps is not really enough time for me to get to know a car but I drove one on the roads around Lime Rock a bit and it's a really compelling car. The sound is marvelous, although I could do with more childish bangs out the back. Much easier car to drive than I was expecting, although if you drove one like an idiot I think the off would be a big one.
asjoseph said:
... any idiot can make an fat, overweight 800 HP car. Hopelessly trapped in a downward spiral of 21st century denial, resurrecting retrograde 60s vehicles, living the past, Ford's head is permanently buried into the sand. Try as you might, no way anybody's ever going to pull it out. Last time Ford execs had an idea, they shoplifted Aston Martin's front grill -- Samuel, AW11-4agze.
Did you happen to be staggering home from an all night party when you wrote this tripe?Edited by asjoseph on Thursday 1st October 06:38
Dr JonboyG said:
It was part of the same program that PH attended at Laguna Seca; likewise we in fact did not get to drive the GT350R (despite the invite and itinerary). Three laps is not really enough time for me to get to know a car but I drove one on the roads around Lime Rock a bit and it's a really compelling car. The sound is marvelous, although I could do with more childish bangs out the back. Much easier car to drive than I was expecting, although if you drove one like an idiot I think the off would be a big one.
You're a lucky boy! ..... I hope we get to find out how good this car is in the UK. I can't believe Ford don't think they'd sell enough. BMW manage to make a business case for 6 (I think) different RHD M cars in the UK, surely Ford could make a global case for one proper performance car?Stig said:
For those desperate for a GT350, just import the bits from Shelby and get Bill Shepherd to fit. Job done. Shelby's are all just bolt on modifications anyway, despite the marketing blurb.
Can't see it coming over here for a year or three (if ever), but do expect to see various 'special edition' Mustangs (California Special, Mach 1) coming beforehand with mild upgrades, probably mostly cosmetic with perhaps some ECU power upgrades.
Implying that it costs 'the equivalent of £33k' etc is plain misleading though. There's import duty, VAT and shipping etc to add to the sticker price. A RHD V8 GT is already more than that here.
So you may pay the equivalent of £33k stateside, but expect a much more sizeable dent in your wallet by the time you've got it home and legalised for use on our roads.
a 'bolt-on' crankshaft ??!Can't see it coming over here for a year or three (if ever), but do expect to see various 'special edition' Mustangs (California Special, Mach 1) coming beforehand with mild upgrades, probably mostly cosmetic with perhaps some ECU power upgrades.
Implying that it costs 'the equivalent of £33k' etc is plain misleading though. There's import duty, VAT and shipping etc to add to the sticker price. A RHD V8 GT is already more than that here.
So you may pay the equivalent of £33k stateside, but expect a much more sizeable dent in your wallet by the time you've got it home and legalised for use on our roads.
sumpoil said:
...I can't believe Ford don't think they'd sell enough. BMW manage to make a business case for 6 (I think) different RHD M cars in the UK...
In terms of kit and capability, the GT350 probably fits somewhere between the M4 and the M6. That's a price range of roughly £60,000 to £100,000.How much would you ask Britons to pay for this particular Ford coupe, engineered to RHD spec?
unsprung said:
In terms of kit and capability, the GT350 probably fits somewhere between the M4 and the M6. That's a price range of roughly £60,000 to £100,000.
How much would you ask Britons to pay for this particular Ford coupe, engineered to RHD spec?
How much (cost) depends on how many you want to sell/make, the RHD market is much bigger than just the UK remember. Having it engineered for RHD is a good question. I'm fairly sure most of the GT350 body/chassis/interior is the same as the standard GT with the exception of front wings/bonnet/rear spoiler/seats/steering wheel/gear lever and they're the same no matter if it's LHD or RHD. They already make RHD interiors and EU-spec lights/mirrors. The big differences are obviously under the skin, but again the suspension/engine/gearbox/differential would be the same LHD or RHD. The sticking point could be the infamous RHS exhaust manifold I suppose. The Voodoo block is the same as the Coyote so maybe a revised manifold is possible, but I don't know the exact under-bonnet layout so maybe it isn't. So Ford would seem to have most of the bits required to build a RHD car at very little extra expense, unless I'm missing something? I guess a bit of chassis tuning would be required - adaptive damping is standard on the GT350 so I'm not sure how that affects things. Would it need different type approval to the GT? That would obviously impact on cost. Maybe that's where the business case falls down rather than simply the cost of actually building the car.How much would you ask Britons to pay for this particular Ford coupe, engineered to RHD spec?
