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Meet The 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500

Ford had already revealed that the car is "projected" to make 700 hp, and now it's promised to make over 700 hp (and around the same power as the Ford NASCAR race car, Ford said). That may be all what A LOT of people need to know about it. But, as magnificent as it is, making that much horsepower alone isn't the best thing about this car. Less than two weeks ago, I wrote what I thought is going to be the best thing about this car in This GT500 should stay truer to the original 1967 GT500 formula put together by Carroll Shelby and Ford and be more track capable. Carbon Fibre All Things There's a Track Pack. It's called Carbon-Fibre Track pack. I fully expected this car to be more track capable, and I figured there would be a performance pack of some sort like Ford did with the last generation (i.e. the SVT pack). But I didn't expect something of this caliber. Ford seems to have a clear target in its sights; the Camaro ZL1 1LE. The same Ford Per

Saleen Grille Tested - Does It Really Increase Airflow?

730 hp Mustang Saleen 302 Black Label - Saleen © Most people who track their cars quickly come to recognize one of the biggest enemies of speed; heat. Heat affects tires, brakes, fluids, the engine, everything. One area that gets more than its fair share of heat is the engine bay. The most efficient gasoline/petrol engines struggle to exceed 35% efficiency - meaning that more than 65% of the energy in the fuel that is burnt inside the engine is not converted into motion or 'useful energy'. Most of the non-useful energy left over is turned into heat. That means that your average hot hatch making 200 hp could easily produce around 300 kW (400 hp) of heat as a byproduct of making 200 hp. If you're having trouble wrapping your head around that number, that's enough power to heat a large home improvement store. In Canada. Some of that heat goes out the exhaust (thankfully) but a lot of it has to be dealt with in the engine bay through your radiator, and oil cooler i

Can a Viper ACR take on A McLaren Senna on track?

Yes, I have mentioned a Dodge in the same breath as a McLaren, and a McLaren that was named after no one other than Ayrton Senna. You might get angry. You might think I've gone mad or lost my bearings. But before you do any of that, consider this: What is arguably the most outrageous metric or aspect about the Senna? Power? Construction? Brakes? No, in my opinion, it's aerodynamics. The power, the brakes, the suspension, the attention to detail, everything is very impressive, but none is ground breaking, especially for McLaren. The aerodynamics, though, are what resulted in the menacing and brutal function-over-form styling of the Senna which makes an Alien vs Predator battle scene look like child's play in comparison. So if it's aerodynamics, the amount of downforce must be huge (it is). You know the 911 (991) GT3 RS? It makes do with just 262 kg (622 lb.) at 150 mph. The insane 991.2 GT2 RS generates a maximum of 450 kg (992 lb.) at its 211 mph top speed. Tha

The New Shelby GT500 Is Coming in Two Weeks

If you've been paying attention in 2018, you probably already know that a brand new S550 Mustang Shelby GT500 is coming this year. And there is good reason to believe that the 2019 North American Auto Show (often referred to as the Detroit Auto Show) in less than two weeks will host the debut of the GT500. Why the 2019 Detroit Auto Show? It's one of the biggest auto shows for Ford. Ford decided to reveal its Ford GT at the same show three years ago in 2015, and also threw in the current Shelby GT350R and the current F-150 Raptor for good measure. The Shelby GT500 has already been confirmed by Ford and teased in a couple of pictures and videos. Why is the GT500 significant? The first Shelby GT500 was a 1967 model and it was developed with help from the legend himself, Carroll Shelby. Because of Shelby's personal involvement in racing at the time, the original Shelby GT500 was actually meant to be a track monster, not only a straight line car. It used a a modified versio

Can Telemetry Explain Schumacher's Talent?

With Michael Schumacher's recent fantastic news that he is no longer bedridden , I figured it would be a great opportunity to share one of my absolute favourite videos about him. I stumbled across this video last year and immediately bookmarked it. It includes bits from interviews with various F1 drivers, including Schumacher himself and team mate Johnny Herbert. But my favourite part of the video is when they compare telemetry between Schumacher and Herbert. The telemetry clearly explains where Schumacher is saving (lap) time and how exactly his talent and skills translate to better (and ultimately faster) driving. His talent is even more impressive when you consider the lack of active throttle mapping in modern F1 cars and the myriad of improvements made to driveability. Watch below to see for yourself. What I love about this video is that I found Jonathan's Palmer analysis of Schumacher's telemetry to be absolutely true when applied to my driving on track.






