We walked away very impressed after seeing the Ford Performance vehicle trio at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. And the barrage of performance vehicles from The Blue Oval didn’t even include the upcoming Focus RS, which is confirmed to arrive in the United States to complete the current Focus generation sometime in the not-too-distant future. But until that happens, enthusiast are patiently waiting the market launch of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and Mustang Shelby GT350R. And as luck may have it, a member of Mustang6G forum may have uncovered the order guides for the wicked ponies. But you might want to browse them with a (large) grain of salt.
For starters, the guides list the Mustangs as 2o15 model year vehicles, when in fact they are of the 2016 model year. But let’s digress for a moment and assume that the leaked guides are genuine. If so, then the GT350 and GT350R will arrive with standard suede Recaro seats, with leather buckets available as an option. Furthermore, the guides show the GT350 wearing Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires with 295s up front and larger 305s out back, while the GT350R’s feather-weight carbon-fiber wheels would be wrapped in the stickier and grippier Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires with 305s in the front and 315s out back.
True to Ford’s official announcement, the guides list the GT350R as lacking such creature comforts as air conditioning, audio and navigation systems, as well as the rear seats, but the lack of these features translates to a lighter curb weight and results in a better-performing vehicle. Even so, the audio and navigation systems can be added back in for an extra package. But to us, that defeats the purpose of the Shelby GT350R as a hardcore race car for the track, an environment in which A/C, audio, and nav are not only unnecessary, but are entirely pointless.
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