A day with the 2013 GT500
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Words and Images by James Uziallo
Three hundred and fifty one, it’s a magic number within the Ford world. It conjures up rose tinted memories of the golden age of muscle cars in the USA and Australia. Fast forward some 40 years and the much vaunted 351 is back, proving once again the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Unsurprisingly, displacement is only thing that the 351 of old shares with the 5.8L motor residing in the 2013 GT 500. At a quick glance is seems like nothing more than a warmed over 5.4 with a huge blower on top. This is actually quite far from the truth. The Trinity 5.8L as it is known is a very high tech engine which shares very little with the 5.4 on which it is based. The engine makes 662 HP (494kW) and 631 ft/lbs of Torque (856NM). This power catapults the GT500 to an alleged top speed of over 200MPH and makes it the most powerful production V8…In the world.
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Could do with a wash!
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The Mustang is somewhat of an enigma, especially in the eyes of the world outside the US. On the one hand, it’s an iconic and enduring brand which even non car people seem to have an fondness for but on the other, it is lambasted for being low tech, behind the times or worst of all “too American.” In the Pony’s defence, to say these things is missing the point entirely. It is still a strong seller in its home market and 2015 will bring with it a completely new model and most importantly a Global audience. Like it or not Australian Ford fans, the ‘Stang is galloping your way.
The Shelby GT500 represents the best of breed for the current mustang, a last hurrah before the wild stallion is tamed by global tastes perhaps. To say this car is uncouth is putting it mildly – it’s a racing striped one fingered salute to the modern green motoring generation – it’s outrageous and I love it!
My experience of the Shelby begins last December in Los Angeles, it involves 662Hp, the canyons behind Malibu, peak hour on the I405 and the Secret Service…but I will get to that.
Its 9am and I have just arrived in LA. I have been awake for nearly two days and the concierge at the Beverly Hilton informs me that my room won’t be ready till the early afternoon. No problem, I was on a mission. Despite the salubrious nature of the hotel, I had chosen it not only for its reputation but also its location. Co-located with the hotel is a branch of a hire car company that specialises in high end cars. A short walk from the reception and I was standing at the counter of Midway car rentals. There was only one car I was interested in and that was “The Shelby”. The guy working behind the counter was obviously a fan of the car and after informing me that it was available and that they ‘used’ to have two of them, he told me it was his favourite car in the fleet. That was high praise indeed especially as the inventory of Midway includes Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Nevertheless, the booking was made for the following Monday which gave me a chance to shake off the effects of the long haul flight.
Early on Monday I signed my life away and took possession of a set of fairly underwhelming keys. No fancy keyless go here, just a standard looking key, albeit with the letters SVT emblazoned on it. I was a little apprehensive when I approached the Shelby, firstly I had read so much about it, I was worried it might not live up to the hype and secondly whilst I had driven left hand drive vehicles many times before this will be the first time I had done so with a manual transmission and in LA no less.
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No frills here...
Waiting for me on Wilshire Blvd is my Steed, presented in White with Black stripes it is an imposing sight and one which is drawing more attention than I had expected. Whilst it seems every second car in Beverley Hills is a Supercar…or a Tesla model S. I do not see another GT500 the whole time I’m there.
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First things first, I have to stow my camera backpack in the boot, upon opening the lid I am greeted by a tiny space which is made even more tiny by a ludicrous subwoofer enclosure which as it turns out is part of the optional ‘Shaker Audio System’. Luckily I am not travelling with my baggage.
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Steeping inside the charcoal interior, I am greeted by Leather and Suede Recaro seats which whilst offering fantastic lateral support, don’t offer any Lumbar adjustment which hints that this car might not be the soft GT car that I was semi expecting. The clutch is heavier than I had anticipated, probably twice as heavy as the left pedal in the FPV GT. The cue ball shifter is a nice, if a little kitsch, touch. This is the first short throw box I have used which takes a little to get used to as whilst first gear puts the shifter in the familiar forward leaning orientation, second makes it only just vertical. The stick doesn’t tilt back as you would expect.
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This particular GT500 has the optional MyFord Touch system which includes satellite Navigation. The system offers more functionally and connectivity than the systems offered in current Falcons however it was not as intuitive as I was expecting. That said the sat nav worked well and seemed to be selecting reasonable routes.
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I like to think that the acronym NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) was never uttered during the development of this car, it most certainly was, but from the driver’s seat when you fire it up you could be forgiven for thinking that it hadn’t been. Eschewing the fancy dual firewall and sound deadening setups of German hardware, the GT500 is LOUD inside the cabin, even before the engine catches – I swear the starter motor is in the cabin with me when I fire it up for first time.
Once the engine does start it’s clear this is unlike any other muscle car I’ve driven. As a two time FPV GT owner I had an expectation as to what this car would sound like. I was wrong, this thing is so much louder than the Falcon – The noise and character of the engine is all encompassing – this is a car built around an engine, not merely an engine in a car.
