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.....and I want one. No, scrap that, I NEED one 
Just to set the scene, I live in England
What a bloody fantastic drivers car! My friend and I met Bill Shepherd (leading independent Mustang importer in the UK, and the first official Shelby Mod Shop outside the US) at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and he was kind enough to invite us down to drive their new demonstrator.
This is a Performance White GT Fastback equipped with the 6-speed auto (so non-Performance Pack).........the actual spec I'd likely order as, being an old fart who loves his automatic daily drivers, I have grown tired of manual cars. Or perhaps I'm just out of practice ;)
It wasn't the longest test drive, and traffic was pants, but it was enough to give me a flavour. In normal mode, the car is relaxing, whilst still being beautifully composed, with a terrific ride (it was on 20" Shelby wheels), and superb steering. Pop it into Sport+ and it comes alive, holding revs and letting you be in full control. I only played with the paddles for a short while, but they react nicely, and add to the driving enjoyment. It bloody quick, too. Certainly enough to seriously notice the extra 135 ponies over mine. The stock exhaust was a bit muted, but it's still a lovely burble.........or howl at high revs.
The interior looks fantastic to me, with all the controls having a nice weighty precision. It well built, too, with only a few pieces of cheaper trim (most notable in the back). The cooled seats were a nice touch, too
The 8" touchscreen is great, and all cars feature a backup camera, which displays on that screen. Does a Mustang need a tonne of toys? No. Is it nice to have them? Hell yes!
Downsides? One. And only one. Rear seat headroom is rubbish! Leg room was fine and the seat is actually very comfortable, with good bolstering but, at 6ft, I had to crane my head to one side. Still, as this was my first, and probably last, backseat ride in a Mustang, it really isn't an issue
So, a resounding 10 outta 10 from me. This is a Mustang that requires NO excuses. It's a damned fine car, but a bloody fantastic Mustang :cow
When we returned, Bill took us out in the black Shelby GT. With over 600 supercharged ponies this thing is a BEAST! Still beautifully composed when cruising, but an ANIMAL once the accelerator is flattened. In fact, violent is how I'd describe the acceleration! It also looks fantastic. The carbon additions (splitter/side skirts/spoiler etc) don't really show in photos, but they look gorgeous in the flesh. A classy, classy car.
My car is the black S197 in the photos
Just to set the scene, I live in England
What a bloody fantastic drivers car! My friend and I met Bill Shepherd (leading independent Mustang importer in the UK, and the first official Shelby Mod Shop outside the US) at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and he was kind enough to invite us down to drive their new demonstrator.
This is a Performance White GT Fastback equipped with the 6-speed auto (so non-Performance Pack).........the actual spec I'd likely order as, being an old fart who loves his automatic daily drivers, I have grown tired of manual cars. Or perhaps I'm just out of practice ;)
It wasn't the longest test drive, and traffic was pants, but it was enough to give me a flavour. In normal mode, the car is relaxing, whilst still being beautifully composed, with a terrific ride (it was on 20" Shelby wheels), and superb steering. Pop it into Sport+ and it comes alive, holding revs and letting you be in full control. I only played with the paddles for a short while, but they react nicely, and add to the driving enjoyment. It bloody quick, too. Certainly enough to seriously notice the extra 135 ponies over mine. The stock exhaust was a bit muted, but it's still a lovely burble.........or howl at high revs.
The interior looks fantastic to me, with all the controls having a nice weighty precision. It well built, too, with only a few pieces of cheaper trim (most notable in the back). The cooled seats were a nice touch, too
The 8" touchscreen is great, and all cars feature a backup camera, which displays on that screen. Does a Mustang need a tonne of toys? No. Is it nice to have them? Hell yes!
Downsides? One. And only one. Rear seat headroom is rubbish! Leg room was fine and the seat is actually very comfortable, with good bolstering but, at 6ft, I had to crane my head to one side. Still, as this was my first, and probably last, backseat ride in a Mustang, it really isn't an issue
So, a resounding 10 outta 10 from me. This is a Mustang that requires NO excuses. It's a damned fine car, but a bloody fantastic Mustang :cow
When we returned, Bill took us out in the black Shelby GT. With over 600 supercharged ponies this thing is a BEAST! Still beautifully composed when cruising, but an ANIMAL once the accelerator is flattened. In fact, violent is how I'd describe the acceleration! It also looks fantastic. The carbon additions (splitter/side skirts/spoiler etc) don't really show in photos, but they look gorgeous in the flesh. A classy, classy car.
My car is the black S197 in the photos
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