Wildcardfox
Well-Known Member
Brett, here are some of the reasons why I suggest that the prices of our of GT350/R's are staying strong and will continue to stay strong for quite some time and in some cases will rise going forward.
* The well documented and very cool 5.2 Flat Plane Crank engine that redlines at 8,250 RPM and is no longer in production.
* An outstanding Tremec TR-3160 manual 6 speed transmission.
* These cars have been documented by every major automotive magazine as being one of the very best drivers cars over the last 5 years including being the 2016 Road & Track PCOTY winner by a runaway vote.
* A selection of 20 outstanding colors including 4 brand new colors for the final production year.
* Carbon Fiber wheels and Carbon Fiber wings as standard equipment on some models.
* Resonator delete and rear seat delete on some models.
* Outstanding steering, suspension and brakes.
* One of the best sounding exhaust systems when in Sport Mode.
* Dollar for dollar one of the very best performance cars out there.
* Each and every GT350/R "Has a Soul" and not very many performance cars out there can say that.
Based on the above and other positive attributes that some of you can add is the very reason why our cars will continue to do just fine in terms of retaining their values over the long term.
Brett, here are some of the reasons why I suggest that the prices of our of GT350/R's are staying strong and will continue to stay strong for quite some time and in some cases will rise going forward.
* The well documented and very cool 5.2 Flat Plane Crank engine that redlines at 8,250 RPM and is no longer in production.
* An outstanding Tremec TR-3160 manual 6 speed transmission.
* These cars have been documented by every major automotive magazine as being one of the very best drivers cars over the last 5 years including being the 2016 Road & Track PCOTY winner by a runaway vote.
* A selection of 20 outstanding colors including 4 brand new colors for the final production year.
* Carbon Fiber wheels and Carbon Fiber wings as standard equipment on some models.
* Resonator delete and rear seat delete on some models.
* Outstanding steering, suspension and brakes.
* One of the best sounding exhaust systems when in Sport Mode.
* Dollar for dollar one of the very best performance cars out there.
* Each and every GT350/R "Has a Soul" and not very many performance cars out there can say that.
Based on the above and other positive attributes that some of you can add is the very reason why our cars will continue to do just fine in terms of retaining their values over the long term.
[long response, but with pictures]
I would add, two points: the first to have a large displacement flat-plane crank; and the first vehicle to have carbon fiber wheels on a mass-produced car.
I would also add that the GT350 has survived the rollout of the GT500. About a year ago, there was the question by many, owners, enthusiasts, and in the media, who were wondering how would the GT350/GT350R be viewed once the GT500 was unveiled. Would it be thought of as old technology or last year's car or would it still have its niche and still be viewed as desirable as it was when it was the only Shelby in the stable? I think the answer is clear now, a year later, the GT350/GT350R is still as desirable to enthusiasts as it was before we ever saw the official release photos of the GT500.
I also find it interesting that I know of no less than four people who traded up from a GT350R to a GT500 carbon and then ended up selling the Carbon Package and most went back to a GT350R.
The GT350R is still viewed as unique as a Porsche GT3/GT3RS. The Porsche GT3 has a more powerful and faster sibling, the GT2RS, but as Matt Farah once said in a video on a Roush Mustang he related it to the GT350R, he used that comparison: that Porsche fans clamor for the high revving GT3 more than they do for the big power GT2RS. So top speed or faster lap times is not the only thing that people care about, they care about the experience and as you mentioned: the soul that the car has over its power adder big brother.
I think in Ford’s attempting to copy the Porsche 911 model lineup of multiple versions of the same car that don’t diminish another vehicle as obsolete but instead have their very own character. You see this in the Ford lineup.
The now-discontinued PP2 and GT350, GT350R all drive completely differently from each other. The GT500 also drivers and feels different, and even a Ford GT. I’ve been behind them all, and even after getting out from behind the wheel of a 2018 Ford GT, it was a different experience, but it did not diminish the feel or experience of my GT350R. And I got to have that experience because I literally jumped out of the Ford GT and jumped back into my car to drive back to LA for a photoshoot in the afternoon.
I wondered if I would get back into my Shelby and think, “what is this shit” like my trial in an “amazing car” was over, but I didn’t feel that way.
It was different, both amazing in their areas of what they do, but very different experiences that could not be compared and do not diminish the other.
