Crown

J.Seven:

Congrats    what a great looking car, and with this beautiful and discret color it looks simply perfect, this is the real muscle American car, lots of power, RWD and monster drift abilities, I love that  what a weapon you got, it will be even more fun than your TTS, specially in winter with the rear rear end dancing all the way down the street  Finaly you will start to love drifting.

But isn´t this car like the American C63 AMG you had! you love that car but couldn´t find traction enought for your driving style and you were always complaining about how useless it was to drive it in winter time! Anyway I think you made a wonderful move, this Mustang looks great, it´s the best of all American muscle cars and it´s totally different from what we are used to see here in Europe, congrats again 

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J.Seven

997.2 Cab 2S

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS

BMW X6 4.0D

BMW X5 4.4i V8

Thank you but I still haven't decided because I do not have a safe parking space yet.

Yes, this car is similar to my former C63 but I do not plan to use it as a daily driver and I won't use it in winter time. My drifting fun days are long gone but I will certainly enjoy some moderate slides whereever it'll be safe.

The Shelby will be more of a real fun car, not really a high performance driving machine like the 991 TTS. Just a keeper for some fun with my son on weekends and when I'm bored, I can add to the fun by adding/modding parts. 

Kind of getting a toy I always wanted as a kid.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

993Targa:

What I mean is you can only drive one car at the time. When I would have a free hour (and was in your shoes) I would pick the 991 TTS over the Mustang.

Don't be that sure. The 991 Turbo S is an amazing performer, the chassis setup is almost perfect, this car has traction without limits and you can really have a lot of fun in this car but I have to say that as a weekend fun car, it kind of became boring. I sometimes enjoy driving my Jeep SRT more...no kidding. I just want to add some excitement to the mix, something more raw, something which I can play with, including the hardware. I'm coming from Rally sport and I repaired/improved lots of things myself and/or with friends and the Shelby allows a customization which is practically impossible with the Turbo S. Due to the fact that there are lots of enthusiasts in Germany, most parts come with TÜV (street legal), so there are vast possibilities to mod a Shelby GT 500 over here and for relatively little money.

The Turbo S will stay my top performer but the Shelby is going to be my weekend fun car. Also, it is a dream coming true and since I am going to buy this car, it is going to stay with me for a very long time. If I don't like it, I can sell it with little loss, so no problem here.

Sometimes, perfection can get boring and while I cannot really say that the Turbo S is boring, I something feel bored. There is a tiny difference if you understand what I mean, maybe the Turbo S doesn't challenge me enough (the car could use at least 50 horses more) or whatever, I don't know but I want to add something special to the mix and I really loved my C63 (great fun car, horrible winter car), so the Shelby is kind of a replacement of the C63 (I had an offer for a C63 Coupe Edition 507 from my local Mercedes dealer too, same money as the Shelby but I realized I want something even crazier and the Shelby is just the right choice).

I know it is difficult to understand. If I had the money, I would have probably added a GT3 or a SLS Roadster to the mix, maybe even a Jaguar F-Type Coupe but I have a certain financial limit I can go with and it is only enough for the Shelby.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

JimFlat6:

Lars997:

I already discussed this with my wife - she agrees to let the Porsche go for a Corvette. What else you need as support? 

Support is a good thing

I drove my friends new Corvette tonight again. T top, Z51 package, 3 LT Black Leather, manual gear box. The handling and interior are miles ahead of the last generation and with the roof off there is less wind buffeting than a Boxster. The Leather makes the car smell German, because GM buys the leather interior parts from a German supplier. Even the doors fit and close with some precision versus the last gen Corvette. The cockpit and instruments have been hugely upgraded leaving little to complain about anymore.

