[Mister Will]

Originally Posted by whiteboyblues2001

I am glad someone else noticed that. We now live in a world where the high end version of the pony cars are zipping around a road course hanging and even besting the likes of Italian supercars, 911's, etc. If you told folks this not long ago they would have laughed so hard they would rupture their spleen.

It really is a victory for both brands, no question.

But it is still a tough comparison though, and here is why:

When I watched a Head2Head with the ATS-V vs. the C63 AMG, the ATS-V beat the Mercedes in every metric and they even said the Cadillac could be the best driving sports luxury coupe ever built, but still lost. And I agreed with the reasoning wholeheartedly. Their reasoning was that if a buyer was so fixated on tenths of a second differences, they would probably be buying a sports car rather than a sports luxury coupe, and the interior of the Cadillac was crappy. It has to be a good luxury car first, then be a great driving one second. The Mercedes did that, but the Cadillac did not.

But it's a bit of apples and oranges here. The GT350R is a dedicated track version of Ford's pony car (like the Z/28), but the ZL1 is a GT touring car (like the GT500). So, do you judge them by how well they go on a track, or how well they act as a GT car? Depending on what criteria you pick, you will get a different winner.

I really have no issue with them picking the GT350R. Under certain criteria, I would pick it as well. But, under other criteria, I would pick the ZL1. If you have no brand loyalty and like the looks of both cars, there are a ton of great choices to be had.

This was kind of like comparing ice cream vs. beer. They are both awesome, just different. Which one would I pick? BOTH!!

I'll also agree with Mustang Fanboy here. The Shelby GT350 is more unique. It has a history (like the Z/28) and it has a unique engine with some other unique components (carbon fiber wheels). While the 1LE is basically an SS that was fixed up from the factory. That being said GT350s are hard to find. Local dealers want a big mark up. While there are several 1LE are local to me right now, and I have GM credit points. Lower price, same performance, and lets be honest GM makes a great V8.