I would say the M4 is the closest alternative car available in the UK, the M6 is a completely different animal really. A reasonably well equipped M4 is around £60-65k. Ford already make and sell the GT350 in the US (at a profit obviously). The top spec GT350R is around $60k. Taking a fairly simplistic approach, adding 10% import and 20% VAT makes that $80k or £52k. Around £50-55k is what I guest-imated I'd want to pay back in Jan. Given the technology, looks, sound and capability of the car I'd say Ford would sell a fair few at that price. If the price gets up to £60k then OK .... but getting expensive for what it is, and at £65k you can have a DCT, fully loaded M4 - and then I guess it's down to whether you're of the analogue or digital persuasion (analogue for me, but I would imagine a fair few would take the digital route).
All conjecture I know, but nice to speculate. Either way, if the GT350 doesn't come officially through Ford I'll wait for all the hullabaloo in the US to die down and import one myself.
Edited by sumpoil on Thursday 1st October 20:46
sumpoil said:
Would it need different type approval to the GT? That would obviously impact on cost.
This is key, I reckon. The GT350 and GT350R contain too much that is not shared with the standard Mustang GT.Engine, magnetic suspension, two-piece brake rotors, rear springs and control arm, carbon fiber wheels, all body panels forward of the A-pillar, an aluminum front bumper beam, and the driver-selectable software which integrates the moving bits.
The two cars get their own unique Track Package -- optional on the GT350 and mandatory on the GT350R.
Both cars have about 100hp more than the BMW M4.
Pricing in the UK would be too dear for the "blue oval" brand. And volumes would be exceedingly low. So, regrettably, Ford has said no.
I apologise for anything here that's already known. Simply trying to be complete and all that.
sumpoil said:
unsprung said:
In terms of kit and capability, the GT350 probably fits somewhere between the M4 and the M6. That's a price range of roughly £60,000 to £100,000.
How much would you ask Britons to pay for this particular Ford coupe, engineered to RHD spec?
How much (cost) depends on how many you want to sell/make, the RHD market is much bigger than just the UK remember. Having it engineered for RHD is a good question. I'm fairly sure most of the GT350 body/chassis/interior is the same as the standard GT with the exception of front wings/bonnet/rear spoiler/seats/steering wheel/gear lever and they're the same no matter if it's LHD or RHD. They already make RHD interiors and EU-spec lights/mirrors. The big differences are obviously under the skin, but again the suspension/engine/gearbox/differential would be the same LHD or RHD. The sticking point could be the infamous RHS exhaust manifold I suppose. The Voodoo block is the same as the Coyote so maybe a revised manifold is possible, but I don't know the exact under-bonnet layout so maybe it isn't. So Ford would seem to have most of the bits required to build a RHD car at very little extra expense, unless I'm missing something? I guess a bit of chassis tuning would be required - adaptive damping is standard on the GT350 so I'm not sure how that affects things. Would it need different type approval to the GT? That would obviously impact on cost. Maybe that's where the business case falls down rather than simply the cost of actually building the car.How much would you ask Britons to pay for this particular Ford coupe, engineered to RHD spec?
I would say the M4 is the closest alternative car available in the UK, the M6 is a completely different animal really. A reasonably well equipped M4 is around £60-65k. Ford already make and sell the GT350 in the US (at a profit obviously). The top spec GT350R is around $60k. Taking a fairly simplistic approach, adding 10% import and 20% VAT makes that $80k or £52k. Around £50-55k is what I guest-imated I'd want to pay back in Jan. Given the technology, looks, sound and capability of the car I'd say Ford would sell a fair few at that price. If the price gets up to £60k then OK .... but getting expensive for what it is, and at £65k you can have a DCT, fully loaded M4 - and then I guess it's down to whether you're of the analogue or digital persuasion (analogue for me, but I would imagine a fair few would take the digital route).
