In the world of the Ford Performance division, the Mustang is the one model position shy of being their ultimate offering. A slot, of course, occupied now by the GT supercar.
However, for a certain kind of discerning petrolhead, the Shelby GT350 and GT350R is, by significant margin, the more visceral and pure driving machine. From initial conception to final execution, the GT350’s focus was to tick all the boxes to provide unfiltered, raw motoring exhilaration for the enthusiast.
With its sharpened suspension, lowered weight, glorious 392kW/581Nm flat-plane crank 5.2-litre naturally aspirated Voodoo V8, and its sole transmission option of a slick-shifting six-speed manual, very few people doubt its abilities to get the blood flowing.
But it seems that Ford themselves might dare to sully that formula somewhat with the inclusion of a dual-clutch transmission as the entire sixth-generation Mustang range goes through its mid-cycle update, like to take place in 2018.
Sources from the Mustang6g forums have been cited by Road & Track to reveal that this will be the move the American automaker is plotting to broaden the Shelby GT350’s appeal and also to take full advantage of it’s high-strung V8 engine.
At the expense of the added connection between man and machine via the manual shifter, the car fitted with a dual-clutch box could see significant improvements to acceleration and circuit lap times.
Because Ford and gearbox specialist Getrag have such a close relationship, it’s very likely that they would likely work together again for the fast-shifting automatic for the Shelby GT350 and GT350R, possibly devising a bespoke unit that sheds as much weight as possible, instead of going for an off-the-shelf option.
Of course, whatever the case may be, we doubt the 6-speed manual is going anywhere any time soon when concerning the GT350. Because of the car’s appeal and the kind of drivers who seek it out, it will probably remain the primary transmission choice despite the dual-clutch automatic also being available.
Recently, manufacturers who had previously transitioned entirely to automatic transmissions for their sports cars have backtracked to offer them in concurrence. The most high profile examples being Porsche’s 911R and upcoming GT3 RS.
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