Sam Krahn 
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 will go down as an all time muscle car great. From it’s world class handling to the hugely special VooDoo V8 under the hood, there’s really no other vehicle like it on the planet. Unfortunately, the business case just wasn’t there for Ford to sell it anymore, and its time is done after the 2020 model year while the GT500 will have to carry the Shelby name alone. But just because the little brother of the Shelby range is going away doesn’t mean it can’t be celebrated anymore, and when a video by AutoTopNL of the Mustang Shelby GT350 hitting 172 mph on the German Autobahn came onto our radar, we couldn’t click faster.
The best thing about the video isn’t the relatively high top speed, although 172 mph on a public road is nothing to scoff at, but the sound that 5.2 liter, naturally aspirated flat plane crank V8 makes under wide open throttle. Just take a listen before you have to read anything else:
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Voodoo engine really sounds like nothing else, mainly because no other American production car on sale today currently offers one. Yes, the upcoming C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 will pack one of these exotic engines under the hood, but the Shelby GT350 first went on sale back in 2015. The Mustang is also the only relatively mainstream vehicle available with this unique configuration. The only other vehicles using the engine type today are Ferrari and McLaren vehicles, plus the new Mercedes AMG GT Black Series.
Yet, while the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 revs to an astonishing 8,250 rpm, it still sounds distinctly like an American muscle car. It’s deep and burly at lower revs, snarls as the speed grows and completely screams as it approaches the redline. Plus, there are some wonderful burbles and crackles on the overrun. And let’s not forget, it does all of that with 526 hp and a manual transmission.
See why we consider it one of the greats?
