It's in my garage! I got it fully loaded (minus the glass roof) for MSRP.
For those that are dying to know (waiting to receive their own). Here are my first impressions on the GT500. As a reference I'm coming from a 2011 Mustang GT Premium, stock engine w/ tune and a fully modified suspension and RTR wheels w/ Nitto N555s.
1. The 3.31s and the tall gearing feel really good for the street, more torque than the tires can handle at any RPM. I can't comment on track driving yet. The long gearing is really only 1st gear and after I got used to it (about an hour) I like it.
2. Traction control has never been more useful. Bonus - the traction control feels a lot less intrusive than my 2011 GT. It doesn't feel like nasty throttle cut + ABS, it feels more gradual and intelligently attenuated so it doesn't just kick in and kill the fun. It will let you spin the tires just enough with traction control on. I can say for the first time in any car I've owned (and there have been 34 in total) this is the first time I don't feel annoyed by traction control and that's pretty huge.
3. Grip -- it needs MORE. I'm not talking about lateral grip for turns, I'm talking about straight up acceleration. This car really needs 325s. I can't say what that would do to the understeer on a road course, but it certainly would help put more power to the ground as this car will burn rubber just by thinking about it.
4. Recaros, Recaros, Recaros. Having spent a lot of time in the non-recaros, I can say with certainty, I would have paid twice as much for these seats and still been happy. Supportive but nice. I'm 6'4 200lbs average build and I fit very nicely.
5. I love the one-piece carbon fiber drive shaft. No more clunk when you forget to feather the clutch when coming to a stop or during that 3mph stop and go in traffic. Thanks Ford!
6. TRACK APPS! It's almost like they gave us an OBD2 reader right there in the dash. Gas mileage graphs over time, instant mpg, boost pressure, intake temp, everything (wish it told me my tire pressure but whatever). I haven't played with the cornering and acceleration apps yet.
7. Push button ride control -- I am so glad I got the push button ride control. I live in San Francisco and those potholes feel tolerable in Normal mode, then once I get out of the city, I put in Sport mode and the whole car firms up like a totally different car.
8. Handling compared to a stock 2011 Mustang GT: Stock for stock, when I put the Shelby in sport mode, the Shelby feels more responsive and tighter. I got a chance to look under the car while they were cleaning it up at the dealership and they definitely beefed up the LCA and PHB. However I do feel like lowering the car 1" will help quite a bit to stiffen up a bit more. And if those ZL1 guys give us too much grief, then maybe swap the PHB for a watts link and wider tires in the back and call it a day.
9. Appearance. You've probably google'd the GT500 over and over like I did, and you probably thought it looked good, but let me tell you -- it looks SO MUCH BETTER in person. Mine was completely black and freshly polished so that probably helped.
10. Worth it? YES. Do I feel like a hick driving a SRA tractor? Whatever - let the Chevy guys gloat over their one "on paper advantage". The Shelby feels great on the road. Honestly, I'm unbiased and feel the ZL1 is a great car and a great technological feat, but I chose the car that fit my desires best.
And here are the photos... BTW - is there a way to post in the thread other than as an attachment?
For those that are dying to know (waiting to receive their own). Here are my first impressions on the GT500. As a reference I'm coming from a 2011 Mustang GT Premium, stock engine w/ tune and a fully modified suspension and RTR wheels w/ Nitto N555s.
1. The 3.31s and the tall gearing feel really good for the street, more torque than the tires can handle at any RPM. I can't comment on track driving yet. The long gearing is really only 1st gear and after I got used to it (about an hour) I like it.
2. Traction control has never been more useful. Bonus - the traction control feels a lot less intrusive than my 2011 GT. It doesn't feel like nasty throttle cut + ABS, it feels more gradual and intelligently attenuated so it doesn't just kick in and kill the fun. It will let you spin the tires just enough with traction control on. I can say for the first time in any car I've owned (and there have been 34 in total) this is the first time I don't feel annoyed by traction control and that's pretty huge.
3. Grip -- it needs MORE. I'm not talking about lateral grip for turns, I'm talking about straight up acceleration. This car really needs 325s. I can't say what that would do to the understeer on a road course, but it certainly would help put more power to the ground as this car will burn rubber just by thinking about it.
4. Recaros, Recaros, Recaros. Having spent a lot of time in the non-recaros, I can say with certainty, I would have paid twice as much for these seats and still been happy. Supportive but nice. I'm 6'4 200lbs average build and I fit very nicely.
5. I love the one-piece carbon fiber drive shaft. No more clunk when you forget to feather the clutch when coming to a stop or during that 3mph stop and go in traffic. Thanks Ford!
6. TRACK APPS! It's almost like they gave us an OBD2 reader right there in the dash. Gas mileage graphs over time, instant mpg, boost pressure, intake temp, everything (wish it told me my tire pressure but whatever). I haven't played with the cornering and acceleration apps yet.
7. Push button ride control -- I am so glad I got the push button ride control. I live in San Francisco and those potholes feel tolerable in Normal mode, then once I get out of the city, I put in Sport mode and the whole car firms up like a totally different car.
8. Handling compared to a stock 2011 Mustang GT: Stock for stock, when I put the Shelby in sport mode, the Shelby feels more responsive and tighter. I got a chance to look under the car while they were cleaning it up at the dealership and they definitely beefed up the LCA and PHB. However I do feel like lowering the car 1" will help quite a bit to stiffen up a bit more. And if those ZL1 guys give us too much grief, then maybe swap the PHB for a watts link and wider tires in the back and call it a day.
9. Appearance. You've probably google'd the GT500 over and over like I did, and you probably thought it looked good, but let me tell you -- it looks SO MUCH BETTER in person. Mine was completely black and freshly polished so that probably helped.
10. Worth it? YES. Do I feel like a hick driving a SRA tractor? Whatever - let the Chevy guys gloat over their one "on paper advantage". The Shelby feels great on the road. Honestly, I'm unbiased and feel the ZL1 is a great car and a great technological feat, but I chose the car that fit my desires best.
And here are the photos... BTW - is there a way to post in the thread other than as an attachment?