Drive a 2104 Shelby GT500

So a friend of my wife’s husband has a 2014 GT500 convertible, it replaced his 12 which replaced his 07. He kindle let me take it out for about a 10 mile drive, with him in it and egging me on. First of the sound just starting up, Holy mother of imaginary deity. It’s glorious. But that power and that torque! It’s intoxicating. 3rd gear 50mph floor it and you’re doing 100-110mph before you have time to think, let alone say ‘berkeley me this mother berkeleyer is fast’ It’s flat out the fastest thing I’ve ever driven, Vipers are kiddies toys in comparison. Freeway underpasses just demand changing down to 3rd or 4th and flooring it just to hear the noise bouncing back at you. I’ve completely utterly totally fallen back in love with big V8’s. I want one. The only negative is the clutch is heavy and has an odd engagement.

Once back from the drive I refused to drive our V6 Mustang home, it would have been too much of a letdown, I insisted SWMBO drove instead. Checking Autotrader later shows that the Shelby tax is high, with 07’s still going for $25large. That’s not too bad as I after coming down off my cloud and talking it over with Tom Spangler on e-mail, I honestly think a plain Jane 400hp GT would be a better DD. There is so much power that you really have to watch yourself with the GT500.

I’ve told SWMBO it may be too late for this year as our 2014 is being built this next week, but when it comes to order next year’s car it just has to be a V8 not a V6 next time.

Bugger bugger bugger, I wish we could edit titles. That's meant to be Drove not Drive, although feel free to do so if you can

2104 Shelby GT? Does it fly, and fold up into a briefcase when you're done?

man that thing is way ahead of it's time...

xflowgolf wrote: man that thing is way ahead of it's time...

Duke wrote: 2104 Shelby GT? Does it fly, and fold up into a briefcase when you're done?

Bugger bugger double bugger, tripple bugger berkeley. My fat fingers. Again, it's in the title so I can edit out my fingers. Look at it this way. A 1965 Shelby GT350 had 271 hp. The 2014 GT500 has 662, prjecting that out to 2104 that would be 1380hp with a warranty!!

I've autocrossed a '12 and it was fan-freaking-tastic. Not competitive mind you, but massive E36 M3-eating grin for hours afterward.

So driving a great car has your fingers shaking with excitement leading to several typos... you are excused

I have a buddy with a '12 coupe. Its been, um, tuned a bit. Makes about 700 at the wheels. Fast is not a superlative enough adjective to describe the sensation of speed and acceleration of this car.

DaveEstey wrote: I've autocrossed a '12 and it was fan-freaking-tastic. Not competitive mind you, but massive E36 M3-eating grin for hours afterward.

I'm at the point in life where I care slight less about autocross classing and competitiveness than I do about the state of politics in Nauru. Fun on the other had features highly and tihs had it in bucket loads, approx 662 bucket loads

Gearheadotaku wrote: So driving a great car has your fingers shaking with excitement leading to several typos... you are excused

Phew, a get out of jail free card. thanks

I can only imagine. I know how my '13 GT pulled with "only" 420hp.

The GT500 has to have sportbike levels of acceleration.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: So a friend of my wife’s husband...

I never got past this part...

Adrian_Thompson wrote: I’ve told SWMBO it may be too late for this year as our 2014 is being built this next week, but when it comes to order next year’s car it just has to be a V8 not a V6 next time.

You buy a new Mustang.. Every year?

z31maniac wrote: I can only imagine. I know how my '13 GT pulled with "only" 420hp. The GT500 has to have sportbike levels of acceleration.

Ran into a guy yesterday w/ a '13 California Special worked over w/ Procharger and a E36 M3load of other go fast bits, dynoed close to 600 RWHP. Dunno how ya could DD (he really does) that w/o getting into a E36 M3load of trouble... I know I sure as berkeley would.

Well, this guy claims they dynoed a stock 420hp 5.0L... factory numbers are a lie... north of 440 according to him.

Reminiscent of the old muscle car days when the factory fudged the numbers for insurance purposes?

nocones wrote:

Adrian_Thompson wrote: I’ve told SWMBO it may be too late for this year as our 2014 is being built this next week, but when it comes to order next year’s car it just has to be a V8 not a V6 next time.

You buy a new Mustang.. Every year?

He's a manager at Ford, he gets a new lease car every year.

And I'm pretty sure he meant his wife's friend's husband, but Ade's grip on the English language is tenuous enough when he's not all hyped up on V8 horsepower and torque.

I can't get past the looks of it:

Seriously, I just stand there and stare and drool. My wife has to drag me past them!

fasted58 wrote:

z31maniac wrote: I can only imagine. I know how my '13 GT pulled with "only" 420hp. The GT500 has to have sportbike levels of acceleration.

Ran into a guy yesterday w/ a '13 California Special worked over w/ Procharger and a E36 M3load of other go fast bits, dynoed close to 600 RWHP. Dunno how ya could DD (he really does) that w/o getting into a E36 M3load of trouble... I know I sure as berkeley would. Well, this guy claims they dynoed a stock 420hp 5.0L... factory numbers are a lie... north of 440 according to him. Reminiscent of the old muscle car days when the factory fudged the numbers for insurance purposes?

Crappy dyno operator, or someone telling fibs.

I think the standard for the new GT's is typically around 370-375whp. Intake, headers, full exhaust, tune is getting them up around 420-430whp.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Checking Autotrader later shows that the Shelby tax is high, with 07’s still going for $25large.

'07 and the '14 are different animals. The '07 uses an iron-block 5.4L; Ford switched to an all-aluminum version of the 5.4L in '11, then to the all-aluminum 5.8L for '13. The 5.8L makes ~100hp more than the 5.4.

Allow me to reiterate:

This is arguably the best muscle car era ever as far as outright performance goes and here I am jobless...

Oh and congrats on the drive!

ReverendDexter wrote:

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Checking Autotrader later shows that the Shelby tax is high, with 07’s still going for $25large.

'07 and the '14 are different animals. The '07 uses an iron-block 5.4L; Ford switched to an all-aluminum version of the 5.4L in '11, then to the all-aluminum 5.8L for '13. The 5.8L makes ~100hp more than the 5.4.

Yeah, but I think he was looking at 07s because there is a ghost of a chance of him being able to afford one before he's 70, unlike the 14s. Besides, aren't they a pulley swap and a tune away from similar power levels?

The_Jed wrote: This is arguably the best muscle car era ever as far as outright performance goes and here I am jobless...

Bought a '05 GT a month ago and am already lusting after a Coyote. Strike is looming... maybe next year.

those fat rear quarters are giving me a chub, but IMO they ruined it at least a little bit with the wannabe-'69-mach1 "vents" aft of the door handles. shoulda gone smooth like a Boss.

mach 1:

Boss 302:

i find it interesting that the Boss 302 got the ventless quarters, while the Boss 429 got the same vents as the lesser models.

Boss 429:

I had an '08 GT with mods (until Monday), and it was pretty quick. I test drove a new GT a couple of weeks ago, and it would have blown my car into the weeds. It was better everywhere, and much, much faster. I can't imagine driving the Shelby with that much HP. Yes, I am jealous!

Many years ago I had a '70 Boss 302, and it's amazing how much better and faster the new cars are, yet they still feel somewhat the same. Ford has done a great job in their entire product line in the past few years.