After the big unveiling of the all-new Shelby GT350 Mustang, Mustang6G got a chance to speak with SVT Chief Engineer, Jamal Hameedi to find out more about the Special Vehicle Team’s latest creation.
Here are some of the highlights…
While Ford did not disclose the exact weight or pricing of the new GT350, we managed to get a few hints at both. Asked if the new GT350 is lighter than the base Mustang GT, Mr. Hameedi responded:
“We’re not talking curb weight today, but there was a lot of light-weighting done. Much of it went to offset all the mass that we added in terms of power, brakes, etc., but we also went beyond that too.”
We knew that Ford would not be answering any pricing related questions and the fear of many upon reviewing the specifications of this new hi-po Mustang was that pricing would be in the stratosphere.
However, when asked why the GT350 was not equipped with carbon ceramic brakes, Mr. Hameedi hints that the price tag may not be as high as some fear:
“I think you’ll find out later that affordability was a big part of this car. Keeping price down was a priority for this car.”
We also found out that Ford benchmarked the GT350 against four vehicles, including the Porsche 911 Carrera S, Ferrari California, C7 Corvette and the Z/28 Camaro.
Prodded about lap times and performance compared to the previous generation Boss 302, the Chief Engineer gave us a response that lit up our eyes and put a big smile on our faces:
“The GT350 is way faster. An order of magnitude faster than the Boss 302.“
Read the FULL Q&A as we obtained many other details, including specifics about the new 5.2L flat plane crank Voodoo engine.