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The harshness of the experience is further heightened by the ride. It’s hard, like really hard. There is a switch on the dash to change the suspension, from hard to granite I suspect. I move the switch through every option and notice no appreciable difference in comfort. Ah well at least the roads in LA will be good, not like home, right? Wrong. They are terrible. Disjointed bitumen patches and hard edge grooved concrete freeways cause the rather rudimentary suspension of the Shelby to thump and transfer an alarming amount of harshness into the cabin.
Driving in LA is an experience. As soon as you learn to ignore the posted speed limit like everyone else you can relax and enjoy the civilised sensation of driving without keeping one eye on the speedo and the other on roadside vegetation. As you might expect, having 662 HP at your disposal sure makes getting up to speed and finding gaps in dense fast moving traffic a cinch, however I soon learn that even though I think I am going fast at 90mph (65MPH limit) I am far from being the fastest thing on the road.
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How to sum up the USA in a single photo
As exciting as it is carving up freeway traffic, my real destination for the day was the Canyon roads behind Malibu, more specifically the Mulholland Highway. The most famous part of the Highway is an extremely winding section known as the “Snake.” It seems fitting to take the Shelby on this piece of road; not only for its name but also to see if there is any point to the harshness of the ride.
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A section of the 'Snake'
After a quick photo stop at the legendary Rock Store at the beginning of the Snake we are quickly heading up the hill with the Shelby playing its raucous bassy soundtrack. First impressions are good, the firm suspension is starting to make sense, there is no appreciable body roll unlike my old GT falcon and the nose points in quite well. The only downside I can see is that the steering seems a bit slow, I have to use more steering lock than I anticipate. This is especially noticeable at slow speed as on several occasions throughout the day I almost misjudge turning into car parks. As with the suspension, there is button on dash to change the steering from comfort to sport however it seems to have little effect.
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Like the Miami V8 in the FPV GT, the Shelby’s power delivery is very linear with impressive low down grunt and a ridiculous surge towards the top end. Unlike the FPV, audible supercharger whine is not especially evident in the cabin although it can be heard when really thrashing it. This is more a function of how loud the Shelby is generally, rather than how quiet the supercharger is.
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Slowing into the tight corners of the Snake, the Shelby feels reasonably solid in the brake department. It runs a similar 6 piston Brembo calliper as FPV on the front however the rear brakes are only a single piston setup which seems a bit underdone by comparison. Trying in vain to put all 662 HP to the tarmac are 285 x 20 inch wheels on the back and 265 x 19 inch wheels on the front. The staggered rim diameter is slightly unusual; however it serves to enhance the aggressive stance of the Shelby
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After crossing the hills of Malibu, we find ourselves in the rather posh looking Calabasas area, home to such eminent Americans as the Kardashians; we quickly find a pizza joint and have a chance to reflect on the Shelby and plan our route back to the city. Rather than heading back to LA on the 101 we decide to retrace our steps and run the Snake in the reverse direction. The idea is to get back into LA before the worst part of rush hour. That was the plan at least.
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Fancy Shopping Center at Calabasas, I like the double lines for car spots, very civilised!
Unbeknownst to us, President Obama was making a visit LA that afternoon and he has an annoying habit of staying at the Beverly Hilton. The run back through the Snake to the Pacific Coast Highway at Malibu was pleasant and we didn’t hit any real traffic until we got to Santa Monica. That is where Monday quickly became leg day for me, at least left leg day. Apparently the I405 is the busiest and most congested freeway in America and I can well believe it, I now understand why no one in their right mind would be driving a manual transmission, nearly 700 HP car in this traffic. According to the radio, the traffic is especially bad as Obama’s security detail has been shutting down various roads across the city.
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Pleasant drive back along the PCH
After some two hours of intense left leg action on the I405, we are now close to hotel. Not a moment too soon as my leg is about stuffed and I have noticed the intake temps of the car sky rocketing. Of course we can now longer enter the property from the back entrance due to a road block so we now have to do another lap around the block and go in the front.
Up until that point we didn’t know why we couldn’t go in the back entrance, the reason became clear at the front entrance; black Suburbans, men in suits with ear pieces, dogs and mirrors on sticks. Obama was staying there and we had to go through a secret service checkpoint before we could get to the Valet area.
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The on ramp to the I405, just as I was starting realise what I was in for
The agent told me to switch the engine off and pop the hood and trunk. I could hear another agent comment ‘Man I love these things’ when admiring the engine; it seems the Shelby has admirers everywhere. Once cleared by the secret service we were allowed to drive to the front entrance, a hotel employee apologised for the inconvenience, I asked if it was because Obama was there – he laughed and said ‘all I can say is there is a dignitary here.’ Right, enough said.
Conveniently for us, the valet of the hotel was also the return location for the car. As I looked back at the car I was struck that despite its uncouthness, the Shelby is a remarkably likeable car. A point only emphasised by the grin on the face of the valet attendant when he fired it up. I might not have seen many on the roads of LA but it is clear that this is still the aspirational blue collar American hero that it always has been and whilst it might not be a refined Grand Tourer it is unmistakeably a red blooded Muscle Car. My only hope is that not too much of this is lost in push to civilise its successor for the Global market, but then again, maybe it will be even better.
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