Ford will stop production of the Mustang Shelby GT350 this fall. In the United States, this will undoubtedly lead to quite a few disappointed faces. Perhaps even for everyone with petrol in their veins.
The Shelby GT350 is an enormously powerful version of the Mustang that keeps it pure and historically responsible in terms of name, looks and technology. Under the hood of the GT350 is a 500 hp naturally aspirated 5.2 V8 with a flat crankshaft. Old-fashioned violence, which is directed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. A recipe that has managed to get hands on with a large crowd of enthusiasts. Still, it will be over and out for the GT350 sometime in the coming months, various media have heard from Ford. The barely 60 kilos lighter GT350R also gives up.
According to Ford, the task of mitigating the lack of the GT350 will in part rest on the shoulders of the new Mustang Mach 1. To be fair, it would have ended up in the fairway of the GT350. There are certainly similarities with the also naturally aspirated 487 hp V8 under the hood and a six-speed manual gearbox. The 5.0 ‘Coyote V8’ in the Mach 1 only has a regular crankshaft and is slightly less strong than the block in the GT350. It also shares various technical issues with the Shelby GT350 and the more extreme GT500, such as the subframe, intake systems, the diffuser and the oil cooler. The Shelby GT500 will remain in production for the time being. With its 770 hp coughing up supercharged 5.2 V8 and automatic transmission, it is a completely different story than the GT350.