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New Shelby American GT350

robvas

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I don't know about this "race car" thinking about the Shelby GT350R. It's described thus:

"The street-legal, track-ready Shelby GT350R features a carbon fiber interior 'tub', optional carbon fiber racing seats and harnesses, carbon fiber trim, integrated roll cage, Turn Key Automotive/Motorsports, Trans AM spec high speed carbon fiber Aero package, fully-adjustable, JRI race struts and shocks with remote reservoir, ProSystems Alcon racing brakes, numerous chassis upgrades and more. MSRP will be announced shortly."

Putting that in plain English, it's GT with a blower, a bunch of interior carbon fiber trim, a roll cage, an aero package, Alcon brakes and JRI coil-overs. It starts out street legal and ends up street legal. It's a track day car, or at least it is if it has decent cooling for the drive train.
That's definitely a race car

similar to the Dark Horse R (that's gets built by Multimatic, the same place that's making the GTD)

it's assembled by a totally different shop in Michigan, not Shelby.
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robvas

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They will be running in the Trans Am series....

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JAJ

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Ahhh... no. The new GT350R is described again here on the Trans Am website:

https://gotransam.com/news/?cid=73514

It's the same street legal build.

The Trans Am race car is mentioned as a future build to be developed in 2025 for the 2026 season:

"In collaboration with Turn Key Automotive/Motorsports, Shelby will develop a Trans Am spec race car throughout 2025, with plans for an official entry in the 2026 race season. In a fitting nod to history, Jack Rinke, a Turn Key Development Engineer who worked on the Shelby GT350R, intends to compete in the 2026 season. “We are deeply honored by the history and our connection to Ken Miles and the Carroll Shelby story," said Jack."

That carbon fiber floor pan in the photo just didn't make sense for a race car. The structure of the car is metal, so for a race car build, there's no benefit to installing what is essentially rigid carpet.
 

honeybadger

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Ahhh... no. The new GT350R is described again here on the Trans Am website:

https://gotransam.com/news/?cid=73514

It's the same street legal build.

The Trans Am race car is mentioned as a future build to be developed in 2025 for the 2026 season:

"In collaboration with Turn Key Automotive/Motorsports, Shelby will develop a Trans Am spec race car throughout 2025, with plans for an official entry in the 2026 race season. In a fitting nod to history, Jack Rinke, a Turn Key Development Engineer who worked on the Shelby GT350R, intends to compete in the 2026 season. “We are deeply honored by the history and our connection to Ken Miles and the Carroll Shelby story," said Jack."

That carbon fiber floor pan in the photo just didn't make sense for a race car. The structure of the car is metal, so for a race car build, there's no benefit to installing what is essentially rigid carpet.
And I'm sure we'll see all 36 on the race track and most definitely not collecting dust in a garage :D
 

BlkMach10510

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And I'm sure we'll see all 36 on the race track and most definitely not collecting dust in a garage :D
34 in a climate controlled garage and two will make it to the track.
 

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GrabberBargeCaptain

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All you voodoo boahs must be happy right now. Pretty meh!
 

526 HRSE

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That's one fugly azz car.
 

526 HRSE

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Looks like a Shelby by Temu
 

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Angrey

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i had gotten out of the mustang game for 10 years. Coming back into it in early 2017, I did 3 months of evaluating what was the best "value" in terms of how much car I could get for the money, recognizing that I would end up modifying it heavily.

In evaluating the GT350, the Roush Stage III and the Mustang GT, the Shelby American products, it became clear to me that Ford had really REALLY provided a lot of value in the GT350 line.

You couldn't (and probably still can't) take a regular GT and create a GT350 and end up cheaper than just buying the GT350. From body parts, brakes, coolers, seats, transmission, radiator, intake, heads, etc.........I looked very hard at even buying a used mustang GT and swapping all the parts and I couldn't make the numbers work.

THAT is value.

I can't say the same for the Shelby American products. Outside of some of the exclusive parts that you can ONLY get through Shelby (the rear quarters being the only one that come to mind) you can replicate a Shelby American product and generally come out ahead. Won't have the Shelby name or the registry, but in terms of actually replicating the car and it's performance, the value isn't the same.

Ford Performance started with a different set of bones on the GT350 and later the GT500 cars. Which also can be frustrating (there's not nearly as much selection for things like aftermarket hoods which are specific to the GT350).

Both companies really lost out on an opportunity to take the success of the GT350 program and make it even better (by going back to a CPC, but keeping the track focused spirit of the car).

For instance, I know that just typing the name multimatic means they're probably going to send me a bill, and their stuff is great, but WILDLY WILDLY overpriced. And understandably, they market to race teams and manufacturers. It's high cotton stuff.

But wouldn't it have been wondrous if Ford partnered with SA again for a license and simply gave us a trans axle, multi-link coil over N/A car? Basically a less opulent version of the GTD? No carbon fiber panels, no magnesium wheels, but the huge jump in the weight balance and suspension advantages? Maybe even the active aero.

They could have put all that into the car and dropped a price point somewhere in the $110k-$120k range and I'm pretty sure they would sell a ton of them.

The SA products are just, pricey (for what you get) and honestly, outside of the name and the registry, they're not special or unique. They're a parts swap car, which virtually any of us can do and replicate (for cheaper even).
 
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MAGS1

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Surprised no one's mentioned it yet. This "GT350" is going to have a Mustang GT VIN number, right? 🤣🤣🤣
What a joke. Another stinker to add to the s650 lineup.

Feels good to possibly have the last (and greatest) GT500, though :sunglasses:
You are 100% correct, just like the Super Snakes. They’re GT VIN’s and get sent to SA after the fact. Some people value the CSM and there will be considerably less of these SA cars than the S550 GT350’s. But, as Angrey said, if people just want the “stuff” and don’t necessarily care about the CSM, it can easily be replicated sans a few SA exclusive parts for a fraction of the cost. To each their own but not for me, I can find a better way to spend that kind of cash.
 
 








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