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Ford Shelby GT350
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America's Ford Shelby GT350
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19th May, 2015
- Advanced suspension tuning on Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R includes Mustang-first MagneRide dampers
- Two-piece brake rotors for Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R are the most powerful brakes ever fitted to a production
Mustang – with Michelin tyres and high-performance wheels engineered to match
- Stiffened chassis – including an injection-moulded carbon fibre composite grille opening reinforcement – provides a
rigid base to build the most track-capable Mustang ever
The all-new Ford Shelby GT350 builds on Carroll Shelby’s original idea – transform Mustang from an everyday car into a
road racer.
Shelby GT350 raises the bar over the already capable 2015 Mustang GT performance pack, combining the best technologies
and most thoroughly engineered components to make the most 'athletic' Mustang ever made.
“When we started working on this car, we wanted to build the best possible Mustang for the places we most love to
drive – challenging back roads with a variety of corners and elevation changes, and at the track on week-ends,” said
Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “Every change we made to this car was driven by the
functional requirements of a powerful, responsive powerplant – nimble, precise handling and massive stopping power.”
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Suspension tuned for maximum performance on road and track
Handling is the performance playground of Shelby GT350, and the car’s suspension is heavily revised to maximise
cornering performance.
Shelby Mustang features all-new aluminium front knuckle, hub and bearing assemblies that are stiffer and lighter than
the standard parts. Rigid bushings are fitted to the control arms and subframes for improved steering feedback.
Heavy-duty bearings are added for increased lateral stiffness. Front and rear anti-roll bars are increased in diameter
for improved body control. In an example of obsession to detail, one side of the rear suspension features a new
counter-wound rear spring and matching rear control arm so the left and right sides are mirror images – perfecting wheel
motion.
MagneRide suspension makes first appearance for Mustang
The Shelby GT350 suspension is the first-ever Ford application of continuously variable MagneRide dampers. The dampers
are filled with a hydraulic fluid impregnated with iron particles. When an electric current is passed through the fluid,
near-instantaneous adjustment of the suspension performance can be made. With wheel position sensors monitoring motion
thousands of times per second combined with other vehicle data, changes can be made to each corner every 7 milliseconds
for optimum handling performance.
Tireless calibration and tuning has resulted in an integrated driver control software which monitors wheel position,
steering angle, damper temperature, signal quality, vehicle position and much more. This advanced software rides on top
of the car’s drive modes and provides a degree of suspension performance never before seen in a production Mustang. This
system is not just designed to make the car handle better, but to instill greater confidence in even the best driver.
Most powerful brakes ever fitted to a production Mustang
Reducing unsprung mass is key to improving responsiveness, but a balance must be struck between taking mass out of a
suspension and delivering truly capable braking performance. Shelby GT350 features the most track-credible brake system
ever offered on a production Mustang, consisting of two-piece cross-drilled iron rotors with aluminium hats – the largest
rotors Ford has ever put on a production Mustang. Massive 394-millimetre front rotors and 380-millimetre rear rotors are
a floating-type and are pin-driven to the aluminium hats to greatly reduce heat transfer to the bearings. These rotors
are clamped by six-piston fixed Brembo callipers with integrated calliper bridges at the front and four-piston units at
the rear. Dedicated ducting assists in cooling the brakes front and rear for maximum performance.
“These cars can be driven by any driver on any track in the world – with virtually no fade,” remarks Brent
Clark, vehicle dynamics supervisor.
Wheels and tyres fit for the track
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Denmark, WA
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Shelby GT350 makes use of extra-stiff 19.0-inch cast aluminium-alloy wheels – 10.5 inches wide in front, 11.0 inches
in the rear – clad in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres with GT350-specific sidewall construction, tread face and
compound. The custom tyres are designed to deliver maximum grip on the road or for weekend track days.
Shelby GT350R raises the standard even further. It wears carbon fibre wheels, making Ford the first major car maker to
introduce this innovative wheel technology. The hand-laid wheels are 19.0 inches in diameter – 11.0 inches wide at the
front and 11.5 inches at the rear, each fitted with custom formulated Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Combined, these
wheels eliminate approximately 50 pounds of unsprung weight compared to the aluminium-alloy wheels and Michelin Pilot
Super Sport tyres on Shelby GT350.
Stiffer chassis
The new platform is the strongest in the history of the Mustang, with torsional stiffness increased 28 per cent over
the previous model. That stiff structure ensures the suspension geometry remains consistent even under the loading caused
by hard driving. Shelby GT350 takes that philosophy further – with added bracing to increase overall stiffness. A new
lightweight aluminium tower brace connects the shock towers and firewall, and improves front end stiffness. When a lower
bonnet was called for to improve aerodynamic performance, Ford Performance re-engineered the grille opening reinforcement
with a carbon fibre composite structure that is 24 per cent lighter than the base Mustang while maintaining the stiffness
of steel. It is finished so well a beauty cover is not needed – eliminating another 1.9 pounds.
NOTE:
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
E&OE.
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