Without a doubt the best price for your Mustang Buck
Model year 2023 marked the end of the line for Ford’s Shelby factory variants of the Mustang, after six years of the GT350 from 2015 to 2020 and three years of the GT500 from 2020 to 2022. Instead, the Blue Oval decided to focus on the upcoming GTD that combined a raw supercharged ‘Predator’ engine making 815 horsepower and mated to a rear-mounted transaxle in a chassis built by Multimatic, as you look forward to a Nürburgring lap time battle against Chevrolet’s breathtaking Corvette ZR1.
American automakers entering the supercar class certainly sounds fun, but Ford then announced that the GTD would be limited to waitlist allocations – and would also only come automatically. In fact, the GTD uses the exact same eight-speed dual-clutch transmission as the ZR1. So because I don’t want to be left out of the game, Shelby American then doubled down with the announcement of a new GT350, with 810 supercharged ponies, or up to 830 for a track-focused R variant.
The new GT350 is a tribute to the Carroll Shelby original that conquered the world sixty years ago. And crucially, both the new GT350 and GT350R come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, all for a starting price of $109,995 for a much more livable Mustang that also has a rear seat and trunk for storage.
The new GT350 starts life as one Mustang dark horse equipped with the factory Performance Pack that adds larger front and rear brakes. Shelby then takes off the bumpers and wheels to add a full Ford Performance suspension package with revised valving in the dampers and similar spring rates, despite the ride height being lowered by an inch. Multiple sway bars help control body roll, while Shelby-specific camber/caster plates allow for perfect alignment for street or track.
All the removed plastic ended up in the junk pile, in favor of more aggressive and functional designs for the main grille, lower and side front grilles – with more effective brake cooling ducts – plus a three-piece front splitter. Shelby also specifies an aluminum hood with a custom Shelby heat extractor, a ducktail-style rear spoiler (under an optional carbon fiber pedestal wing), forged alloy wheels and a burbling Borla exhaust.
Under the brilliant sun outside Shelby American’s headquarters in Las Vegas, the GT350 looks best in signature white with blue racing stripes. The sharp new details help create a purposeful personality for this hardcore Mustang, which avoids some of the overt boy-racer muscularity of a GTD. But the power unlocked by that 3.0-liter Whipple twin-screw supercharger under the hood, which is bigger than many SUV engines these days, turns the Dark Horse into a completely different beast.
Crucially, Shelby tunes the supercharged Coyote V8 to maintain some semblance of sanity at lower revs. The 5.0-litre engine can quietly stroll around town, with plenty of torque but never touchy-feely, and even sounds relatively subdued considering the big, brutal nature available higher up in the revs. But give a few quick downshifts – with the heels off, of course, and the automatic rev adjustment turned off – via the short shifter, and Doctor Jekyll immediately makes way for Mr. Hyde. Shelby only improves the operation of the already solid shifter itself, with clean and precise gates in every gear.
The GT350 prefers second and third when driving hard, and at around 4,000 rpm the supercharger boost swells further and further at full throttle, pulling seemingly forever compared to so many other limited-rev V8s. The Supercharger whine à la Dodge’s Hellcats only starts to creep in over the rich Borla exhaust note once the windows are down, but rest assured the sheer pace of acceleration more than compensates for this, throwing heads back against the headrests, almost warping time and space in the low-slung Mustang chassis.
Even when warmed up, the 305-millimeter-wide Michelin rear tires struggle to maintain grip in a straight line between heavy shifts, screeching frequently even with traction control fully activated. Despite the power gain, the factory ECU still integrates traction control and Ford’s AdvanceTrac suite of driver aids. In fact, the Shelby tune reduces power with traction on, reaching the full 810-pony rating only with AdvanceTrac turned off. Shelby’s on-paper claims likely underestimate real-world production, and a healthy charge could show up during dyno testing, especially when using 100-octane or higher fuel. Suffice to say, the GT350 takes a serious step up from the Dark Horse’s 500 horsepower.
The GT350’s suspension can undoubtedly support such new performance, but crucially, not at the expense of everyday drivability. Despite the lowered ride height, the dampers and springs absorb bumps and ruts without causing jarring jolts in the cockpit. Instead, the tires simply remain glued to the asphalt while cornering or even attempt to initiate a slide via momentum, allowing just enough weight transfer to provide clear communication about where grip remains, shifting from front to back during hard launches or while dipping the nose in tight corners.
The understated 20-inch wheels probably help a lot to maintain this dual personality, looking absolutely business-like, but without going overboard in diameter in the name of low-profile tires that score style points in the name of compromised ride quality. And the nose over that long dash-to-axle stretch of the Mustang still rides high enough that you very rarely wish for a lift from the front axle while trying to avoid scratches.
All the Shelby performance enhancements and exterior cosmetic revisions match an understated interior touch to help justify the GT350’s starting price tag, which is nearly double that of a Mustang Dark Horse. Leather seats go a long way, as do plenty of badging on the sill plate and dash, even in the engine compartment, where the Whipple nameplate (with California Air Resources Board approval) and even a Shelby washer fluid reservoir cap are present. The base Mustang is still a budget-friendly sports car, though, and the signature Ford plastics for many surfaces belie the more ambitious inclusions of premium materials, though not nearly as much as for a fully optioned GTD closer to the half-million dollar asking mark.
Shelby isn’t done working on the GT350 yet either. Future options available for the 2026 model year include a wheel bolt conversion for easier wheel and tire changes, a new brake rotor upgrade to improve track performance, and a new splitter to match an even larger wing – again to make the car more track-oriented, yet comfortable to live with.
I would definitely get a cue ball style shifter. Yet for about a third of the starting price of a GTD, the new GT350 arguably delivers 95% or more of the performance. (To go even wilder, you can opt for the Super Snake R at the top of the lineup.) As usual, the GT350 will still be relatively exclusive, as Shelby plans to match the original 1965 production run with 562 units per year, including 36 of the hardcore GT350R.
This makes the GT350 possibly the most accessible way to obtain a Shelby Registry eligible model with a genuine Shelby serial number. And incredibly, despite the absurd power specs, Shelby somehow kept the GT350 legal in the 50 states so California buyers could get in on the action too. Historically important, with groundbreaking supercar performance, but still available with the quintessential analog fun of a six-speed transmission, everything about the GT350 makes this Mustang a dying breed in the modern era.
Images: Shelby American, Michael Van Runkle
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