I have seen the Car and Driver article and it is interesting, but we all know tracks change depending on the day, weather, humidity, heat, etc. I have watched GT 350s disappear down every straight I run on the two tracks my Mach has been on. I also know the speeds I achieved when I had a GT 350 and again, I was slower down the straights in the Mach. Now when it comes to stopping and cornering I find the two cars very similar, so Ford did take a lot of the wonderful GT350 DNA and transfer it over to the Mach 1. You must be very disciplined with the Mach 1 and keep the momentum up always, where a little lapse with the GT 350 is not overly detrimental. At both Heartland Motorsports Park and Motorsports Park Hastings the gearing on the Mach 1 ( limited by the 7500 redline ) means you will shift 2-4 more times per lap and we all know reducing shifts usually will help lower your track times - score benefit for the GT 350.

Both cars surprise their competitors and at the last event, though I was beaten by most of the Camaro ZL1 1LEs, I was able to fill their mirrors enough that I made a few nervous and they left the door open for me to pass. They had all bumped up to TTU , were running Pirelli slicks, so I hope in the future they drop down to TT1 with normal DOT rubber to see if I can hang even better --- cornering and stopping is the forte of the Mach 1 and GT 350!

Darn it, Bill - you are making me really want to spend money and get a Mach 1! I keep having dreams about ordering one in Eruption Green with Recaros, Handling package, Tremec and no other options. I would have to free up some space by selling something else (not my 350R!) but I'm not prepared to do that just yet. Sort of waiting to hear what the S650 specialty edition will be - if it's another Boss, then I am hooked.

One never knows what is coming from the Marketing Minds at the Blue Oval, could the S650 Specialty Edition be another run of the famed Mustang Ghia, vinyl landau top and all !!!

Nooooooooooooo! Or maybe they have a sense of irony and give us what we really want:

Bill Pemberton said:

One never knows what is coming from the Marketing Minds at the Blue Oval, could the S650 Specialty Edition be another run of the famed Mustang Ghia, vinyl landau top and all !!!

Click to expand...

Buzz Kill!! Lol.

Bill Pemberton said:

Having spent 30+ years selling high performance cars and trucks , along to getting Dodge to build a couple of special editions for the Dealership I worked for I would have to tell folks the winner long term will be the GT500. I love my Mach 1 and surprisingly I find it as much fun as all my Boss 302s and even my GT 350, but with the limited number of GT500s, the HP number will rule exactly like a 69 Boss 429 holds sway over a regular 69 Boss 302. Those of us who actually track our cars are in the minority by quite a bit, yet the Armchair Racers are a distinct majority and they will pony up to buy the power. I agree with RES_22 that a GT350 should be thrown in the picture, as the Voodoo will hold a spot in V8 history akin to the Hemi, a Cobrajet, or a 427 three deuce Corvette.

All that said, the car for you may be the one you can afford and if ye olde wallet has some big green hiding in it , I would jump on a GT 500.

Click to expand...

Hi Bill. This is an old conversation and I am probably hijacking it a bit. I have my Mach1 HP A10 but also recently got a 22 Shelby GT500 HP (not CFTP). I took it to The Ridge this weekend. In my Mach1 with a few track days under my belt, with GY Eagle SC 3R tires and track camber etc, my best lap is 1:55.61. Nothing fantastic as I am not a seasoned track driver. My Shelby with PS4S tires, no track camber, first time with this car on a track and I was more nervous than usual, I managed 1:58.09. I was disappointed that it didn't wipe the Mach1 even though the tires weren't ideal. Even with getting to know the car handling better and being braver, I am wondering how much faster it really will be than the Mach1? So my question is, which car would you prefer to take to the track being all things equal? And any other comments you may have...

The two cars have some different characteristics, but you had seat time in the Mach 1 and it was set up for the track. You have illustrated to TMO members how a track alignment and super sticky tires can help one hustle around a road course. I would say you are giving up at least 2 seconds ( minimum ) on tires alone and the GT 500 is more intimidating and it needs some adjustments and seat time to fully assess. I would not be very distressed as I was hustling by guys with GT500s, but I had Hoosiers and a well done track alignment. Hang in there especially since we are envious if you have both those Thoroughbred horses to play with.

Bill Pemberton said:

The two cars have some different characteristics, but you had seat time in the Mach 1 and it was set up for the track. You have illustrated to TMO members how a track alignment and super sticky tires can help one hustle around a road course. I would say you are giving up at least 2 seconds ( minimum ) on tires alone and the GT 500 is more intimidating and it needs some adjustments and seat time to fully assess. I would not be very distressed as I was hustling by guys with GT500s, but I had Hoosiers and a well done track alignment. Hang in there especially since we are envious if you have both those Thoroughbred horses to play with.

Click to expand...

Thanks Bill. Always glad to have your input.

It took me a couple of iterations to get my GT500 to get past my previous GT350 lap times. From the factory the non cftp GT500s are very soft, and quite loose which really saps confidence. Once I got good tires on, I worked through alignment, springs, and swaybars to get the balance where I was comfortable pushing it hard. Over the course of several months I was able to drop 6sec on a 2min lap, on the same tire brand and size.

Stick with it, it will be a beast in the end!

Stan is a fast shoe so take his thoughts and comments to heart. Changing from one vehicle to another few seldom figure out the nuances the very first time out. Stan has his GT 500 winning Time Trials now!

Stan Whitney said:

It took me a couple of iterations to get my GT500 to get past my previous GT350 lap times. From the factory the non cftp GT500s are very soft, and quite loose which really saps confidence. Once I got good tires on, I worked through alignment, springs, and swaybars to get the balance where I was comfortable pushing it hard. Over the course of several months I was able to drop 6sec on a 2min lap, on the same tire brand and size.

Stick with it, it will be a beast in the end!

Click to expand...

Thanks for that Stan. I have the HP so I should have the Adjustable Struts. I can't see any suspension differences from the CFTP except for all the carbon fiber components and wheels? I did add the Steeda 2 point Trac Brace and IRS brace to my Mach1 after adjusting to track camber and found it helped al lot especially with tram-lining. I might do the same to the GT500 after setting it to the track camber. I might lean on your experience with any further mods after I have track'd it a bit.

I mean…..having both as racecars…..i felt more comfortable in the 500 with the dct. Once you throw aero and coil overs the car is crazy planted

IanKar64 said:

Thanks for that Stan. I have the HP so I should have the Adjustable Struts. I can't see any suspension differences from the CFTP except for all the carbon fiber components and wheels? I did add the Steeda 2 point Trac Brace and IRS brace to my Mach1 after adjusting to track camber and found it helped al lot especially with tram-lining. I might do the same to the GT500 after setting it to the track camber. I might lean on your experience with any further mods after I have track'd it a bit.

Click to expand...

The CFTP cars received different spring rates and sway bars I believe.

mavisky said:

The CFTP cars received different spring rates and sway bars I believe.

Click to expand...

Yes, and the wing makes a real difference at the speeds the car can hit. Many of my early frustrations with the handling were solved with my anderson replica wing.

Springs, sway bars, calibration to the magnaride module, no rear seat,

@Stan Whitney when do you wanna drive my 500…… before or after the motec/twin turbo. Right now its around 1000rwhp

Tonymustang302 said:

Springs, sway bars, calibration to the magnaride module, no rear seat,

@Stan Whitney when do you wanna drive my 500…… before or after the motec/twin turbo. Right now its around 1000rwhp

Click to expand...

Now that would be a hoot to drive!!