Only negative handling issue I could feel is that it feels like it has a touch too much  positive camber in the front and that makes the front end feel lighter than it actually is, they probably do that for US CAFE mpg requirements and that can easily be adjusted. Over rough pavement you can feel body reacting slower than the chassis but nothing unlivable, it just doesn't have the precise rock solid behavior of a Porsche 911. Maybe the Z06 will, who knows yet. The steering is ok, but a touch of neg camber would make the front end feel sharper and more planted on turn in and stiffer at higher speeds. Forget the 0 to 60 times because its 60 to 110mph time is where the action is and it sounds glorious. The brakes do not have that initial bite/modulation sensitivity that a 911 has, but you could get used to that, but if you are used to Porsches you may want to look at a Z06 brake upgrade kit.  Its a good car with a lot of V8 thrills. In the US its Boxster money and maybe for the ROW LHD market its a good choice for buyers bored with 911's who want better performance than a Jag F type offers.  Its no longer a toy car and for GM that is amazing.

 

Thanks Jim for your first hand impressions. Sounds very tempting!!! Cant wait to have a test ride!

The Corvette has come far and GM could have done even better if they would have tweaked a couple of things in the interior (the steering wheel is just looking too bulky for example). For 80k EUR in Germany (my Boxster S costs the same), this car is a steal, no doubt about it. GM needs to do something about the bad reputation of the Corvette and US manufacturers in general need to change the reputation of building outdated, old tech cars.

Even the Shelby GT500 (2014), a car with a live rear axle, feels and drives quite well with the Performance Package, so US manufacturers clearly have improved their products a lot and my first US car, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is the best proof for that. Amazing truck for little money (65k EUR, a Cayenne with similar performance and options costs double the money).

Today I told my bank guy that I want to get the Shelby and first thing he asked was: "Doesn't it drive horribly through curves?" He was under the impression that US cars have remained stuck with the car technology from 20 years ago.  Oh boy...but you get the prejudice about US cars over here in Germany. The Shelby is no GT3 but it is actually quite fun to drive through curves. Just for the book.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Enjoy the Shelby.

The decision has been taken...pickup will be coming Friday. This is the logo from my actual car.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Congratulations! If you were not stuck in the TTS lease you probably would have turned it in.

nberry:

Congratulations! If you were not stuck in the TTS lease you probably would have turned it in.

Nope. Only downside of having the Turbo S is the garage space and maybe the monthly lease rates but since I still drive the Turbo S, not really a problem. The missing garage space is unfortunate but at least I found an underground garage which is safe (hopefully...it is an office building with public access to the garage from 6 am to 6 pm. ). I also found a specialized garage for oldtimers and precious cars, incl. "boxes" (cars are locked in an individual box) in the same garage but unfortunately there is no space available yet. I put myself down on a waiting list, maybe...

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

The Cobra will give you all the fun you need. It may not be as fast as the TTS but it will stimulate every sense. The TTS will be like an old shoe.

An old shoe? That is hysterical, considering RC's frequent comments about his wifes shoe collection. Just how many pairs of shoes is that Mustang going to cost him?

Congrats RC.... time to visit you!

Bold decisions usually are paying off!

Ever considered a Ford GT? 

noone1:

Ever considered a Ford GT? 

Of course. They sell for over 170k EUR over here...used. Good cars are even over 200k EUR. 

I became a real Shelby expert over the past few days, had contact to some amazing people in Germany, one of them being the Mustang guru over here. Learned so many things, unfortunately also that Mustang drivers tend to believe a lot of crap and there is a huge market for this crap. They play around with non approved tire sizes, chassis setups, engine setups and while some of this stuff actually works well, a lot of mods are very questionable and highly dangerous, at least for high speed Autobahn driving. Nevertheless, it was a very interesting experience and I also learned how cheap a high performance car can be if the manufacturer actually cares about a good performance/value ratio.

To my surprise, the GT500 Shelby (especially the 2013 and 2014 MYs) seems to be a very reliable car if you don't mess with it too much. The stock setup is good for another 60-80 horses (the optional track package is a must for any tuning) but thats it. Everything over that power increase needs serious hardware changes.

Autobild Sportscars tested the 2013 GT500 Shelby at 0-100 kph in 4.2 seconds and 0-200 kph in 12.1 seconds. Not bad for such a "cheap" car. Top speed is 322 kph but it takes forever to get there. Usually the Shelby goes up to 315 kph quite easily and after that, it takes a while to reach the 322 kph. With the 60-80 hp upgrade (pulley, throttle body, CAI, tune), the car does close to 330 kph. If you look at it, it looks as if it can do 240 kph or so but not a single kph more. 

