Sponsored

ZRacerLE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Threads
6
Messages
577
Reaction score
458
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
ZR2 & ZLE A10
Finally! 500CFTP tied the C7Z and beat the ZLE 10 speed. That's damn fast fellas.

Competition field: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a35353597/lightning-lap-2021/
GT500 results: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a35368171/2020-ford-mustang-shelby-gt500-lightning-lap/

2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 at Lightning Lap 2021
Ford's 760-hp monster is wild enough to leave skid marks but obedient enough that it tends not to.

rd-mustang-shelby-gt500-lead-1611950319.jpg?crop=0.jpg


Lap Time: 2:44.6
Class: LL3 | Base: $92,595 | As Tested: $94,760
Power and Weight: 760 hp • 4067 lb • 5.4 lb/hp
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, F:305/30ZR-20 (103Y) FP R: 315/30ZR-20 (104Y) FP

For more than a decade, deputy editor Tony Quiroga has strapped on his chaps and wrangled Ford's hottest Mustangs at VIR, but with the pandemic keeping him in California this year, Quiroga could only offer advice: "Bring underwear," he said. "Lots and lots of underwear." And then he hung up laughing.

Sphincter-clenching moments are part of the deal with the 760-hp Mustang Shelby GT500, the most powerful production car Ford has ever made. The supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 outmuscles a rogues' gallery of exotica, including the Lamborghini Huracán Evo, the Porsche 911 Turbo S, and even the McLaren 765LT. But those exotics have a couple of distinct advantages over Ford's relatively affordable badass. They're lighter, and they mount their engines behind the cabin, giving the rear tires more bite. And the Lambo and Porsche transmit torque to all four wheels.

Like a race car, the GT500 takes time to learn. Brake hard off the straight and dive into Turn 1 and the gooey Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber wrapped around carbon-fiber wheels holds the pavement at 1.16 g's. Exiting that long, flat corner is tricky in rear-drive cars with a ton of horsepower. The Ford rep on hand suggests, "If it'll take a quarter-throttle [on corner exit], it'll take all the throttle." Yeah, sure thing, crazy. But we try it and somehow the GT500 allows us to floor it earlier than we ever would've thought possible. The engine's rage churns into the rear tires, the GT500 hooks up, and then it explodes out of the turn.

14-2020-ford-mustang-shelby-gt500-inset-1611950327.jpg


Between the corners, the Predator V-8 lives up to its name by devouring every straight with supercar-grade acceleration. The speedo flips through digits quicker than the National Debt Clock. The GT500 torpedoes down the front straight, reaching a peak velocity of 161.9 mph. We arrive at the uphill esses at a palpitation-inducing 142.7 mph.

The GT500's eight cylinders of fury, fed by fuel lines the size of garden hoses, empty the tank like André the Giant draining a beer keg. The car guzzles more than two gallons per 4.1-mile lap. The gas might run out before the giant 16.5-inch iron rotors up front start fading. Lap after lap, the brake pedal remains firm.

In Bitch, an off-camber right-hander, the GT500 demands more patience than normal. Go to the loud pedal too early and the Michelins will leave streaks on the asphalt to match the one in your briefs.

Throughout the slower infield, the 4067-pound Stang shuffles in left-right transitions with the ease and fluidity of a car that's a quarter-ton lighter. Steering feel is crisp and clear and Porsche-like. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic downshifts under braking so it is always in the correct gear. Throw in perfect redline shifts and we never found ourselves needing to reach for the paddles.

The GT500's 2:44.6 shares top honors in LL3 with the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Ford believes there are a few seconds left in it, which we will not contest, but the résumé of Ford's test driver boasts hundreds of development laps with the GT500 and a couple of stints at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; we had three days. We'll happily take a lap time that splits the two times we set with the $500,000 2017 Ford GT and that gets us home in a clean pair of Hanes.


