Review 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: THOR’S Friggin’ HAMMER!

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Someone shoved an afterburner up this horse’s wazoo!

I was told to never meet your heroes as the outcome is usually depressing and falls below your expectations. Bitterness usually follows and no matter how much the formally-idolized person has improved, you’ll never have the same high expectations again. The same can be said for driving your dream car.

Somehow, Ford and Shelby have mitigated that.

Click HERE to watch an epic Rocky Mountain race as we pit the Shelby against an airplane.

What I mean to say is this. The 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is every bit the badass I have been waiting for. Some might consider it a rich man’s Mustang or a poor man’s supercar – I think it straddles the line between muscle-car and supercar. Seriously – it has the chutzpah to be both!

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Check this out:

 

  • It’s WAY faster (0 to 60 in about 4.2 seconds) with its new supercharged, 550 horsepower, aluminum 5.4 liter V8. It makes a maximum 510 lbs of torque.
  • It only weighs about 3,800 lbs – which is a good deal lighter than the last generation’s heft. Part of that has to do with the new bits of aluminum for the hood and engine.
  • Springs are now stiffer than Ron Jeremy on Viagra – which is to say they are significantly stiffer than last models (front springs are over 20% stiffer and rear springs are over 9% stiffer). It’s a bit lower too.
  • The sexy wheels are 19s in the front and 20s out back.
  • When you punch it (and you will – often) the “light-speed” effect from Star Wars will smack of similarity. So, this beastie is more powerful, handles better, feels better and offers a lot of car for the money. At about $55,000 for all the bells and whistles (including the Track Pack – which you will NEED) this is a pricy pony – but a good one nonetheless.

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There are a few issues:

  • The shifter is good, but it’s not as positive in engagement as others in competing markets.
  • After a long road-trip, my right leg was burning from the heat emanating from the transmission tunnel.
  • The seatbelts were designed by “Mistress Helga and her House of Discipline” – that is to say: not very comfortable for big folk.
  • If you don’t get the “Track Pack” which has awesome Goodyear Eagle F1 Super Car G-2 rubber and a lower ride height – you’re a putz. It’s the only way to effectively harness so much power.
  • Cup holders are aft of the shifter and WAY too close to your shifting hand. • It looks too much like any other Mustang to truly stand out – although I still find the overall design appealing.
  • You will brake laws often, willingly, carefree and will be associated with riffraff – by your in-laws. Come to think of it – that’s not so bad.

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Driving the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is sheer bliss. That supercharger whine made me feel like Mad Max (without the racist, anti-Semitic rants) on the prowl. Launching is easy and the traction control will let you lay down a bit of rubber before kicking in. It is one of the most unobtrusive I have yet experienced.

I was blown away with the excellent handling that reminded me more of a BMW M3 than a Camaro. In fact, I dare say that the BMW M3 is absolute best vehicle to compare with the Shelby GT500 dynamically. They are as different as Mother Teresa and Lindsey Lohan – but their performance numbers are remarkably close – as is their pricing (okay – the M3 is more expensive, but not by much).

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Let me put it another way. Roman Mica (“Fearless Leader” of TFLcar) and I raced from Boulder to Aspen, Colorado – I was on a charter airline and he was in the Shelby GT 500… let’s just say – he had a better time than me. On the way back to the city, I was astonished at the sheer grunt this thing had. Two-digit to three digit speeds would (theoretically) pass by in a matter of seconds. The brakes grip SO tight that your spleen can displace your molars when slamming on the brakes.

So – is it worth it? Yes! My god YES! You will love the predator-style growl You will lust after the undeniable speed, crave the Shelby GT500’s beautiful drivability and (to me) conclude with the fact that the 2011 Mustang Shelby GT500 is the most dominant, factory built American muscle car – ever.

On our TFLcar recommendation scale of:

Buy it

– Lease it

– Rent it or

– Forget it

I say…

Buyit_Buy-It!

 

 



Or lament forever the bliss of what could have been!

Nathan Automotive media, racing, vehicle evaluation, wrecking yards, and car sales are just a part of Nathan Adlen’s vehicular past. He writes out of high octane passion! To read more reviews by Nathan Adlen or just to enjoy more of excellent writing please visit him on at his examiner.com page HERE.

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