2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R Quick Spin (Autoblog)
We've already said our goodbyes to the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, but we were lucky enough to get our hands on this 2020 GT350R in Cyber Orange. With its black accents, it does a reasonably good impression of a jack-o-lantern, making it a seasonally appropriate send-off to the screaming pony car that so effortlessly won us over.
But unless you encounter a violent downpour, there's nothing spooky about this chariot. In fact, it's a buttoned-down, corner-carving hero. Even with those massive semi-slick tires (we weren't kidding about the rain, folks), it's an approachable, livable car that doubles as a weekend track weapon, and even when it's not being pushed, man, its 526-horsepower 5.2-liter "Voodoo" V8 is one of the sweetest motors money can buy ... for the moment.
For 2021, the GT350R makes way for the new Mustang Mach 1, which does a reasonable approximation of the slithering Shelby so long as you can live without the flat-plane-crank V8. We'd argue that's pretty much the entire point of the car, but hey, different strokes for different folks.
If you're looking to grab a leftover, we'll leave you with this bit of advice: the GT350 formula is a brilliant one, and you need not spring for the R to experience its excellence. Sure, the rear seat delete and track-spec rubber are nice, but unless lapping days are in your future, save yourself $10,000. Your wallet will thank you, and you won't have to plan your afternoon drives around a weather report.
Orange is the color of Halloween, of fall, and, appropriately enough, of sunsets. It hurts watching this one dip below the horizon.
(photo credit: Autoblog)