Overall Lap Time Results:

18) Toyota Supra 2.0 - 3:09.0
17) Cadillac CT4-V - 3:06.2
16) Ford Mustang 2.3L - 3:04.4
15) Cadillac CT5-V - 3:04.1
14) Mini Cooper Works GP - 3:03.8
13) Subaru STI - 3:03.4
12) BMW M340i - 3:03.2
11) Toyota Supra 3.0 - 2:59.3
10) Jaguar F-type R - 2:59.5
9) Mercedes AMG CLA45 - 2:58.2
8) BMW M8 Competition - 2:55.5
7) Porsche Taycan Turbo S - 2:55.2
6) Porsche 718 GT4 - 2:50.3
5) Chevy Corvette Z51 - 2:49.0
4) Lamborghini Huracan Evo - 2:45.0
3) Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 - 2:44.6
2) Porsche 911 Turbo S - 2:42.5
1) Mclaren 765LT - 2:38.4



-2020-ford-mustang-shelby-gt500-sidebar-1612231673.png


Sponsored

 
Last edited by a moderator:
OP
OP

ZRacerLE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Threads
6
Messages
577
Reaction score
458
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
ZR2 & ZLE A10
Thanks for the format help, mods. Looks much better!
 

Snakecollector

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
169
Reaction score
187
Location
Central FL
First Name
Ron
Vehicle(s)
'03 Cobra (sold), '08 Viper (sold), '20 GT500
That's moving, holy cow. Especially considering the Ford test driver's comment about some time still left on the table with the GT500.
 

EFI

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 19, 2015
Threads
62
Messages
4,792
Reaction score
4,051
Location
Masshole central
Vehicle(s)
5.Br0
That's moving, holy cow. Especially considering the Ford test driver's comment about some time still left on the table with the GT500.
I can definitely believe that comment. The car was moving for sure, but IMHO it was not driven 10/10...especially in the beginning. That was lazy coming out of the very first corner especially with 760hp. Maybe it's the video, but the whole lap seemed quite casual.
 

Sponsored

OP
OP

ZRacerLE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Threads
6
Messages
577
Reaction score
458
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
ZR2 & ZLE A10
I can definitely believe that comment. The car was moving for sure, but IMHO it was not driven 10/10...especially in the beginning. That was lazy coming out of the very first corner especially with 760hp. Maybe it's the video, but the whole lap seemed quite casual.
I haven't seen that guy drive 10/10 with any of them. Been watching them for years. What I like about that is it suggests their times are achievable by enthusiasts like myself.
 

Idaho2018GTPremium

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2018
Threads
20
Messages
1,506
Reaction score
1,312
Location
Idaho
Vehicle(s)
2021 Camaro ZL1 A10
That's moving, holy cow. Especially considering the Ford test driver's comment about some time still left on the table with the GT500.
That comment was the Ford rep referring to if Billy Johnson was driving it around VIR. Obviously, it would be faster with him at the helm than Car and Driver editors/staff. Any one of those cars would be faster with BJ driving. Lightning lap is a little different than Motor Trend's BDC which uses Randy Pobst to set the lap times. Lightning lap uses the best time from all the C&D staff that got to lap a given car.

" Ford believes there are a few seconds left in it, which we will not contest, but the résumé of Ford's test driver boasts hundreds of development laps with the GT500 and a couple of stints at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; we had three days. "
 

EFI

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 19, 2015
Threads
62
Messages
4,792
Reaction score
4,051
Location
Masshole central
Vehicle(s)
5.Br0
I haven't seen that guy drive 10/10 with any of them. Been watching them for years. What I like about that is it suggests their times are achievable by enthusiasts like myself.
Hmm, that's interesting. I knew the driver wasn't a pro or anything, but I did think that these would all be driven 10/10.

I get that it's to show times that enthusiasts can achieve, but then it defeats the whole comparison. It's relatively easy to drive every car (in the category) at 10/10...but kinda tricky to try and balance them all at say 8/10.
 