Now I stop the bragging...I'm just impressed.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

330Kph is surprising!!! This is like a series 3 making 330Kph, never thought it could reach those speeds with this chassi!! Probably this car set up is much better than everybody here in Europe think it is! You got to have a lot of engineering going on to reach those speeds safely and with reliability. The amount of heat generate at those speeds is enought to melt many so called sport exhaust! Can´waite to hear your ownership experience with this American wild car. Have fun with it 

J.Seven

997.2 Cab 2S

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS

BMW X6 4.0D

BMW X5 4.4i V8

Congrats RC   Can't wait for your review of the GT500 Vs. German cars .

J.Seven:

330Kph is surprising!!! This is like a series 3 making 330Kph, never thought it could reach those speeds with this chassi!! Probably this car set up is much better than everybody here in Europe think it is! You got to have a lot of engineering going on to reach those speeds safely and with reliability. The amount of heat generate at those speeds is enought to melt many so called sport exhaust! Can´waite to hear your ownership experience with this American wild car. Have fun with it 

When I drove the GT500 for the very first time, I was surprised. I expected, according to a German reviewer this car has no chassis technology at all, some kind of freakish ride with a monster engine. Surprisingly, the ride was quite smooth, the live rear axle better than it's reputation and the car actually felt quite nimble in curves, the steering also was much more direct than expected (in "Sport" mode, you can adjust the steering parameters). Overall, the only situation where the car didn't feel as good as most fast cars I have driven in the past was at very high speeds (never got over 300 kph though) on the Autobahn. The live rear axle kind of tends to "jump" on bumps and/or uneven road surfaces and at speeds over 260 kph, this kind of felt a little bit weird (some would say "scary", I'd say "different"). It is unbelievable how fast this car goes to 300 kph and according to various experience reports I've read from owners, the car goes pretty fast up to 320 kph (aprox. 310 kph in reality according to GPS measurements) on the speedo but after that, it moves slower. 

Of course the GT500 has plenty of power and even in the second gear, the tires squeal and the rear shakes. On wet surface, I assume traction difficulties even in the third gear.  This car reminds me a lot of the C63 AMG Coupe PP I owned but the power release feels different, much more brutal, it is difficult to explain.

In curves, the car needs to be handled with caution, the rear comes nicely but luckily not instantly, you get a fair warning and it slides quite smoothly, so no surprises here. The rear however is more nervous than on my former C63, this is for sure. Even with the traction control turned off, the car is pretty tame, easy to handle for an experienced driver, no surprises here. When the rear comes, it comes smoothly, pretty easy controllable, the setup is quite nice but of course I would want to see AWD on such a car.

The most remarkable thing about the GT500 is the engine of course. What a monster. Even looking at it makes me shiver. 

Now I stop before I get too much into the mood and continue this forever. 

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Ron (Houston):

Congrats RC   Can't wait for your review of the GT500 Vs. German cars .

Thanks, Ron.  Well...it is a completely different car but in a positive way. Actually, I think every serious car enthusiast should have at least one pony (muscle) car in his garage, no matter if it is a classic or a newer one. This is a car you take out for a ride when you want to have fun, not necessarily when you want to be the fastest out there. It is difficult to explain. You should take a test-drive.  

When I showed my new Mustang dealer my 991 Turbo S, he said: Thanks god, a real Porsche, not a Boxster.  These guys, I cannot believe how many Mustang enthusiasts are in Bavaria, are really hardcore. Some of them also drive Porsche, Ferrari and other exotics or some extreme US cars with over 1000 hp. In Germany. Unbelievable. Nice people and surprisingly coming from many different social backgrounds and getting along quite well. Like my Jeep, the Mustang also doesn't seem to create much envy over here, people view it as a classic car, something for car lovers, not show-offs. Interesting.

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)