Guys, how important is the “Shelby” name to the enjoyment of your car?

[young at heart]

I mean if your current GT350/500 was badged as a “Mach 2“ and didn’t say Shelby anywhere on it, would it still be as special to you as it is? Let’s face it; regardless of what assembly line they went down, who blessed them, what registry they are or aren’t on or any other useless point somebody’s trying to make Shelbys are special. Always have been, always will be.

Please try to examine yourself and be honest. I’m not trying to trick you or pull a gotcha. It’s actually more of a mental health check on myself. My two ‘23 Mach 1s (one manual, one A10) are realistically all I’d ever need or could hope for. I love ‘em. They’re paid for. They‘re beautiful and even stock I’ll admit they’re more capable than I am. But I’m a victim of nearly 60 years of brainwashing and can’t get the Shelby jones off my back.

I guess I’m just shallow. There, I‘ve outed myself.

GT500 guys chime in too. I just didn’t see any reason to clog up two forums.

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[robvas]

I'd wanna hear from the guys that have the S197 Shelby GT's and GT350's

 

[MCS]

That is a question that is going to evoke a lot of subjective answers.

I don't own a "Shelby" but I have owned a C63 AMG and, while it was fun, it was also something that I grossly overpaid for. Whether it says "Shelby", "AMG", "Brabus", "Redeye" or whatever your "Elite" logo/plate says, it does not mean you are a cut above, or below, anyone else. It DOES mean you paid more though.

A funny example that is actually a real event; last year, when I was in Mexico, I had a young man in a beautiful GT350 roll up beside me. He saw the 5.0 on the side of my car and wanted to run. Maybe he figured I was just another older guy with Shelby envy because I have a GT500 hood and spoiler? Needless to say, he lost. By a not insigificant amount. When we came to the next stop lights (again, in the Mexico desert) he rolled down his window and had a shocked look on his face "But this is a Shelby. I should have been able to smoke a 5oh". I laughed a bit, shrugged and told him I had added extra hamsters under the hood and drove away. I have often wondered if that dude put his car up for sale or broke out a ruler to measure his cockpit to see whether or not he was still a man? The name didn't help him there and he had attached too much of himself to said name. I will state though that his car sounded glorious at WOT. Those damn 350s sound like they are on the verge of exploding the universe and it's one of those sounds that just resonates with men.

I digress; back to the "Shelby" badge. Back in the day the name would instill awe and wonder. They made some amazing cars. Now, the "Shelby GT500" rolls off the same assembly line that other Fords do. It's a badge that gets added to a very potent, but mass produced, vehicle. The nostalgia is what keeps that name a legend.

Does the name Shelby mean anything? Maybe. Does it affect my enjoyment of my "just a regular GT"? Hell no LOL

 

[WItoTX]

Yes. The design that went into the first the GT350, followed by the GT500 and M1, both for track performance and just overall looks, make it what it is. The GT350 knuckles went into the GT500 for a reason. The beefed up hubs failed at a far lower rate, and didn't have wheel speed sensor issues like the GT as well. Coolers, spherical bearings, etc...

Mechanically, it's much more purpose built, and although not perfect, and that is what makes the GT350/500 special. If they called it a Dork Horse I would still want it. We can even take the motor out of the equation.

 

[Wildwildwest]

My take is this: I test drove S550 mustangs, was not overly impressed. Partially since my ride at the time was a C7 Z06. I was looking for a ”drivers” car (N/A, manual, track oriented). As I got serious, It came down to a 718 GT4 or Shelby GT350. (variety of critera and constraints). I went with GT350 as best choice for me and it all came down to driving experience…the name could have been anything and I wouldnt have cared. It’s all about what it is and the experience is provides. Function over form…or name. At least for me. Reminds me of another post about street ”cred”…just don’t get that mind set.

 

[MCS]

My take is this: I test drove S550 mustangs, was not overly impressed. Partially since my ride at the time was a C7 Z06. I was looking for a ”drivers” car (N/A, manual, track oriented). As I got serious, It came down to a 718 GT4 or Shelby GT350. (variety of critera and constraints). I went with GT350 as best choice for me and it all came down to driving experience…the name could have been anything and I wouldnt have cared. It’s all about what it is and the experience is provides. Function over form…or name. At least for me. Reminds me of another post about street ”cred”…just don’t get that mind set.

This is an opinion I can respect. Based on fact and use case and not broad strokes being attached to a name. Even if W(3) is completely daft for getting rid of that C7 Z06. Jelly!!!!

