Gt350

[Dr. JL]

Fitting in nicely with the other horses.

 

[BB]

It would appear the GT350 shares two things in common with the 2017 NSX....

1. A whopping 3800 lb curb weight
2. Numb steering

From http://www.caranddriver.com/ford/mustang-shelby-gt350-gt350r

Worse, the same dull steering rack as in more menial Mustangs carries over, here with a leisurely 16.5:1 ratio. The electric booster has revised software maps for its three driver-selectable modes, which are even different from GT350 to GT350R, but coding alone can’t cure this mass-market system of its confidence-sapping numbness. No doubt, this is the first component the engineers would use a blank check to change.

 

[HDA]

I'm right there with you but I still don't think I can bring myself to do it. I grew up a Mustanger, and owned a series of them starting with the car I learned to drive on (my father's '70 Sportsroof) and my first car ('66 Emerglo straight 6 with 3-speed stick) all the way through '70 Calypso Coral Mach 1 show car, '85 GT, and '91 LX 5.0.

I have always lusted after '70 Boss 302, and when the recent one came out I considered it then. Everyone I asked then, including Mustang owners, said, no, don't sell an NSX to buy a Mustang.

I love the styling of the '15-16 Mustangs, and that 5.2 flat plane crank motor sounds delicious.

The only real reason I would consider the GT350 is that it's new, and I'd have it from new. While I enjoy having a 25-year-old car and having people go "THAT'S A 91?!?!?", it is not without its issues (see my post under electronics), although they are minor. I am on the fence, but I'd have to drive a new GT350 and be totally blown away to consider selling the NSX.

I've truly had the joneses for only three cars: aforementioned '70 Boss 302; early '70's Dino 246; and the NSX. So when it was feasible to actually have the NSX, I didn't look back, and it's been 10 years.

I'd have to drive a new GT350 before I'd commit. And like a dealer is going to let me do that. Um, probably, no.

Exactly.
My.
Thought.

Glad I am not the only one

 

[Dr. JL]

500 miles ODO as of yesterday. What an awesome vehicle! The sound...oh the sound, and gobs of power above 4K RPM! :biggrin: Get one, but definitely keep the NSX. They are fun in different ways. Brut force vs. finesse. Driver conveniences with the Tech Pack are nice and the gauge options are very cool. Good luck finding one anywhere near sticker. If you find a new GT350R for sale...buy it sight-unseen!

 

[Tom239]

Some Mustang models (but not the GT350, sadly) are available in Ruby Red, which uses the PPG Andaro tint dispersion technology also used in the blue and red pearl colors on the new NSX. I'm not saying the Ford paint is comparable in all ways to the Acura paint, just that they share some of the same technology. Ruby Red on a Mustang costs $395 extra; Nouvelle Blue Pearl and Valencia Red Pearl are $6000 options on the NSX.

 

[Dr. JL]

600 mile update. I have installed Ford Performance hood struts and oil catch cans for both cylinder banks. Not yet taken the Voodoo's rev counter above 6K RPM because the scenery flies past way too quickly (I know, I'm an ussy). I have occasionally approached the handling limit of this machine and am impressed by it's cornering characteristics, especially with that V-8 weight near the nose. I'm sad to see a video on YouTube of a Tech Pack owner's track session cut short due to tranny overheating and the motor sent to limp mode. I have plans to contact Ford Performance today to see if they will offer the cooling kits for the tranny, oil and rear differential that are stock on the Track Pack and R model GT350s.

 

[docjohn]

Install air/oil separators on both banks as Ford recommends, run their recommended track alignment and have fun.

did you see this post

 

[stuntman]

Base & Tech pack cars need trans & diff coolers for track use.

 

[dquarasr2]

This past weekend I attended Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach. There was a GT350 mounted on a stand so one could see the underside. Impressive. (Also on display was a new Ford GT. Wow, that's on a whole 'nother planet. Billy, so jealous :biggrin:, and thanks for helping develop it and represent in France in June . . . but I digress).

Ford had a ride/drive event on the grounds. After test driving two Ford vehicles, one could take a ride with a professional driver. It was sort of an autocross course, straight acceleration 1st, 2nd, and if I remember correctly, a little bit of 3rd, then hard on the brakes for a 180, then a sideways blast accelerating again in second gear. Choices were a GT350 or a Focus RS. My son picked the RS since he had already gotten a ride on the street in a GT350R, and he is thinking about plunking some $$ down on a Focus RS.

I chose the GT350, in fact, it was my primary motive for attending the auction event.

Quite impressive. Sounds great. Fantastic brakes. Controllable sideways.

While I didn't get to drive it, odd, but nothing about the ride changed my mind. I'm still very much in love with how my '91 NSX drives, so unless and until I can drive a GT350 and have a chance to experience driving it mine own self, not going to pursue a GT350. I dunno, maybe after 2016 NSXPO I'll have the NSX out of my system after 10+ years of ownership and it will be time to move on, but no, not yet. Cars and Coffee before I went to the auction showed a lot of love for the NSX, not that I need others to validate my choice.

Tom239, I'm pretty sure I read over the weekend that three new GT350 colors were being added for 2017, and I think Ruby Red was one they mentioned (along with a new metallic blue that is similar to classic Acapulco Blue, and Grabber Blue). Also, the $6500 optional track pack was made standard on the non-R and the base price was raised accordingly, to somewhere in the mid-50's.

 

[Dr. JL]

Four-month ownership experience update. I just received the 5K miles maintenance postcard from my dealership. I've driven only 1,300 miles so far. I changed the oil at 1K; all ten 20-W50 quarts. On the road, the GT350 is virtually ignored. I imagine it's due to limited public awareness or the thought that it's just another Mustang. Either way, I'm fine with that. It's been a relatively cool spring/early summer in Texoma and the Michelins fail to keep up with the horses, so the traction/vehicle skid control have been working hard. Shame. I recently visited a large Ford dealership in Dallas to see if I could climb around an R, but was told the three they were allocated are not for sale. Shame. They had one Tech pack available for $10K over. Shame. eBay bidding has Rs for nearly $100K. Too much, IMHO. It's an awesome vehicle to drive, rare (I've not seen another on the road) and I don't get harassed by folks who ask how much I paid for it. Win, win, win.