Shelby Mustang 2014-15 Review

By: Guy Allen, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 19.12.2016

Having original Shelby Mustang is wonderful but having a muscle-bound modern version could be too much to resist

SHELBY MUSTANG 2014-15

By far the best justification we’ve so far heard for buying a modern version of any historic car runs along these lines: "But dear, the old car is much too valuable to drive every day – it’s an investment – so I had to buy a new one, too."

If you’re still getting that doubtful look on their face, the back-up justification goes something like: "Plus, it’s a modern car, so you’ll be safer and more comfortable."

Which is all true. Regardless of whether you’re the lucky owner of an original, it is actually possible to buy a Shelby modified and certified car in this country. Craig Dean, ringmaster at Mustang Motorsports in sunny Melbourne, is the man you’ll end up dealing with, as he’s the approved national supplier.

He’s already brought in a few current Mustangs and gone through the laborious process of changing them over to right-hand-drive so he could use them as test cars. The verdict? He reckons the stock car is a truly good drive – a judgement backed up by our tame race legend, young John Bowe.

Work was starting on the first 2015-16 local Shelby the week we went to press. It’s a GT, and the party piece is the addition of the optional supercharging to the Coyote engine, boosting the horsepower to an eye-watering 650. That lot is mated to a six-speed Getrag, which gets its power to the ground via the now standard independent rear end. All of which translates to quarter mile times in the 10 second range.

The GT starts out with a fairly comprehensive body and badging kit, plus 20-inch WELD wheels, a short-throw shifter, cold air intake, new exhaust tips and a Ford Performance handling package.

The sky is the limit from there. A Wilwood brake package can be had (6-spot up front, 4 rear), adjustable control arms, camber/castor plates, or even an upgraded instrument package.

How much? Dean is thinking somewhere around $65k for the standard car plus another $55-ish for a supercharged version depending on what you order. When you look at the performance stats, that circa $120k represents very solid value. He adds, "That’s the cheapest Shelby will ever be in Australia."

While the 2015-16 generation is new, Shelby variants have been locally available for some time. For example the blue and white version you see here is a one-off based on a Premium model, but set up for pretty serious track work.

Again it has a supercharged powerplant (around 624 ponies claimed) which is fed to the ground via a pretty sophisticated Watts linkage out back. Not something you see in your average road car...

SUPER SNAKE

If the thought of over 600 horsepower still isn’t ringing your bells, you can order the Shelby Super Snake package, which is up yet another level.

Start thinking in the region of 750 horsepower, and a somewhat less subtle styling package than its GT cousin.

Of course opting for the max horsepower package involves a little more than just a supercharger, with alternative cooling and driveline solutions available as part of the package.

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