 

[Wildwildwest]

This is an opinion I can respect. Based on fact and use case and not broad strokes being attached to a name. Even if W(3) is completely daft for getting rid of that C7 Z06. Jelly!!!!

Just for clarification sake....C7 Z06 went to my son

 

[MCS]

Just for clarification sake....C7 Z06 went to my son

If you ever need to adopt a 49 year old son, let me know!

 

[dnstommy]

Honestly, I am 52. I don't race anymore. This car is more about driving around, having fun and mainly about talking cars with other people. The fact it is a Shelby gets more conversions started. Then we can talk about the previous 50 mustangs and how good "it used to be", like old guys do.

 

[Strokerswild]

It's always about the hardware for me more than the name.

 

[TnWHTMARE]

The name is only as valuable as the actual benefits/distinctions it brings to the table.

If you left SHELBY off of the GT350, it would STILL be a special car. For a number of reasons that have nothing to do with the shelby name.

You guys correct me if I'm wrong here but "Shelby" really had nothing to do with the GT350 (or 500) in the first place did they? It was all "Ford" engineers, right?

 

[JAJ]

The name is only as valuable as the actual benefits/distinctions it brings to the table. If you left SHELBY off of the GT350, it would still be a special car. For a number of reasons. You guys correct me if I'm wrong here but "Shelby" really had nothing to do with the GT350 (or 500) in the first place did they? It was all "Ford" engineers, right?

Well, sorta...

The "Shelby" products from Ford are developed by the Ford Performance division, not Ford itself. That division used to be called "SVT". I got a spectacularly clear picture of why that distinction matters when I switched from my supercharged 2011 GT to a 2014 GT500. EVERYTHING was different, not just the engine. ABS was different, power steering was different, suspension components were different, and so on. The two cars shared a chassis, but the parts that made the chassis into a car were mostly different.

The GT350 is an even more extreme version of the same phenomenon. Lots of people think it's just a GT with some reshaped bodywork and a few stickers, but again, it shares a body but the parts that make it a car are mostly different. Some of that technology has moved across into regular Ford cars like the Mach 1, but the fact that the Mach 1 is something like 30 seconds slower around the 'Ring tells you everything you need to know about performance. The GT350 was developed and benchmarked against the Porsche GT3 and the Mach 1 wasn't.

So, does the "Shelby" name matter? In and of itself, it's interesting, but a Ford with that name on it is special to its core.

 

[GT350Keith]

The name probably means more to me than others. This is my third Shelby starting in the early 80's. My first was a 69 GT500 and I still have the second, a 69 GT350 convertible. Part of it is the memories we’ve had with these cars and the people that we’ve gotten to know because of them, and the things we’ve done with them. I always loved the looks of Shelby’s over regular Mustangs, which started back when I was about 8 and a friends brother had a yellow 68 GT350KR convertible. When I walk away from mine, I always look back to admire them. I’ve liked the specialness and rarity. I realize ole Carroll had nothing to do with this generation of Shelby’s, but his spirit is there under the hood and in the whole car.

 

[wingnutt]

Hell, I’m only here because of Shelby…I have had three other Shelby’s in my life, and they aint the ones you think of!

1) a 1985 Dodge Charger Shelby Turbo
2) a 1987 Dodge Omni GLHS Turbo
3) a 1989 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z Turbo

I had all three somewhere between 1986 and 1994, could never afford the Shelby Mustangs so when the GT350 came out I was all in

and, I am currently considering one of the Shelby F150s when the time comes…

 

[Mustangpursuit]

I do like the Shelby name on GT350 and GT500 and it does fit for the top performing factory cars that Ford offers for Mustang, and a Mach 1 is special name to me and I would prefer a Mach 1 as a Mach 1.

I do however have some Shelby parts on my car, such as a Super Snake bumper, GT-H Exhaust. and Venom Wheels, the Shelby name is embossed on my tips, and the grill I was able to re-use my California Special upper grille, so I could keep it more GT/CS and more subtle and has no Shelby logos. I just recently custom designed aluminum flat decals over the forgestar caps and replaced my Venom Wheel Caps with Shelby script removed from it, the wheel spoke still says Shelby though. I also have custom regular pony caps I will swap back on later, but I was trying to keep the original cap design with a twist. I still always wonder why Shelby overlooks the airbag during conversions which GT350/GT500 get special treatment on. I even thought about Aston Martin logo for the wheels as a tribute for his Le Mans win, but It would really take a car guy to kinda get the joke other than rest would think it was some poor mans upbadge and silly idea.

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