Jan and I slipped out of Coors Field in the sixth inning Sunday, with the Colorado Rockies holding a seemingly safe 8-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
I was anxious to get away, for cooling down in the afternoon heat in one of Johnny’s $10 parking lots six blocks away was my drive, the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, and I wanted to run it up Lookout Mountain.
That we did; it was a great run up the big hill, then we sped to the north for a 5:30 p.m. barbecue invite in Windsor.
If a rush is in order, this is a vehicle of choice.
The Shelby GT500’s 2011 version, which went on sale a few weeks ago, shows under its vented hood an all-new 5.4-liter aluminum V-8 102 pounds lighter than the old cast-iron engine. The supercharged powerplant, with precise short-throw 6-speed manual transmission, develops 550 horsepower and 510 lbs.-ft. of torque. Slow to almost a crawl in this one, then kick it down in 1st or 2nd gear and appreciate the head-back response for which it was designed. It not only outduels Challenger and Camaro, it has better sound out its exhausts.
Only 5,500 will be built and more than half had been ordered when production began three or four months ago.
The engines are hand-built by hand-picked members of Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT). Signatures on the big block in the Shelby I drove are Bill Sheffer and Gary Marston.
The lighter weight has improved handling and gas mileage, now rated at 15/23 miles per gallon, eliminating the gas-guzzler tax. Steering has been quickened with a new electric power assist, which noticeably reduces needed effort in parking maneuvers.
The stance of the rear-wheel-drive Shelby Mustang has been lowered slightly, and, as part of the SVT performance package, it rides on 19-inch wheels in front and 20-inchers at the rear with Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar tires for excellent traction. A rear spoiler with “Gurney flap” improves rear downforce. Racing stripes and cobra emblems mark its exterior.
Stepping inside the GT500 is to notice the black-and-red leather seats and a cue-ball shifter knob. Suede grips enhance feel of the steering wheel. Rear-seat space is tight, as is trunk capacity – 13.4 cubic feet.
My overall fuel mileage of 17.6 with the Mustang included highway cruises, stop-and-go city driving, acceleration tests and the venture up and down Lookout Mountain. Its SVT-tuned suspension and dry-weather-grip tires kept it very much in check on the curves and climbs. Fourteen-inch Brembo front brakes add a secure feel.
Packages for performance and electronics with voice-activated navigation boosted the Shelby’s sticker price from a base of $48,645 to $55,330.
The high-performance factor means noise interference with the sports car’s 500-watt Shaker audio system.
Shelby Mustangs go back to 1965, when, a year after the pony car’s introduction, Ford and Carroll Shelby teamed up to produce specially equipped models. This ended five years later; the Shelby name returned only in recent years.
Notes from e-mail
Q: Bud, your “A Look Back” column last week was particularly interesting, as I have a 1980 Triumph TR8. It is also interesting symmetry that the TR8 came out during the 30th anniversary of the TR series and your column celebrates the 30th anniversary of the TR8. The Rocky Mountain Triumph Club August newsletter, The Triumph Herald, has two TR8s for sale. Because only 2,700 were manufactured, having two for sale in Denver at the same time is very unusual. Thanks for years of enjoyable columns. – S.H.
A: Thanks, Steve, and I’ll bet those TR8s will sell quickly. I remember back in 1980 being impressed with the power of the 8-cylinder TR8, though I thought the 6-cylinder power of previous models was better-suited to the TRs.
Q: Bud, your mention of former The Denver Post associate Bill Pride’s memorial service in your column last week was moving and heartwarming. I liked that. – S.P.
A: Thanks, Sherry; my columns, of course, go beyond the nuts and bolts of automotive reviewing. Bill Pride was a friend, and, as news editor joined me back in the mid-1970s in convincing editor Bill Hornby and managing editor John Rogers that The Denver Post should launch an automotive news page. I edited the page and soon joined reviewer Hugh Kane in filling a much larger section of car and truck news.
Q: Bud, are there any “cheapies” in your future columns? – D.A.
A: Well, Dan, I’ve just begun driving the little 2011 Mazda2.
2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
$55,300
(price as tested)
MPG City 15 Highway 23
Vehicle type: Performance coupe
Wheelbase: 107.1 inches
Length/Width/Height: 188.2/73.9/54.5 inches
Weight: 3,820 pounds
Engine: 5.4-liter supercharged V-8
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel mileage: 17.6 mpg
Fuel tank: 16 gallons
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic; 5/60,000 powertrain
Competitors: Dodge Challenger SRT-8, Chevrolet Camaro
Built at: Flat Rock, Mich.
THE STICKER
$48,645 base
$3,495 SVT package
$2,340 Electronics
$850 Destination
PLUSES
Supercharged power
Appearance
Suspension
Sound
MINUSES
Noisy interior
Tight rear seat
Overly expensive
