Without a doubt the best bang for your Mustang Buck
The 2023 model year marked the end of the line for Ford’s factory Shelby 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, which combined a loud “Predator” supercharged engine with an output of 815 horsepower and a rear-mounted motor Transaxle transmission in a Multimatic-built chassis, all while keeping an eye on a Nürburgring lap time battle against Chevrolet’s stunning Corvette ZR1.
The entry of American automakers into the supercar class certainly sounds fun, but Ford then announced that the GTD would only be limited to waiting list quotas – and that it would only be available automatically. In fact, the GTD uses the exact same eight-speed dual-clutch transmission as the ZR1. Not to be left out, Shelby American announced its own new GT350, offering 810 supercharged ponies, or up to 830 for a track-focused R variant.
The new GT350 pays homage to Carroll Shelby’s original, which took the world by storm six decades ago. And crucially, both the new GT350 and GT350R will come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, all at a starting price of $109,995 for a much more livable Mustang that also features a back seat and trunk for storage.
The new GT350 begins life as a Mustang Dark Horse, equipped with the factory Performance Pack that adds larger front and rear brakes. Shelby then removes the bumpers and wheels to add a full Ford Performance suspension package with revised valving in the dampers and similar spring rates, although the ride height has been lowered by an inch. Various anti-roll bars help control body roll, while Shelby-specific camber/caster plates allow you to set the perfect alignment for street or track.
All the removed plastics went to the trash heap, in favor of more aggressive and functional designs for the main grille, the lower and side grilles of the front fascia – with more effective brake cooling ducts – and a three-piece front splitter. Shelby also features an aluminum hood with a custom Shelby heat extractor, a ducktail-style rear spoiler (under an optional carbon fiber base wing), forged alloy wheels and a roaring Borla exhaust.
Under the bright sunshine outside Shelby American’s headquarters in Las Vegas, the GT350 looks its best in typical white with blue racing stripes. The crisp new details help give this hardcore Mustang a purposeful personality that avoids some of the obvious boy-racer brawn of a GTD. But the power unleashed by the 3.0-liter twin-screw Whipple supercharger under the hood, itself larger than many SUV engines today, transforms the Dark Horse into a completely different beast.
Crucially, Shelby tunes the supercharged Coyote V8 so that it retains some semblance of sanity even at lower revs. The 5.0-litre engine can scoot quietly around town, torquey but never touchy, and even sounds relatively reserved given the burly, brute nature higher up the tachometer. But when you perform a few quick downshifts – with the heel, of course, and auto-rev-matching turned off – Dr. Jekyll immediately goes first to Mr. Hyde. Shelby only improves the function of the already solid shifter itself, with clean and precise shifts in every gear.
The GT350 favors second and third when driven hard, and at around 4,000 rpm the supercharger boost continues to swell under full throttle and seems to pull forever compared to so many other rev-limited V8s. The supercharger whine à la Dodge’s Hellcats only creeps in over the powerful Borla exhaust note with the windows down, but rest assured, the sheer pace of acceleration more than makes up for it by slamming heads back into the headrests, almost distorting time and space in the low Mustang chassis.
Even when warmed up, the 305-millimeter-wide Michelin rear tires struggle to maintain straight-line grip between hard shifts and chirp regularly even with the traction control fully engaged. Despite the power increases, the factory ECU still integrates traction control and Ford’s AdvanceTrac driver assistance package – in fact, the Shelby tuning reduces power with traction on, reaching the full 810 ponies only with AdvanceTrac off. However, Shelby’s claims on paper likely underestimate real-world performance, and healthy padding could be proven in dyno testing, particularly when running fuel at 100 octane or higher. Suffice it to say, the GT350 significantly outperforms the Dark Horse’s 500 horsepower.
The GT350’s suspension can undoubtedly support this new performance, but importantly not at the expense of daily drivability. Despite the lowered ride height, the dampers and springs absorb bumps and ruts without transmitting disruptive shocks to the cockpit. Instead, when cornering or even trying to induce slides through momentum alone, the tires simply stay glued to the asphalt, allowing just enough weight transfer to allow clear communication about where the grip remains, either when shifting front to back on hard starts or when dipping the nose into tight corners at high speed.
The understated 20-inch wheels probably go a long way toward maintaining that dual personality. They look absolutely stylish without being exaggerated in diameter in the name of low-profile tires that score style points in the name of compromising ride quality. And the nose over that long Mustang stretch from dash to axle is still high enough that you’ll very rarely feel the need to raise the front axle while trying to avoid scratches.
All of the Shelby’s performance upgrades and exterior cosmetic revisions are matched by an understated interior touch to justify the GT350’s starting price, which is nearly twice that of a Mustang Dark Horse. Leather seating goes a long way, as do numerous badges on the door sill and dash, even in the engine compartment, where the Whipple nameplate (showing California Air Resources Board approval) and even a billet Shelby washer fluid reservoir cap are located. However, the base Mustang is still a budget sports car, and the typical Ford plastics for many surfaces belie the more sophisticated inclusions of high-quality materials, although not nearly as much as a fully optioned GTD that costs nearly half a million dollars.
Shelby isn’t finished working on the GT350 either. Future options available for the 2026 model year include a wheel stud conversion for easier wheel and tire changes, a further brake rotor upgrade to improve track performance, and a new splitter that fits an even larger wing – again, making the car even more track-ready but still comfortable to live in.
I would definitely go with a cue ball style shifter. Still, the new GT350 probably delivers 95% or more of the power for about a third of the starting price of a GTD. (To make it even wilder, look 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 examples built per year, including 36 of the hardcore GT350R.
This makes the GT350 probably the easiest way to purchase a Shelby registration eligible model with a genuine Shelby serial number. And incredibly, despite the absurd performance numbers, Shelby has somehow managed to keep the GT350 legal in 50 states so that California buyers can get in on the fun. Historically significant, with borderline supercar performance but still sporting the typical analog fun of a six-speed manual, everything about the GT350 makes this Mustang a dying breed of the modern era.
Images: Shelby American, Michael Van Runkle