Snakecollector

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
169
Reaction score
187
Location
Central FL
First Name
Ron
Vehicle(s)
'03 Cobra (sold), '08 Viper (sold), '20 GT500
That comment was the Ford rep referring to if Billy Johnson was driving it around VIR. Obviously, it would be faster with him at the helm than Car and Driver editors/staff. Any one of those cars would be faster with BJ driving. Lightning lap is a little different than Motor Trend's BDC which uses Randy Pobst to set the lap times. Lightning lap uses the best time from all the C&D staff that got to lap a given car.

" Ford believes there are a few seconds left in it, which we will not contest, but the résumé of Ford's test driver boasts hundreds of development laps with the GT500 and a couple of stints at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; we had three days. "
That makes sense... Pretty remarkable that the GT500 is only .4 seconds behind a Gen V Viper ACR also.
 

Sponsored
OP
OP

ZRacerLE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Threads
6
Messages
577
Reaction score
458
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
ZR2 & ZLE A10
Hmm, that's interesting. I knew the driver wasn't a pro or anything, but I did think that these would all be driven 10/10.

I get that it's to show times that enthusiasts can achieve, but then it defeats the whole comparison. It's relatively easy to drive every car (in the category) at 10/10...but kinda tricky to try and balance them all at say 8/10.
Take what I said with a grain of salt. Just my theory. I'm using "10/10" as the car's limit and not the driver's. It probably is the driver's limit of "10/10". I just watch the laps and feel like they leave a lot on the table. What that probably means is I can't really tell how close to the car's limit they really are because the car stays so composed.
 
OP
OP

ZRacerLE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Threads
6
Messages
577
Reaction score
458
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
ZR2 & ZLE A10
Lost in all the GT500/ZL1 1LE banter is the fact that the 2.3L Mustang was only only 2 tenths of a second behind the 2013 Boss 302 Laguna Seca. Crazy.
For sure! I noticed.

My 18 year old son bought and tracks a 2.0 turbo 1LE (just behind the turbo mustang on that list) and runs down so many V8s with it! Showing him the lightning lap times last year is what sold him on the car.

So much progress. Love it.
 

Checkmate

Active Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2015
Threads
0
Messages
41
Reaction score
68
Location
Philly
Vehicle(s)
Mustang
+$18,000, +110HP, +CFTP goodies and the best it could do was 0.4 seconds against a 2 year old A10 ZL1/1LE. Goes to show how superior the Alpha chassis is.

Also notable that the GT500 with all this firepower only set the same time as a +5 year old C7 Z06.

This proves GM is king when it comes to chassis development.
 

Tomster

Beware of idiots
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Threads
278
Messages
15,511
Reaction score
15,586
Location
FL
First Name
Tom
Vehicle(s)
'20 RR GT500R(CFTP), 18 OW GT350R Base, '17 AG GT350R Electronics Pack, '97 PG Cobra Convertible
+$18,000, +110HP, +CFTP goodies and the best it could do was 0.4 seconds against a 2 year old A10 ZL1/1LE. Goes to show how superior the Alpha chassis is.

Also notable that the GT500 with all this firepower only set the same time as a +5 year old C7 Z06.

This proves GM is king when it comes to chassis development.
I was incredibly impressed with the CFTP on the track. It ran 2:00 laps at Daytona and it had more left in it. I figure the car is probably a 1:57ish 1:58 which is very fast. I don't think a C7 Z06 or a ZL1/1LE can touch that. You are taking a number from an article. You have no idea how the car was set up. New tires? Alignment settings? I would like to hear more about the handling comments from the driver. I didn't read the article, but was it the same driver? All these variables all could impact a snapshot in time tremendously.

I had the CFTP on the track going flat out. I was extremely impressed with it.

Its a shame Billy wasn't there this year. I would have liked to see what kind of times he could do with the car.
 
 




Top