We could talk about the Ford Mustang all day, and by golly if you don’t stop us we just might. Thankfully, it’s such an iconic and powerful vehicle that it gives us plenty to talk about. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R, once described as a real-life Batmobile, was just named Road and Track Performance Car of the Year.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R Performance Car of the Year
For the Road and Track Performance Car of the Year assessment, the Mustang was pitted against contenders from Bentley, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Vehicles had to be equally at home on the road (capable of handling on normal, twisting county roads) and on the track (each of the competitors had to be able to offer a competitive track time.
New Mustang Inventory
You can read more about the full details of the competition here.
Read More: What Is the Best Stunt Vehicle?
Shelby GT350R horsepower and torque
The 2016 Ford Shelby GT350R has a high-revving crankshaft 5.2-liter V8 engine rated for 526 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. This is the most powerful naturally aspirated engine Ford has ever produced. Matched with a specially tuned suspension, revised spring rates and antiroll bars, a low ride height, track-tuned alignment settings, specialized bushings and jounce bumpers, cross-axis ball joints in the forward suspension, and revised calibration of the MagneRide dampers, this Mustang offers breathless and controllable power on the road or on the track.
“The Shelby GT350R Mustang is a no-compromise car in the pursuit of maximum track capability,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development, in a press release from January when the GT350R was first released. “It is a thoroughbred street car making use of technology and ingenuity to deliver performance few enthusiasts have ever experienced.”
You can learn more about the 2016 Ford Shelby GT350R and it’s win as the 2016 Performance Car of the Year in the new issue of Road & Track coming out next week, and you can read more about the specs of the general 2016 Ford Mustang on our vehicle information page.
