A media member's honest GT350/R review....

[jmimac351]

Open invitation to one of our track events, where we can give you a ride along with one of our senior instructors' "puss" Boxster, and I am certain you'll change your mind....

[ame]

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[jmimac351]

Put him in a Miata with John Dean

You mean, like this? (John Dean driving)


[ame]

 

[mookydo]

gl


What is a Miata "Chump car?

 

[jmimac351]

gl


What is a Miata "Chump car?

www.chumpcar.com

 

[Steve68]

I thought James Dean died in a horrible Miata accident back in the 50s

 

[Trackaholic]

The GT350 is definitely geared towards the road course folks, and is drawing attention from people who would never have considered a Mustang before (as is the regular GT as well).

I was strongly considering a C7 Z51, and even took a 3-day class at the Ron Fellows School in order to get a good feel for what one was like to drive on track. And I found that the C7 is an amazing car. It is true that it has been a very fast car for quite a while, but it also has been a bit of a sloppy car unless you really load it up, at which point it starts to feel sure-footed. That has changed with the C7. It is now a very well balanced car in all respects, from steering feel, to shifter feel, to interior quality, and of course the performance aspect is covered, as it always has been.

With that said, in order to get close to the GT350TP in track capability, you'd need to get the Z51 package, and possibly the competition seats. When I configure a C7 Z51, 2LT, with Nav/PDR, and competition seats (and maybe a couple other things), it comes out to ~$70,000. For that price you get performance similar to the GT350, but much more luxury as well. However, the brakes aren't nearly as good as the GT350's, and I've heard less than stellar reviews about the cooling (although it's nowhere near as bad as the Z06, and even that doesn't affect everyone the same).

So, for a person interested in road course action, who doesn't need tons of luxury (or who was able to score a GT350R with the electronics pack), it is hard to find a better deal than the GT350 IMO.

The one area of the C7 that I wasn't thrilled with was the way the engine fell a little flat up top. Definitely noticeable. That is not an issue with the GT350 (although the soft bottom end on the Voodoo may be disconcerting for some).

I also think there are many traditional BMW fans who are still looking for that exhilarating naturally aspirated engine, and are finding it in the GT350 rather than the M cars. It is somewhat ironic to me that BMW has made a great straight line car with the new M3/M4, but has lost the road course precision that made the previous versions such a joy on the track.

I do think the GT350/Voodoo combination is really something special, and it may be the last of its kind. BMW has already ditched the high-revving naturally aspirated engine, as has Ferrari and most others. Even Honda and Porsche seems to be moving away from it. It makes sense given the fuel economy requirements around the world, but as a fan of naturally aspirated engines, I'm sad to see this change occurring. I have a GT350 on order because I think it is a much more interesting and special vehicle than the C7, M3, Z/28, etc.

If my order somehow gets dropped or the deal sours, then I'll probably be looking at the C7, which is also a great car. Nice to see the US companies making some great vehicles these days.

-T

 

[Qtrhorse]

The GT350 is definitely geared towards the road course folks, and is drawing attention from people who would never have considered a Mustang before (as is the regular GT as well).

I was strongly considering a C7 Z51, and even took a 3-day class at the Ron Fellows School in order to get a good feel for what one was like to drive on track. And I found that the C7 is an amazing car. It is true that it has been a very fast car for quite a while, but it also has been a bit of a sloppy car unless you really load it up, at which point it starts to feel sure-footed. That has changed with the C7. It is now a very well balanced car in all respects, from steering feel, to shifter feel, to interior quality, and of course the performance aspect is covered, as it always has been.

With that said, in order to get close to the GT350TP in track capability, you'd need to get the Z51 package, and possibly the competition seats. When I configure a C7 Z51, 2LT, with Nav/PDR, and competition seats (and maybe a couple other things), it comes out to ~$70,000. For that price you get performance similar to the GT350, but much more luxury as well. However, the brakes aren't nearly as good as the GT350's, and I've heard less than stellar reviews about the cooling (although it's nowhere near as bad as the Z06, and even that doesn't affect everyone the same).

So, for a person interested in road course action, who doesn't need tons of luxury (or who was able to score a GT350R with the electronics pack), it is hard to find a better deal than the GT350 IMO.

The one area of the C7 that I wasn't thrilled with was the way the engine fell a little flat up top. Definitely noticeable. That is not an issue with the GT350 (although the soft bottom end on the Voodoo may be disconcerting for some).

