After Motor Trend strapped the 2016 Shelby GT350 to a chassis dyno, you knew we were mere days away from finding out some performance numbers, and here we have them — and not just for the standard GT350, but also for its more potent R variant.
Comparing the GT350R to the base GT350, Motor Trend ran the two vehicles one after the other. The results — the base GT350 ran ran zero-to-sixty in 4.1 seconds versus the GT350R’s 3.9 seconds. In the quarter mile, the GT350 ran 12.4 @ 117.8 mph while the GT350R clocked out at 12.1 @ 119.6. In other words, the GT350R was 0.2 seconds faster from 0-60 and 0.3 seconds faster in the quarter mile with a higher trap speed.
Motor Trend notes that the GT350R’s carbon fiber wheels and more aggressive rubber (i.e. better grip) accounted for differences in both the quarter mile testing and the 6-horsepower difference it saw between the two models on its chassis dyno pulls.
Have a look at their full review, impressions and dyno chart comparison.