Does An Aftermarket Grille Really Increase Airflow?
I put a Saleen S281 grille to the test to answer that question.

Stock Suspension S197 Mustang With Square 305/30/19's
What you need to fit a proper size square tire setup.

How Limited Slip Diffs Make You Faster on Track
What you need to know about how they put power down and pros and cons.

Can Telemetry Explain Schumacher's Talent?
A comparison between Schumacher's and then team mate Herbert's data.






Cayman GT4 Track Review
The first Cayman with proper (911-challenging) power.

Is an EcoBoost Mustang any good on Track?
Two days at the track in a Mustang short 4 cylinders.

2016 BMW M4 DCT Track Review
It's quick (properly quick). But is it fun?

Can a stock Golf Diesel handle a Track Day?
Not your every day track beater.




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Falken Azenis RT615k+ Street and Track Review

Last year, I picked up a 2009 Lancer Ralliart to do a long term test with it as a dual duty track/daily. One of the first things I knew I was going to do was put a decent set of tires on it. The car came without OEM wheels which was actually good because I didn't have to hesitate about getting a good set of aftermarket wheels to support going wider. Thankfully, my friends at YST Auto Halifax  set me up with a great set of Superspeed RF03RR wheels. The Wheels I had never even heard of Superspeed but I trusted the good folk at YST Auto who mentioned some customer cars running on track with them. These wheels are rotary forged which is basically a prerequisite to be taken seriously in this market populated by companies like TSW and Fast Wheels. The wheels looked like a high quality, well finished wheel and each had a "QC" check sticker on. Just for appearances? Maybe, but I found no defects. The wheels seemed easy to balance (didn't need many weights) and at 18.1 lb. f

2007 Saleen Mustang S281 SC Super Shaker Track Review

"Who's your green student today?" asked a friend and instructor at the BMW Club Atlantic Advanced Driver Training (HPDE) weekend in June this year. I said: "The Saleen." The response was: "Oh, boy." Mustangs, generally, have a reputation for being more power than chassis. Mustang drivers have quite the reputation for.. how to put this nicely? Taking advantage of said power/chassis imbalance. To make matters worse, this particular Mustang was a supercharged Saleen, with a honkin' Shaker scoop sticking out of its hood. Did I mention it was also a convertible? And the owner was someone who's never been on track before but clearly has the speed bug. Having had a Mustang for years and driven a few on track, they don't scare me - generally speaking - but the combination of being convertible and supercharged with a new and excited owner worried me a little. Nevertheless, I shrugged it off and got excited about chatting with the owner to find

2014 BMW 335i xDrive M Sport Review

Post-refresh 2015 F30 3-series pictured.  Which is better, an F30 3-series or an E46? The F30 has certainly taken its fair share of heat. But if you thought I was going to say the E46, you'd be dead wrong. The F30 3-series is better. Far better. It is quicker, faster, safer, more practical, more efficient, more refined, quieter.. the list goes on. A lot of reviews and people I talk to consider the F30 to be an abomination. Frankly, I don't see it. You'd have to be mad to think the E46 is better. Completely out to lunch. I don't know who in their right mind would prefer the E46..  Trouble is, since when were people buying sports cars in their right minds? Here, lies the real problem. " Raw rather than refined in its noises, pounding ride, heavy clutch, 50 grand and cloth seats? " "..  and not at all shy about its performance compromises. It always acts like the automotive jock it is, every mile of every day. " " Raw and quite loud.. An

How Limited Slip Diffs Make You Faster on Track

SADOKIST's (eSports Host) E46 BMW M3 GT3 Race Car - Kevin Doubleday © Over the years, I've found that limited slip diffs (LSD's) are some of the least appreciated performance parts you could get (or upgrade) for a car. LSD's make a big difference, though, because they can vastly improve how early you can get back on the power and, therefore, how good your corner exit is. That last bit is very important if you're driving on track and want to get a good lap. You don't have to just take my word for it, though. F1 royalty Sir Jackie Stewart puts an emphasis on the importance of corner exit. When Captain Slow was sent to him to cut 20 seconds off his lap time (Top Gear Season 8 - Episode 5), Sir Jackie told him: "the exit of the corner is FAR more important than the entry of the corner, with regards to smoothness." Sir Jackie Stewart coaching James May in a TVR Tuscan - Top Gear Season 8 Episode 5 You really need to nail the exit. And to get a