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2020 Shelby GT500 discussion with R&D Ford driver Billy Johnson!

Eritas

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Billy is under contract with Ford. He will not say anything bad about the car ... he can't ... hell, he can't even give his opinion on IG when it comes to simple mods.
Of course he's not going to call it a POS. Is that what you were looking for? He did say it's fast. So maybe it's a fast POS? What simple mods did you ask about?
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V00D00

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Hard to believe a wheel larger in not only diameter but width is the same weight. Did they use a better carbon resin for the gt500 wheels?
I remember the gt350r wheels and thinking they weren't that light. There are viper wheels (sidewinder II that are close in weight despite being a larger width wheel). Also wheels meant for the track built by forgeline. Maybe carbon revolution has improved the gt500 wheels?
I do remember in an interview, cant recall which one, that ensuring the 20s kept the same weight as the 19s was a goal they had, and met.
 

JR369

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Gittin Jr said it felt like 3500lbs, although it's much heavier - so I guess that's a good thing considering he's used to a car that weighs 3200lbs and has more power than the 500.

Great interview. Billy's comments on the gearbox - as well as hearing it shift at Goodwood - appears to give it the edge over it's competitors.

Also loving the look of it. The sound, though, that's much nicer than the muted farts you hear from turbo'ed V8s.
I can relate to this feeling as it pertains to the GT350R. We also have a Z51 M7 with mag ride. My R feels a lot lighter in steering responsiveness, acceleration and braking. And it's not very close. I do enjoy the Z51. It corners and has a decent burst with a down shift. It's no slouch. But I absolutely love driving the R. If somehow the GT500 defies physics and handles like the R, I could be in for one someday but I won't be giving up my manual R for it.

And I think I detected a little more love for the R vs the GT500 in the interview from Billy. From a handling aspect.
 

Darkane

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Hard to believe a wheel larger in not only diameter but width is the same weight. Did they use a better carbon resin for the gt500 wheels?
I remember the gt350r wheels and thinking they weren't that light. There are viper wheels (sidewinder II that are close in weight despite being a larger width wheel). Also wheels meant for the track built by forgeline. Maybe carbon revolution has improved the gt500 wheels?
Who said it was wider?? The GT500 has the same contact and tire width as the 350.
 

POJ 1

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Almost got seasick watching the host wave his arms round all the time
 

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LethalPerformance

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Of course he's not going to call it a POS. Is that what you were looking for? He did say it's fast. So maybe it's a fast POS? What simple mods did you ask about?
I'm pretty close with Billy. He's very professional and yes contracted by Ford. However he's not going to give me any BS about the car and it's performance. He says it's sick so there's no reason for me to doubt him. That's why when he told me to get the track pack I did without any question.
 

lethalchristy

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My take on the interview:

1. Video could have been shorter with better impact - yes it's not a Spielberg production I get it
2. Car is heavy but a s ton of fun - still want one
3. Billy likes working for Ford and is loyal to his employer. I don't blame him and i think he's candid about the car
4. My interpretation is he loves the GT350 on the track and would want a GT500 elsewhere
5. Buying a GT350 or GT500 will put a smile on your face - just know what you want.
Sorry, I usually try to keep our videos short but this was just a repost of our Live video from Facebook/IG so it was a bit lengthy.
If you guys do enjoy videos like this, though, I can try to set some more up with Billy (and others) and then be able to plan ahead for questions, etc. to make it informative and to the point! We're always open to ideas.
 

OH3Cobra

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@LETHAL - Keep the content coming, appreciate you doing the video. I'm new to the Facebook live interview and get the "on the spot nature" of how you navigate the discussion. I've done car related videos before. Not easy. Fair is fair - you can critique these two if you want. Appreciate you sharing pertinent info and the products you make!

this was shot with edits

This was a live one take deal
 
 




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