2017 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
What’s New
Two new options packages are available on the 2017 Ford Shelby GT350: the first is the Electronics package and the second is the Convenience package. Also, the contents of the previously optional “Track package” which included; adaptive suspension dampers, heavy-duty springs, a front suspension tower brace, powertrain coolers and adjustable drive settings are now standard!
2017 Trim Levels
The standard Shelby is the Shelby GT350, you can upgrade to the Shelby GT350R but, you actually lose features. The “R” version removes a lot of comfort features but adds a fair amount of performance features. The removal of the comfort features was designed to remove all unnecessary weight and give the “R” a better track time. You can review the lost features in the 2017 home page. Now, once you have the “R” model wit its performance features, you can buy back all the options that were removed when you upgraded. So, you basically have the Shelby GT350 in a “R” model and have the race goodies and the comfort.
The GT350R gets most of the GT350’s standard equipment, plus 19-inch carbon-fiber wheels (with special Michelin tires), revised suspension tuning and aerodynamic body enhancements, a front chin splitter and carbon-fiber rear wing, most notably. .
Powering the Shelby GT350 is a 5.2-liter V8 that produces 526 hp and 429 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels is the only transmission offered. During testing, the GT350 accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. The Corvette did zero to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, but costs a lot more. A Mustang EcoBoost made it to 60 mph in about 6 seconds, while the 5.0-liter Mustang GT did it in 4.7 seconds which is not bad for a car that costs many-many thousands less. However, status wise, they are not in the same league! And the Shelby can run at top speed for a long time which neither the GT Mustang nor the Corvette can do.
2017 Shelby Interior
The 2017 Shelby GT350’s interior has respectable-quality materials and many of the latest conveniences. With the updated Sync 3 system, you get a much easier interface and quicker responses to touchscreen commands. The easier-to-use icon and menu interface plus smartphone-style pinching and swiping gestures are more friendly. In my opinion, (which isn’t worth anything to Ford) the interior could be changed and improved to differentiate it from the mustang’s interior. Shelby’s should not come standard with a rear seat, that would be an add on option. I’d be willing to bet very few back seats would be bought as options.
The standard seats for the GT350 are Recaro front seats. They provide excellent lateral support for aggressive driving and they’re generally acceptable for daily driving. They aren’t the most luxurious or comfortable seats out there, but in this car they make sense unless you are a big person then they tend to squeeze you in. If you use your GT350 as a daily driver, the “upgrade” sport seats, with power adjustments and heating/cooling, are a better choice.
The Shelby’s rear seat is cramped and really only transports small children. Again who would put a child in the back of the Shelby? My kids always put their feet on the back of the front seat. Alternately, you could the seat altogether and go for the two-seat-only GT350R. Or another option is to ditch the kids and the back seat!
2017 Overall Review
The GT350 is really a street car that has been given the power performance capabilities and a well-tuned suspension of a racecar.
So what makes the GT350’s engine so good? First of all, the flat-plane crank V8. It’s a 5.2-liter power plant that’s based on the standard Mustang GT engine but with much more technology involved. It revs to an astonishing 8,200 rpm quickly gets into its power and torque zones. The GT350 also gets coolers for the oil, differential and transmission, along with unique intake and exhaust manifolds to accommodate the high-revving motor. Oil coolers and transmission coolers are housed inside the outer area in the front bumper. The differential’s cooler is mounted closer to the differential. The oil cooler has its own pump. All that technology comes together to create a powerful, 526-hp racecar built to excite the driver and win at the track, yet it can still be driven to and from the track in city traffic.
When Ford redesigned the Mustang for 2015, the redesign included a stiffer chassis and independent rear suspension, which carried over to the GT350 as well. But just as it is in the engine department, the GT350 gets much more than just the standard Mustang suspension. Instead, it comes with adaptive magnetic dampers, big Brembo brakes and a lowered, racecar-appropriate ride height.
Press Release
DEARBORN, Mich., April 6, 2016 – Ford Performance is adding more standard features to the new Shelby® GT350 Mustang on sale this June. These new offerings are the best of what customers have been asking for from the most track-capable, race-ready Mustang ever built.
Track Package is now standard on the Shelby GT350 Mustang for the 2017 model year, giving all customers the features they want along with the option to add even more – no longer do buyers have to choose between the Track Package and additional features.
“Ford Performance is always listening to customer feedback,” said Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance. “At the end of last year we started offering a back seat option for Shelby GT350R due to customer demand. Now, we have adjusted the packages available to continue to provide more of what customers want on the Shelby GT350 Mustang.”
The 2017 Shelby GT350 also brings three new colors and the choice of either an available Electronics Package or a Convenience Package.
New features for 2017 Shelby GT350 Mustang:
- Standard Track Package featuring aluminum tower-to-tower brace; high-downforce decklid spoiler; engine oil, transmission and differential coolers; MagneRide™ damping system
- Three new colors – Ruby Red Metallic, Lightning Blue and Grabber Blue – replace Deep Impact Blue and Competition Orange
- Two new available packages – Electronics Package includes SYNC® 3, voice-activated navigation and nine-speaker audio system; Convenience Package includes the same options, and replaces manual Recaro seats with leather-trimmed power sport seats
- Available audio system upgrade from seven to nine speakers with Electronics Package, Convenience Package and R-Electronics Package
Specs & Performance
| type | Series Production Car |
| released at | 2014 LA Auto Show |
| built at | Flat Rock, Michigan, USA |
| predeccesor | 2011 Shelby GT350 |
| engine | V8 |
| position | Front, Longitudinal |
| aspiration | Natural |
| ignition | Coil-on-Plug |
| block material | Aluminum |
| valvetrain | DOHC 4 Valves per Cyl |
| fuel feed | Sequential Multiport Electronic |
| displacement | 5200 cc / 317.32 in³ |
| power | 372.9 kw / 500 bhp |
| specific output | 96.15 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | 297.97 bhp per tonne |
| torque | 542.3 nm / 400 ft lbs |
| wheel type | 19-Inch Aluminum Allot |
| front tires | F-255/40 R-275/40 R19 |
| rear tires | F-255/40 R-275/40 R19 |
| front brakes | Discs w/Brembo 6-Piston Calipers |
| rear brakes | Discs w/4-Piston Calipers |
| front wheels | F 48.3 x 22.9 cm / 19 x 9 in |
| rear wheels | R 48.3 x 24.1 cm / 19 x 9.5 in |
| steering | Rack & Pinion |
| f suspension | MacPherson Struts |
| r suspension | Integral-link Independent |
| curb weight | 1678 kg / 3700 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2720 mm / 107.1 in |
| front track | 1570 mm / 61.8 in |
| rear track | 1637 mm / 64.4 in |
| length | 4784 mm / 188.3 in |
| width | 1916 mm / 75.4 in |
| height | 1381 mm / 54.4 in |
| transmission | 6-Speed Manual |
| gear ratios | 3.657:1, 2.430:1, 1.686:1, 1.315:1, 1.00:1, 0.65:1 |
| final drive | 3.55:1 |
Pictures