All conjecture I know, but nice to speculate. Either way, if the GT350 doesn't come officially through Ford I'll wait for all the hullabaloo in the US to die down and import one myself.
Edited by sumpoil on Thursday 1st October 20:46
Ford have invited me to purchase one of 8 being delivered in February 2016. However, typical for the Dubai car market, Ford cannot tell me the specifications of the cars being delivered! Usually, cars here get everything ticked in the options list when being imported so in reality, it is far from the $33K base option available in the States.
Finger currently poised over the buy button.................
Edited by captain mad on Friday 2nd October 14:10
captain mad said:
As a pointer, the GT 350 is AED 295,000 in Dubai. At current exchange rates that is just over 53k sterling.
Ford have invited me to purchase one of 8 being delivered in February 2016. However, typical for the Dubai car market, Ford cannot tell me the specifications of the cars being delivered! Usually, cars here get everything ticked in the options list when being imported so in reality, it is far from the $33K base option available in the States.
Finger currently poised over the buy button.................
You can buy one in Dubai?! ...... so why not Europe I wonder? That's cheered me up! Ford have invited me to purchase one of 8 being delivered in February 2016. However, typical for the Dubai car market, Ford cannot tell me the specifications of the cars being delivered! Usually, cars here get everything ticked in the options list when being imported so in reality, it is far from the $33K base option available in the States.
Finger currently poised over the buy button.................
Edited by captain mad on Friday 2nd October 14:10
Does the price include any kind of duty or VAT? The top of the line car in the US is the 350R with the electronics package which is about $60k, so £53k is quite a hike in price if there's no duty to add. I guess that money is not usually an issue in Dubai though! 
Well if you do buy it, I hope it turns out to be the R ..... you lucky
!sumpoil said:
You can buy one in Dubai?! ...... so why not Europe I wonder?
Because Dubai has a dense population of households with high disposable incomes -- yet very low cost of ownership. And it's possible these people may be serviced by just one dealership.The maths are probably similar to many US states. Albeit 10,000km away. The same has been true for Switzerland. Go to Chevrolet Suisse and see Corvette and Camaro advertised on their home page.
Also, homologation may almost be a non-event in Dubai. It may almost be as easy as pulling US-spec inventory... and simply shipping it over. The driver interface is already switchable metric / US as standard.
sumpoil said:
captain mad said:
As a pointer, the GT 350 is AED 295,000 in Dubai. At current exchange rates that is just over 53k sterling.
Ford have invited me to purchase one of 8 being delivered in February 2016. However, typical for the Dubai car market, Ford cannot tell me the specifications of the cars being delivered! Usually, cars here get everything ticked in the options list when being imported so in reality, it is far from the $33K base option available in the States.
Finger currently poised over the buy button.................
You can buy one in Dubai?! ...... so why not Europe I wonder? That's cheered me up! Ford have invited me to purchase one of 8 being delivered in February 2016. However, typical for the Dubai car market, Ford cannot tell me the specifications of the cars being delivered! Usually, cars here get everything ticked in the options list when being imported so in reality, it is far from the $33K base option available in the States.
Finger currently poised over the buy button.................
Edited by captain mad on Friday 2nd October 14:10
Does the price include any kind of duty or VAT? The top of the line car in the US is the 350R with the electronics package which is about $60k, so £53k is quite a hike in price if there's no duty to add. I guess that money is not usually an issue in Dubai though! Well if you do buy it, I hope it turns out to be the R ..... you lucky
!captain mad said:
No it is the GT350. What I mean is that you have no choice of options here. You get the car Ford deliver and that's it. In the rest of the world, you order a GT350 and then spec it. Here, they can tell me the colour, and nothing else. Not even if i am going to get Shelby striped or not!
Ah, right ..... with you now. But as you say, it's likely to have all the options on so it'll probably be pretty cool - and you get that noise too! So does the price include any kind of duty or VAT do you know?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff