Shelby GT350 Mustang aims for Europe's performance cars
LOS ANGELES -- Ford is revealing the 2015 Shelby GT350 Mustang today in advance of the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Shelby Mustang GT350 is a name revered by enthusiasts as the car that made the Mustang's performance reputation when it debuted in 1965. For 2015, Ford redesigned the GT350 on the new, sixth-generation Mustang platform to go up against European performance cars.
The GT350 will be powered by a new high-revving 5.2-liter V-8 engine with a flat-plane crankshaft that generates more than 500 hp and peak torque of 400 lb. ft. Ford claims it is “the most powerful naturally aspirated Ford production engine ever.”
Ford said the GT350 will go on sale next year and pricing will be announced closer to the sale date. A spokesman did not offer further details.
With the redesigned sixth generation 2015 Mustang, Ford has expanded the Mustang’s global reach including the first production right-hand-drive Mustangs ever for countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia. Ford is adding 25 right hand-drive markets and 56 left-hand-drive markets for a total of 120 countries around the world.
Ford has been stoking excitement for a new performance Mustang with a series of teaser videos in recent weeks.
"We wanted to build the best possible Mustang for the places we most love to drive -- challenging back roads with a variety of corners and elevation changes -- and for the track on weekends,” Raj Nair, Ford's group vice president of global product development, said in a statement. “Every change we made to this car was driven by the functional requirements of a massive, responsive powerplant -- nimble, precise handling and massive stopping power.”
Ford,
in a statement, said the “new GT350 builds on Carroll Shelby’s original idea -- transforming a great every-day car into a dominant road racer-- by taking advantage of a dramatically improved sixth-generation Mustang.”
Ford predicted enthusiasts would find the GT350 “the most balanced, nimble and exhilarating Mustang yet.”
“We optimized the aero shape of the car and then fine-tuned what was left to increase downforce and cooling airflow," said Chris Svensson, Ford's design director for the Americas. The front end is up to two inches lower than the stock Mustang GT.
The flat plane crankshaft engine design is “an architecture typically found only in racing applications or exotic European sports cars,” Ford said. For example, Ferrari has long used the flat plane design in its V-8s.
“This is an American interpretation of a flat-plane crankshaft V-8 and the 5.2-liter produces a distinctive, throaty howl from its four exhaust tips,” said Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer for Ford's global performance vehicles unit
“Unlike a traditional V8, where the connecting rods are attached to the crankshaft at 90-degree intervals, this design evenly spaces all crank pins at 180-degree intervals,” Ford said in a statement. “The 180-degree, flat-plane layout permits a cylinder firing order that alternates between cylinder banks, reducing the overlap of exhaust pressure pulses. When combined with cylinder-head and valvetrain advancements, this permits better cylinder breathing, further extending the performance envelope of the V8.”
Ford said it deemed the setup the best choice for a sports car designed to be at home both on the street and the track. The 5.2-liter V-8 will be mated to a six-speed manual transmission
Engineers also designed the suspension and brakes to maximize performance under varied road conditions.
Ford did not say what the top-speed of the GT350 will be, but said the brakes -- “the most track-credible brake system ever offered on a Ford vehicle in terms of absolute stopping power, fade resistance and brake pedal feel" -- could bring the car to a stop from high speed.
The responsiveness of the suspension is aided by “the first-ever Ford application of continuously controlled MagneRide dampers, which are filled with hydraulic fluid impregnated with iron particles."
The suspension can be adjusted nearly instantly when electrical current passes through the fluid, Ford said.
The interior has been upgraded with special Recaro sport seats upholstered with cloth unique to the GT350. Ford upgraded the gauges in keeping with the car’s performance orientation.
“We took the best Ford Mustang yet and massaged every aspect of the car that affects the performance driving experience,” said Hameedi. “We tested endlessly on the most challenging roads and tracks in the world, and we believe serious drivers will love the Shelby GT350 Mustang.”
-->
http://www.autonews.com/article/20141117/OEM04/141119873/1114
