Lightning Lap 2016: Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R

Class: LL2
Lap time: 2:51.8
Base price: $63,495
As-tested price: $66,495
526 hp • 3718 lb • 7.1 lb/hp
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
F: 305/30ZR-19 (98Y), R: 315/30ZR-19 (100Y)

So close. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R is less than a second slower than the Chevy Camaro Z/28 we lapped two years ago. But while the times are nearly identical, the experiences couldn’t be more different.

Next to the Z/28, which leaps over curbing and pounds the track into submission, the GT350R sops up the harsh stuff without upsetting the chassis or the driver. It’s 143 pounds lighter than the Z/28, its steering requires less muscle, and overall it comes across as more nimble and about three feet narrower. Ford’s high-revving DOHC 5.2-liter V-8 delivers torque more progressively and smoothly than the Chevy’s pushrod 7.0-liter small-block. On corner exits, it proves easier to get on the power sooner and harder without having to worry about overwhelming the rear tires.

But in Turn 1, the GT350 can’t match the Z/28’s grip, ceding a little bit of time to the Chevy. The Ford’s deficit grows in each subsequent sector, a couple of tenths here and there. The GT350 may be easier on the driver than the Z/28, but its Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires can’t match the grip of the Z/28’s Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber. Unlike the Chevy Corvette Grand Sport’s Cup 2s, the Ford-spec Michelins seem to have more consistent grip from the first lap to the last, but they never deliver the race-rubber-like initial grip of the Vette’s tires, which tapers off after a couple of laps.

We’re still deeply in love with the GT350R. It’s a brilliant track car with a balanced chassis and inexhaustible brakes. We love that every time the throttle opens, it sounds as if a million tiny hammers were being fired into the exhaust. It might not have beaten the Z/28, but love isn’t always quantifiable.

104 dBA:

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The sound level of a passing GT350R at full tilt from 50 feet away. The turbo M4 GTS registered 96 dBA and the Cayman GT4, 99 dBA.