CaptainUnderpants
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My 2017 GT350 has 2,000 mile on it. I am now comfortable with the car and was able to put it through it's paces yesterday on some challenging roads. Coming back from a business meeting in Agoura Hills back to Long Beach, I took canyons roads through the famous Mulholland Hwy and Rock Store. Roads that I know like the back of my hand being a motorcyclist.
I have never owned a car of this caliber, most likely because cars of this caliber haven't been available until recently. Through the 1980's and 1990's motorcycles have always been superior. Which is why I have fundamentally been a motorcyclist, reaching a high level of competency through dedication to the sport, canyon seat time and race track competition experience.
I started at the top of Mulholland, just above the Rock Store, then past the Rock store another 10 or so miles to Stunt Road. Up Stunt to Schuern, to Los Flores and then to the coast. The Roads consisted of Low speed tight 2nd gear turns to 4th gear 80mph sweepers. On quite a few sections, the pavement was choppy and uneven. My friend was with me. An older motorcyclist and car enthusiast, so I may have been more vocal than if by myself. If I had a video camera on me, anybody watching the video would have to buy a GT350. I was in constant amazement at how competent the car was. Here are some of my verbal rantings and observations.
The car never surprised me, even though I was hustling the car through corners at a tight clip, never once did I feel there was any risk in what I was doing. Heal toe was effortless, and I have never been able to heal toe a car in my life, and have NEVER heal toed before, yet I was able to blip and brake at the same time like a pro.
The suspension, OMG it is good. This car is big for tight bumpy canyon roads, yet the suspension is so good that you would never know. The power and torque are strong enough that very rarely on sub 60mph speeds do I even need to rev the motor, simply exit a turn at 3000+ rpm is more than sufficient. On these tight roads, some with a grooved center strip, that isn't fun to cross over, you need to place the car accurately in the turn. You always know where the car is, can place the car where ever it needs to be and never feel like the car doesn't go exactly where you want it. Yes, feedback from the front tire patches may not be Porsche tactile, but it doesn't matter. The seats and lack of suspension roll make it seem like you aren't even going through a turn and minimize any fatigue or stress from going through 30 miles of continuous tight turns. On quite a few sections we were in a continuous down hill descent. The brakes are so competent and designed for 5x this amount of heat generation. So at these speeds I fundamentally wasn't even testing the brakes.
Once or twice I thought that if a Hwy Patrol had followed me for any length of time (assuming he could), he would have jumped out of car pulled a gun, and yelled at me, "What are you trying to kill us". And I would have looked at him in complete calm and thought what the hell is his problem, I wasn't even in the powerband or driving fast, yet from his perspective I was flyin'.
The overall process of hustling this car through over 30 miles of tight fast technical turns is shocking relaxing.. Yet the sound of the motor and the pure grunt and feel of the car has you laughing, smiling, reveling in awe of what an amazing machine Ford has created. The process of creating this much speed and fun, in any other vehicle will often leave you with the jitters, and a high level of stress from the awareness that you just cheated death, and will leave you on edge. The GT350 was just the opposite. At then end of this 30 mile stretch we were both calm and relaxed. I could have been on roads and speeds like that all the way to San Francisco for an 8 hour drive and hopped out of the car relaxed and refreshed.
I think we all know that many cars CAN do what the Ford does, but it isn't just WHAT it can do, but HOW it does it that makes in special. And this car is truly special.
I have never owned a car of this caliber, most likely because cars of this caliber haven't been available until recently. Through the 1980's and 1990's motorcycles have always been superior. Which is why I have fundamentally been a motorcyclist, reaching a high level of competency through dedication to the sport, canyon seat time and race track competition experience.
I started at the top of Mulholland, just above the Rock Store, then past the Rock store another 10 or so miles to Stunt Road. Up Stunt to Schuern, to Los Flores and then to the coast. The Roads consisted of Low speed tight 2nd gear turns to 4th gear 80mph sweepers. On quite a few sections, the pavement was choppy and uneven. My friend was with me. An older motorcyclist and car enthusiast, so I may have been more vocal than if by myself. If I had a video camera on me, anybody watching the video would have to buy a GT350. I was in constant amazement at how competent the car was. Here are some of my verbal rantings and observations.
The car never surprised me, even though I was hustling the car through corners at a tight clip, never once did I feel there was any risk in what I was doing. Heal toe was effortless, and I have never been able to heal toe a car in my life, and have NEVER heal toed before, yet I was able to blip and brake at the same time like a pro.
The suspension, OMG it is good. This car is big for tight bumpy canyon roads, yet the suspension is so good that you would never know. The power and torque are strong enough that very rarely on sub 60mph speeds do I even need to rev the motor, simply exit a turn at 3000+ rpm is more than sufficient. On these tight roads, some with a grooved center strip, that isn't fun to cross over, you need to place the car accurately in the turn. You always know where the car is, can place the car where ever it needs to be and never feel like the car doesn't go exactly where you want it. Yes, feedback from the front tire patches may not be Porsche tactile, but it doesn't matter. The seats and lack of suspension roll make it seem like you aren't even going through a turn and minimize any fatigue or stress from going through 30 miles of continuous tight turns. On quite a few sections we were in a continuous down hill descent. The brakes are so competent and designed for 5x this amount of heat generation. So at these speeds I fundamentally wasn't even testing the brakes.
Once or twice I thought that if a Hwy Patrol had followed me for any length of time (assuming he could), he would have jumped out of car pulled a gun, and yelled at me, "What are you trying to kill us". And I would have looked at him in complete calm and thought what the hell is his problem, I wasn't even in the powerband or driving fast, yet from his perspective I was flyin'.
The overall process of hustling this car through over 30 miles of tight fast technical turns is shocking relaxing.. Yet the sound of the motor and the pure grunt and feel of the car has you laughing, smiling, reveling in awe of what an amazing machine Ford has created. The process of creating this much speed and fun, in any other vehicle will often leave you with the jitters, and a high level of stress from the awareness that you just cheated death, and will leave you on edge. The GT350 was just the opposite. At then end of this 30 mile stretch we were both calm and relaxed. I could have been on roads and speeds like that all the way to San Francisco for an 8 hour drive and hopped out of the car relaxed and refreshed.
I think we all know that many cars CAN do what the Ford does, but it isn't just WHAT it can do, but HOW it does it that makes in special. And this car is truly special.
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