Quote:
Originally Posted by titanfan
They don't. The ONLY GT350 trim level marketed as the most track-capable Mustang is the GT350R. Find me one piece of marketing material from Ford that states otherwise.  |
The official GT350 brochure states:
"Carroll Shelby created his original 1965 GT350 to achieve ultra-quick lap times on road courses - exactly what the men and women at Ford Performance did with this new GT350."
Notice that it didn't state GT350 with the track pack or GT350R.
Also the Ford.com website states:
"•
Braking
The foundation of any sports car is undoubtedly the brakes; therefore, brakes are a major part of the GT350 magic. So we teamed front and rear Brembo® with cross-drilled, two-piece, highly-engineered brake rotors. The huge 395mm (15.5”) rotors up front and 376mm (14.8”) rotors in the back complete this tight, hard working system that gives GT350 its well-earned track cred."
Notice the last sentence? The brakes give the GT350 its well-earned track cred.
It also states:
"•
Aerodynamics
Balancing downforce with aerodynamic drag is always one of the biggest challenges a team of car designers can face. But Ford did it with a unique, detailed approach that centered on making it imperative that every single component play a major part in the total overall performance of the system. It’s a very hard thing to pull off, but our team of designers and engineers wouldn’t settle for less. So it’s not just that the GT350 has wider aluminum front fenders and a unique aluminum hood. It’s also that the front and rear fascias, splitter, rockers and rear valance with integrated diffuser all work together as a team – each and every one of them. And only as a team working together can this system keep the beautiful, powerful, exciting and intimidating GT350 racer pressed firmly to the track."
Again, notice the last sentence? The intimidating GT350... firmly to the TRACK. Not road, not driveway, not airport runway, not outer space. TRACK! And nothing states or even implies that you need the track pack or R version.
Another quote from the Ford website:
"What truly sets this Beast apart is that the Shelby GT350® isn’t just a combination of “go fast” parts – any tuner can build one of those. The GT350 is a specifically engineered machine, where the components work dynamically together as one and perform to a world-class level on all fronts, as well as meeting Ford durability standards"
So the GT350 meets the "Ford durability standards", which apparently anyone would be a fool to assume includes not overheating on the warm-up lap of an HPDE event in cool weather without the optional coolers, even though most all the other cars in the world can.
The page for the 2015 GT350 NEVER mentions the term "GT350R". Here's the link:
http://www.ford.com/cars/mustang/201...#page=Feature4
They were clearly promoting the GT350 as a track capable car. Who builds a track capable car that isn't track capable unless you get additional options? That is like selling a pickup truck that you can't put a grain of sand in the bed unless you get an additional "haul stuff in the bed" package.