I would also say that like its predecessor and namesake, the second generation of the GT350/GT350R redefined how the world views Mustangs. Like how the 1965 model gave the Mustang teeth, and racing pedigree, the new car refined Ford’s now global car. IRS replacing a rear axle and Panhard bar, and the GT350R as the halo of what Ford can really do. Remember, we only have the GT350/GT350R because the F150 Raptor was such a success. But for Ford allowing their team of designers and engineers to break the rules and build a Baja-ready truck that redefined pickup trucks, they would not have been allowed to build a race-ready Mustang that wasn’t handicapped by old technology or fake scoops everywhere.
They gave the GT350/GT350R magnetorheological shocks, carbon fiber wheels, amazing balance, incredible brakes, and a sound that will go down in history when we lose the sound of gasoline motors in 15 years. Road & Track was right in their 2016 Car of the Year where they said “people will tell stories of the sound.” More so, the GT350R gained the respect of other automotive manufacturers and enthusiasts.
BMW, Porsche, Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Lamborghini drivers all respect the Shelby GT350R as a serious and amazing car. Now read that again, since unfortunately there is still the stigma of “it’s a Mustang” as if that is a bad thing—the Mustang has always been one of the greatest cars in the history of the automobile—1965 GT350R, 1967 GT500, Eleanor, and the list goes on and on—but with the GT350R, it was a world car that could compete with the world and which has gained their respect.
I was blessed to be very close with the owners of The Thermal Club, the uber-rich driving resort in Coachella Valley, CA. Every SRO GT race, the drivers would walk from the track and walk through the parking lot to get to the trophy stand.
Whenever the crowd would pass by my car, which was parked directly on the route, many would stop and look. Now, these are the actual racers, and they would look and examine the car. They know from seeing the GT4 Mustang that it is a monster. The car is a constant star when I bring it to Thermal.
During a private track day at Chuckwalla with a lot of high-end car owners—Enzos, etc.; The three GT350s in attendance (two GT350R and one base), were a huge hit. We all either had Ferrari or Lamborghini owner either want to drive or want a ride-along in the Mustang. Interestingly depending on which Italian car they owned, it was either “The Mustang with a Ferrari engine in it” or “The Mustang with the Lamborghini engine in it.”
When I was at the IMSA 50th celebration event in 2019, an event to honor the famous drivers who first made IMSA a household name, an event that was sponsored by Porsche Motorsport. I was sitting next to this famous driver and during small talk over the dinner break, he said that he had brought an old race car that he brought. I said, “Yeah, I saw that you’re parked next to me—it's by my Mustang.” He said, “No, that can’t be it—I’m parked next to a Porsche.” He thought my Shelby was a Porsche. He had never thought that a Mustang could look like that. On first blush, he was sure it was a product from Stuttgart.
I’ll leave you with what I believe is the highest praise from one of the most important drivers in the world—at least to me and millions of fans around the world. What the STIG thinks of the GT350R.
Ben Collins, or for most of us THE STIG—The true, one and only STIG.
He drove cars on Top Gear for over a decade, making the aura of the character, and driving every car imaginable from the cheap car that he instructed celebrities into multimillion dollar cars. and he drove them all in anger.
Collins has always been a Ford driver. He was the one behind the wheel piloting the red 2015 GT350R up the hill at Goodwood, introducing the European and car world to Ford’s new incredible car.
He had a GT500 as a loaner, when he was in LA driving around with my buddy Robert Nagle, movie stunt coordinator for Ford vs. Ferrari, Baby Driver, the Fast & Furious franchise, and many more movies to name (check his IMBD page if you’re interested). I asked which would you choose, the GT500 or the GT350R?, and the STIGs answer was: the GT350R.
He said it felt like it had more spice like Ford just sprinkled in a little more anger a little more rawness in the GT350R. He said the GT500 is amazing, but if he had to choose only one, his choice would be the R.
Road & Track had a great article about what makes a car more valuable over time and they used the 2005-06 Ford GT vs the 2006 Corvette Z06. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a23677671/ford-gt-vs-corvette-zr1-value/
They said that it’s not speed that is a factor over time. After all, a Hyundai will destroy a Lamborghini Contach—it's how important the car was in history.
In compiling this, look at how the car was viewed when it debuted—look at how important it was. You would be overwhelmed if you tried to read all of the raving articles on the Voodoo’s flat-plane crank, or its carbon fiber wheels, or its shocks—or its sound, etc. etc.. Was it the fastest? No, but is it important to history, I think so, and that is why I believe and places like Hagerty believe that it will be a future classic. Now that it is no longer available, prices will go up.
If you haven't I encourage you to read the Ford GT article from R&T.
The GT350R is unlike any Mustang that came before it—its a new level and it redefined what a modern Mustang could be. We can't look at previous modern Mustangs as a guide, Ford reimagined the Mustang with this car, and we will see a collector car market or values that will reflect that re-imagination.
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