
Ford Cancels the Mustang Shelby GT350 for 2021
It was rumored, but now it's official,
and we can't help but mourn for the GT350 and GT350R.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a34234768/ford-cancels-the-mustang-shelby-gt350-for-2021/
<以下引用>
With the arrival of the track-optimized Mustang Mach 1 and the 760-horsepower Mustang Shelby GT500, the top end of the Mustang lineup was getting a little crowded. It always seemed unconventional for Ford to offer two $70,000 ultra-performance Mustangs in the GT350 and GT500. That problem, if you can call it that, has been solved: The Shelby GT350 and GT350R will be discontinued for 2021.
This isn't particularly surprising. Aside from the obvious benefits of simplifying the lineup to focus on the more high-profile Shelby, there was a document leaked this spring that suggested the imminent demise of the GT350 and GT350R. The Mach 1 has most of the GT350's performance upgrades, and the GT500 goes even further. If you're thinking like an automaker product planner, the GT350 had become redundant.
The Ford Mustang Mach 1 Is Back With 480 HP
Make no mistake, this is sad news. The GT350 was one of the most special cars in a generation, a Road & Track Performance Car of the Year winner, and my personal pick for the best new car on sale today. It didn't have the thunder of the 760-hp GT500, but it still had a six-speed manual and makes 523 hp. More importantly, it did so with a naturally aspirated flat-crank V-8 that spins to 8250 rpm and sounds like The End Times.
It's the perfect Mustang, fast and brash but not so overpowered as to require tons of electronic supervision and a dual-clutch transmission. The steering is phenomenal and talkative, the suspension firm but not bone-shattering, and the sound cataclysmic. It's a rewarding, enthusiastic driver's car. Or, I guess, it was.
<引用終わり>
サーキット走行向けの改良をしたMach1が出るのに伴って、シェルビーGT350が廃盤になる模様です。GT500とGT350でキャラクターは全然違うと思うのですが、ハイパフォーマンスバージョンが多すぎるという判断で、GT350はラインアップ上余剰であると考えられている様子です。
GT350が廃盤ということになると、フラットプレーンクランクのV8で、自然吸気高回転高出力型のVooDooエンジンも廃盤になってしまうのかどうかが気になるところです。伝統的アメリカンV8からはだいぶ外れてますが、フォードのV8ということであれば、こちらも伝統の本筋を継承していると思うのですが・・・どうなりますか??
何らかの形で継続生産されるものと思いたいです。
Posted at 2020/10/10 16:36:30 | |
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