I also think there are many traditional BMW fans who are still looking for that exhilarating naturally aspirated engine, and are finding it in the GT350 rather than the M cars. It is somewhat ironic to me that BMW has made a great straight line car with the new M3/M4, but has lost the road course precision that made the previous versions such a joy on the track.

I do think the GT350/Voodoo combination is really something special, and it may be the last of its kind. BMW has already ditched the high-revving naturally aspirated engine, as has Ferrari and most others. Even Honda and Porsche seems to be moving away from it. It makes sense given the fuel economy requirements around the world, but as a fan of naturally aspirated engines, I'm sad to see this change occurring. I have a GT350 on order because I think it is a much more interesting and special vehicle than the C7, M3, Z/28, etc.

If my order somehow gets dropped or the deal sours, then I'll probably be looking at the C7, which is also a great car. Nice to see the US companies making some great vehicles these days.

-T

Not to be ugly, but until you have your car you shouldn't be talking about the feel of the GT350 until you actually have it for comparison. Now that they are out we are all looking for the experiences everyone posts

 

[Rick R]

I thought James Dean died in a horrible Miata accident back in the 50s

Yup. A special miata built in Zuffenhausen.

 

[Bossing]

Well I enjoy reading posts by [MENTION=7132]Trackaholic[/MENTION].... it just shows he's a true performance car enthusiast and like everyone else he's entitled to his opinion and comments. Anyway we'll all be enjoying our GT350s soon and personally I'll see how much better and/or equally it can perform on the track compared to my Z06. So I'm excited and eager as well.

Speaking of which, here's one of my sessions last Thursday at PBIR (on a wet/damp afternoon... ugh) when I had the Z06 on the track... my CEL popped on and afterwards when I read the code I saw that I had a DTC of misfiring due to a MAF-related issue. My warranty covered it just the other day and all new MAF now but you can see the car held its own even though it ran poorly (pulled timing) with limited boost at certain times.

This is the same run but two different video perspectives (built in PDR and external action cam):

[ame]

[ame]

 

[Qtrhorse]

Well I enjoy reading posts by [MENTION=7132]Trackaholic[/MENTION].... it just shows he's a true performance car enthusiast and like everyone else he's entitled to his opinion and comments. Anyway we'll all be enjoying our GT350s soon and personally I'll see how much better and/or equally it can perform on the track compared to my Z06. So I'm excited and eager as well.

Speaking of which, here's one of my sessions last Thursday at PBIR (on a wet/damp afternoon... ugh) when I had the Z06 on the track... my CEL popped on and afterwards when I read the code I saw that I had a DTC of misfiring due to a MAF-related issue. My warranty covered it just the other day and all new MAF now but you can see the car held its own even though it ran poorly (pulled timing) with limited boost at certain times.

This is the same run but two different video perspectives (built in PDR and external action cam):

That was awesome!

 

[licktensteins]

Yup. A special miata built in Zuffenhausen.

Extra giant ***** edition

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Trackaholic]

Not to be ugly, but until you have your car you shouldn't be talking about the feel of the GT350 until you actually have it for comparison. Now that they are out we are all looking for the experiences everyone posts

Not sure what you are talking about here. I talked mostly about the feel of the C7 LT1 and the M3/M4. The only thing I mentioned about the GT350 was the engine, and the dyno charts give a pretty good indication of what it will feel like running to redline. Am am a little curious about how the bottom end will feel with that large drop in torque, but not worried.

The chassis is definitely an unknown, with some reporting understeer in the regular GT350 and others saying it is a great drive. Not sure what to expect there, but am hopeful for a well balanced ride. Overall I believe it is going to be great, and if not perfect, I'm sure it will be easy to get dialed in.

-T

 

[roadace]

You can bet that there will be guys getting this car deep in the 11s with just a tire and rear end gear.

 

[wproctor411]

You can bet that there will be guys getting this car deep in the 11s with just a tire and rear end gear.

Just the right tires here. The 119mph trap speed from M/T's little test was all I needed to see. I'm betting the trap speed actually drops some with a DR or slick but the E.T. will drop by half second or so depending on all the little variables.

 

[roadace]

Just the right tires here. The 119mph trap speed from M/T's little test was all I needed to see. I'm betting the trap speed actually drops some with a DR or slick but the E.T. will drop by half second or so depending on all the little variables.

119 is a good trap for sure. I really can't wait to see what this 8200 rpm motor will do with 4:30s. Wow, that is going to be a ball buster.

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