Muligan
ARRR!
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2016
- Threads
- 85
- Messages
- 1,255
- Reaction score
- 1,817
- Location
- North Central Illinois
- Vehicle(s)
- G0059 / Former Track Attack #14 "The Rented Mule"
- Thread starter
- #1
After being a caretaker for H2614 the past year and a half, and with the gracious help of Tomster, I recently secured an open allocation for an ’18 R. For those still holding out hope of putting a new R in their garage, there’s still time – but you have to be open to a reasonable deal and willing to move quickly when it comes along. If (and it’s a BIG if) this is the last year for the GT350, then time is running out to be the original owner of an R, so don’t wait too much longer if that is what you really want.
I’ve owned a string of Mustangs – classics to modern – including a former Bob Bondurant school car (’01 Roush GT) that I used for track-days, time-trials, and instructing HPDE, as well as a vintage racer ’65 fastback that I’m building now. A couple years ago, I decided I wanted something street legal I could drive to and from track-days just a few times each season and the (then) newly announced GT350R seemed perfect. After watching the market and reaching out to some Ford dealership contacts in my area, the huge ADMs, limited allocations, and my inability to get in early enough on one to order exactly what I wanted kept pushing me away… and almost into a Grand Sport Corvette. But, I lucked out by finding a base standard GT350 that had just landed at a small dealership a couple hours away in Wisconsin and they offered it to me below MSRP, which was a great deal at the time. So, I was a GT350 owner, but never gave up my desire for an R.
There’s no right or wrong way to spec out a GT350; standard or R, these things are just magical. They combine all that is great about the Mustang with a subliminal character and an extrovert’s personality. My own taste for fun cars always leans towards the most bare-bones version available, which is why the base R gets my nod. In addition, I prefer the darker colors (H2614 is Shadow Black), so I went with Magnetic. I really like the large metallic flake in that color (almost bass boat grade) and think it looks stunning in the sun. And while many think it’s just not a Shelby without stripes, this one'll go naked.
Through this forum, I found a bunch of great guys who share their enthusiasm for all things GT350, as well as many who regularly offer leads and help those intent on bagging the unicorn. Just when it seemed I’d missed the window, I was able to jump on a reasonable deal that one of those guys posted. Thanks to him, I’ll soon get the car of my dreams and it’ll be one of the last base-model Rs, since federal law requires all cars built after April ’18 to have a back-up camera (Ford is mandating the full electronics package and everything that comes with it).
First step was last week when I put down a sizeable deposit. I have an order number and priority code, but no DORA, VIN or production date. I’ve been checking COTUS and the order isn’t showing up there yet, but I called Ford Performance and they assured me that it’s in the system waiting to be picked. I’m hoping to hear from the dealership soon with news that the regional rep has agreed to pick it and move things along. I’ll keep you guys posted so that anyone who is interested can join me for the ride. Thanks again to all who helped me get here and best of luck to those still searching!
I’ve owned a string of Mustangs – classics to modern – including a former Bob Bondurant school car (’01 Roush GT) that I used for track-days, time-trials, and instructing HPDE, as well as a vintage racer ’65 fastback that I’m building now. A couple years ago, I decided I wanted something street legal I could drive to and from track-days just a few times each season and the (then) newly announced GT350R seemed perfect. After watching the market and reaching out to some Ford dealership contacts in my area, the huge ADMs, limited allocations, and my inability to get in early enough on one to order exactly what I wanted kept pushing me away… and almost into a Grand Sport Corvette. But, I lucked out by finding a base standard GT350 that had just landed at a small dealership a couple hours away in Wisconsin and they offered it to me below MSRP, which was a great deal at the time. So, I was a GT350 owner, but never gave up my desire for an R.
There’s no right or wrong way to spec out a GT350; standard or R, these things are just magical. They combine all that is great about the Mustang with a subliminal character and an extrovert’s personality. My own taste for fun cars always leans towards the most bare-bones version available, which is why the base R gets my nod. In addition, I prefer the darker colors (H2614 is Shadow Black), so I went with Magnetic. I really like the large metallic flake in that color (almost bass boat grade) and think it looks stunning in the sun. And while many think it’s just not a Shelby without stripes, this one'll go naked.
Through this forum, I found a bunch of great guys who share their enthusiasm for all things GT350, as well as many who regularly offer leads and help those intent on bagging the unicorn. Just when it seemed I’d missed the window, I was able to jump on a reasonable deal that one of those guys posted. Thanks to him, I’ll soon get the car of my dreams and it’ll be one of the last base-model Rs, since federal law requires all cars built after April ’18 to have a back-up camera (Ford is mandating the full electronics package and everything that comes with it).
First step was last week when I put down a sizeable deposit. I have an order number and priority code, but no DORA, VIN or production date. I’ve been checking COTUS and the order isn’t showing up there yet, but I called Ford Performance and they assured me that it’s in the system waiting to be picked. I’m hoping to hear from the dealership soon with news that the regional rep has agreed to pick it and move things along. I’ll keep you guys posted so that anyone who is interested can join me for the ride. Thanks again to all who helped me get here and best of luck to those still searching!
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