The GT500 also benefits from an electric-assist steering setup. While it might seem peculiar on such a track beast, it works magically well on the road and on a closed circuit; my colleagues Bertrand Godin and Matt St-Pierre got some time behind the wheel at Calabogie, and they were mighty impressed. You can read Bertrand’s first impressions and watch Matt’s review on The Auto123 Show.
Fuel economy, though, obviously isn’t the Shelby’s forte. We’re averaging 18 L/100 km, which probably feels like a piledriver for all you treehuggers out there. Hey, nobody’s perfect, and Hulk Hogan isn’t either; after all, he did take anabolic steroids for many years. Nevertheless, at 100 km/h on the highway, the engine is lugging at 1,400 RPM, the 2011 model’s fuel consumption is improved, and it actually now escapes the U.S. gas-guzzler tax.
The optional SVT Track Pack, which our car includes, adds revised springs, shocks and stabilizer bars. Visual clues that the GT500 has the Track Pack are slimmer racing stripes, a rear spoiler with a Gurney flap and stripes on the cue-ball shift lever.
The Shelby’s cockpit is a generally swell place for adrenaline rushes, although the polka-dot metallic dashboard trim gives the car a little feminine touch that no one probably asked for. It’s like if Hulk Hogan had pink stripes on his yellow wrestling tights, or would take off his shirt and fold it up nicely instead of ripping it off.
Modern touches make life easier inside the GT500, like the SYNC multimedia system, and for those who are always lost, optional touch-screen navigation. Children likely won’t complain about sitting in back, but adults will lament a certain lack of headroom; that is, until you drop the clutch and make them appreciate the ride.
In my town, there is a Mustang at about every 20 houses, so puttering down Main Street in the most potent of all Mustangs obviously makes people gawk, point, and swear. This car draws as much attention as some other rare machines I brought home in the past, such as the Nissan GT-R or the Audi R8. That’s what happens when you’re a classic.
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| The new electric-assist steering works magically well. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Fuel economy, though, obviously isn’t the Shelby’s forte. We’re averaging 18 L/100 km, which probably feels like a piledriver for all you treehuggers out there. Hey, nobody’s perfect, and Hulk Hogan isn’t either; after all, he did take anabolic steroids for many years. Nevertheless, at 100 km/h on the highway, the engine is lugging at 1,400 RPM, the 2011 model’s fuel consumption is improved, and it actually now escapes the U.S. gas-guzzler tax.
The optional SVT Track Pack, which our car includes, adds revised springs, shocks and stabilizer bars. Visual clues that the GT500 has the Track Pack are slimmer racing stripes, a rear spoiler with a Gurney flap and stripes on the cue-ball shift lever.
The Shelby’s cockpit is a generally swell place for adrenaline rushes, although the polka-dot metallic dashboard trim gives the car a little feminine touch that no one probably asked for. It’s like if Hulk Hogan had pink stripes on his yellow wrestling tights, or would take off his shirt and fold it up nicely instead of ripping it off.
Modern touches make life easier inside the GT500, like the SYNC multimedia system, and for those who are always lost, optional touch-screen navigation. Children likely won’t complain about sitting in back, but adults will lament a certain lack of headroom; that is, until you drop the clutch and make them appreciate the ride.
In my town, there is a Mustang at about every 20 houses, so puttering down Main Street in the most potent of all Mustangs obviously makes people gawk, point, and swear. This car draws as much attention as some other rare machines I brought home in the past, such as the Nissan GT-R or the Audi R8. That’s what happens when you’re a classic.
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| Modern touches make life easier inside the GT500, like the SYNC multimedia system, and an optional touch-screen navigation. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |