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Look what I saw today in West Michigan? GT350 Prototype


stngfever

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Anyone familiar with West Michigan should know about Grattan Raceway, well my route to work happens to be the same route (opposite direction) for the car manufacturers out of Detroit to take Mule and test cars to private track days!

 

Ford has been busy over the past couple months as I have seen ~6 differents days where Mustangs and Shelby's heading to the track. This morning was one of those days as I counted 5 different MFG cars going North while I was heading South.

 

On my way home tonight, I happened to catch this car at a stop light as I passed through, so I had to turn around and follow it to a fast food place :happy feet:

 

I have to admit that the PICS online didn't do anything for me on this car, however, in person is a much different opinion! As this car in person looks BAD A$$

 

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Congrats on your sighting. I will agree, pictures do not do the GT350 justice.

 

 

Even better than to see it in person is to ride in/drive one. The GT350 is a mean, mean machine.

 

 

 

 

Chris

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Hey fever,

 

I bet you almost Shipt your pants when you saw that in front of you. hysterical.gif

 

Thats cool you got to see it up close. happy%20feet.gif

 

I wish I could have gotten a ride in one at Tulsa but they were pretty busy giving other people rides. redcard.gif

 

 

To be honest I like our SGT's better yup.gif but the GT350 is still a very cool car.

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Anyone familiar with West Michigan should know about Grattan Raceway, well my route to work happens to be the same route (opposite direction) for the car manufacturers out of Detroit to take Mule and test cars to private track days!

 

Ford has been busy over the past couple months as I have seen ~6 differents days where Mustangs and Shelby's heading to the track. This morning was one of those days as I counted 5 different MFG cars going North while I was heading South.

 

On my way home tonight, I happened to catch this car at a stop light as I passed through, so I had to turn around and follow it to a fast food place :happy feet:

 

I have to admit that the PICS online didn't do anything for me on this car, however, in person is a much different opinion! As this car in person looks BAD A$$

 

th_IMAG0067.jpg

 

th_IMAG0068.jpg

 

th_IMAG0069.jpg

 

th_IMAG0070.jpg

[/quote

 

 

wow....good job, kinda curious as to why ford would be tinkering around with a 350, when all the parts, pieces, etc are installed in vegas.. :headscratch:

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Nice catch Jason!

 

Yes the grill emblem is crooked, the whole mesh grill was a bit caved in (I'm sure this car has been VERY abused).

 

As for Ford Racing testing this car, they are testing the FRPP parts that go on this car as they will be selling the parts for 2011 Mustang's as well.

 

My son called me a Shelby stalker when I showed him the pics and explained the evasive type maunuevers it took to take some side streets in order to loop back to this car :drool:

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Yes it was the SC one and yes it was at Tulsa!

 

I spoke briefly with the driver, he mentioned that he has worked on and drove the GT-500 & KR and said his time with the GT-350 so far has gotten more attention and he liked it the best as for all around looks and performance!

 

I was just shy of asking to take it for a :shift::hysterical:

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At Tulsa a couple of weeks ago I saw two of them and I must say that they were better looking in person than when I first saw the pictures in the trade publications.

They also really seemed to handle well and were quite quick. My guess is that it will be quite the rider for the right buyer...

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At Tulsa a couple of weeks ago I saw two of them and I must say that they were better looking in person than when I first saw the pictures in the trade publications.

They also really seemed to handle well and were quite quick. My guess is that it will be quite the rider for the right buyer...

 

 

Too late now.... :hysterical:....here's hoping it's quite the rider for even a wrong buyer. :hysterical:

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My interest (or lack thereof) in this specific post title conversion aside, it is definitely a good thing to see the people at Shelby are making something happen. The 2011 GT is one heck of an automobile and Ford has definitely raised the bar with it. The fact that this car is an attempt to make it even better earns it a certain level of respect - regardless of the level of a quantifiable performance improvement.

 

Right off the bat I wondered if FRPP was using the car for calibration work along with durability testing (in concert with putting the required miles on the modified engine necessary for certification). It doesn't surprise me that it is indeed the case. And while it would be interesting to spend some time conversing with the gentleman that was assigned this arduous duty, there are others that I'm quite sure have far more to offer.

 

For example, I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the dyno room. Somebody within Ford/FRPP/Roush got to push this supercharged five liter beyond what its developers considered safe. I'd like to have watched it be pushed until failure, repeatedly. Which begs the question...would the results be consistent and repeatable? What goes first? The rods, crank, timing chain, valves? And when the decision is made to throttle back the calibration work until everything has been finalized, how much of an endurance compromise (if at all) becomes acceptable when compared directly to the stock five liter when pushed to comparable limits?

 

Too bad that little of this gets revealed. To those that are in the position to employ such destructive testing methods at work each day - how I envy you. The data your work provides is invaluable. The physical carnage provides the results that benefit those of us that seek to near the limits that you know so well.

 

So rev on, blown Coyote development team, higher and higher.

 

Tob

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Very nice car! Holy@ The pics don't do it justice. I would venture to say I would own one if the 11 gt 500 wasn't on the way. Nice job seeing this beast. I think it is the pic angle for the grill emblem. It might have looked straight if u were on 1 knee. Anyways way cool catch from a fellow Michigander!!!!!

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