2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang is Migthy and Mighty Affordable [w/ Video]

One of the undisputed stars of last November’s Los Angeles Auto Show was the 2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang, a model with a legendary name that’s essentially taking over from the two previous-generation mega Mustangs, the Boss 302 and Shelby GT500. With that dual role in mind, it wasn’t entirely surprising when Ford said the output of the GT350’s 5.2L “Voodoo” V8 (with its European-exotic-style flat-plane crankshaft) would be in excess of 500 horsepower, or more or less halfway between the last Boss 302’s mildly-massaged 5.0L Coyote V8 and the GT500’s rip-snorting 5.8L supercharged V8. Sure enough, this latest track-focused ‘Stang delivers on that initial promise.

The official output of the Voodoo is 526 horsepower and 429 lb.-ft of torque. If you happen to be keeping score, that’s 21 horsepower more – but 52 lb.-ft less – than the 7.0L LS7 V8 found in crosstown rival Chevrolet’s nearest Camaro equivalent, the Z/28. Blame (or thank, depending on your allegiance and/or perspective) the smaller quad-cam, 32-valve Voodoo’s superior ability to rev – to a rather Ferrari-esque 8,250 rpm! – for the tradeoff relative to Chevy’s big, cross-plane crank, pushrod pugilist. Still, those are dynamite sums of which the fine men and women at Ford and Ford Performance are justifiably proud. Hell, just listen to it in the video below!

But that’s not the only good news to come out of Dearborn’s stable today; the company also announced pricing for the GT350 (and its even-more-hardcore sister, the GT350R). The base MSRP for a 2016 Shelby GT350 Mustang is $47,870, while the GT350R (with its additional aero upgrades, stripped-down interior, carbon fiber wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and other track day goodies) will sticker for $61,370. Both of those figures constitute a substantial savings over the $72,305 Camaro Z/28 (provided you’ll be able to get your hands on a GT350/GT350R for the sticker price, which is highly, highly unlikely for the foreseeable future), not to mention the (admittedly faster) hot-dog track specials from the likes of Nissan, Dodge, Ferrari and Porsche. Of course, with the new GT’s Monroney expected to approach $400,000, Ford almost had to price these most athletic Mustangs ever in an aggressive fashion. But you won’t hear us complain about it…

Source: Ford