Prototype Shelby GT350 Spotted on the Town

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

  

The cat is out of the bag. Ford performance devotees have been ogling over the all-new 2016 Shelby GT350 for some time now, ever since its grand reveal at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. But it would appear Ford isn’t done putting its high-horsepower athlete through its paces. 

 

Snap-happy redditor Blackmachdown recently took these four photos of a pre-production Shelby, which was spotted out and about in the real world. The car would appear to be identical to the GT350 models shown recently, but perhaps there are a few subtle nuances that the more eagle-eyed fans can pick out.

 

If there’s one thing the ’16 Shelby will be… it’s fast. The GT350 packs a naturally aspirated, flat-plane crank 5.2-liter V8, pushing out over 500 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. And in keeping with the GT350 lineage, it will put that power to the road in a big way, featuring a continuously-variable MagneRide suspension, limited-slip differential, floating brakes, aluminum knuckles, hubs, and bearing assemblies, among other treatments that are unique to this model.

 

The pre-production version shown here provides a nice look at those massive, race-inspired floating brakes (394mm in front, 380mm in rear), as well as the blacked-out 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels. Inside the cockpit, one of the cupholders houses a rather mysterious red button, and while the ejector seat idea was humored on reddit – providing “instant weight savings for the impromptu street race” – it’s more than likely a kill switch for prototype safety reasons.

The Shelby GT350 and even more hardcore GT350R ship in full for the 2016 model year, however a scant 100 versions will receive a limited production run wearing 2015 model year VIN numbers, in honor of the car’s 1965 anniversary. Rarer still, only 37 GT350R models will be produced for 2015.

Pricing has yet to be announced for either model, but rumors suggest a base price for the GT350 in the low to mid $50,000 range. Given all that the hot Shelby comes with, that mark sounds entirely plausible.


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