BMW M4 Proves Just How Impressive the Shelby GT350R Really Is
America’s greatest Shelby Mustang easily outmuscles the German competition.
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R is officially dead, it goes to pasture to make room for the new Mach 1 going forward. To celebrate this incredible machine, we want to prove how impressive the engineering and performance of this sports car is by comparing it to the newest and greatest sports coupe from BMW, the 2021 BMW M4. You can say that nobody will ever cross shop the M4 and the Mustang, but the two cars line up a lot closer than you might think.
First, let’s start with the obvious big details. The M4 starts at $72k and the GT350R is $73K. They are both rear-wheel drive, front engine coupes, and they are both sold with a manual transmission. They line up on paper as direct competitors. Many would outright dismiss this comparison and assume the BMW is the more performant machine. It’s Bavaria’s greatest automotive creation, and a “true” sports coupe, after all. Take a look farther down that spec sheet though and it’s obvious that the Mustang GT350R is dominant machine in this pairing.
Let’s start with the basic platform. Compared to the brand new 2021 BMW M4, the Shelby GT350R is wider, lower, and shorter. That is the ideal combination for greater handling performance. While the Mustang is far from a featherweight, the 3710lb GT350R is more than 100lbs lighter than any version of the M4. And then we get to the engines.
The magnificent Voodoo V8 in the Shelby GT350R cranks out 526 horsepower and 420 lbs-ft of torque, easily besting the M4’s 473/406 output. Yes folks, even with a pair of turbochargers, the BMW M4 still doesn’t make more torque than Ford’s Voodoo V8. Hell, the BMW’s fancy turbocharged engine barely holds up against a base Mustang GT in terms of power output.
Couple the power advantage with the weight savings and you end up with the Mustang being the faster car. The 0-60 sprint for the GT350R happens in 3.9 seconds, while the M4 requires 4.1 seconds. Top speed isn’t even a contest with the M4’s electronically limited 155 mph against the Shelby’s 178 mph.
Now, BMW offers a more powerful version of the M4 called the Competition. This version swaps in an AWD system, and automatic transmission, and increases power and torque, all for a higher cost. Hand BMW $75k and you get 503 horsepower, 479 lb-ft or torque, an increased top speed of 180 mph, and a 0-60 sprint of just 3.8 seconds. But even with all of that, the GT350R still sits on top. The M4 competition wins out in torque by a healthy margin of 50 lb-ft, but that only manages to hand the BMW a .1 second advantage to 60 and a measly 2 mph top speed win. Plus, the Competition package adds weight.
That is where the BMW always loses out, total mass. If you take a look at power to weight ratios, each raging pony in the Mustang GT350R only needs to move 7.07 pounds. The BMW M4 on the other hand works out to 8.1 pounds per horsepower. Even the more powerful M4 Competition falls shy at 7.7 pounds per pony. No matter how you slice it, the Mustang Shelby GT350R is a faster and more capable machine for the same amount of money, and we are unbelievably heartbroken to see the model discontinued.
Of course, there are still going to be people who insist the BMW will actually be the faster car on the race track, so let’s put all the arguments to rest right here and now. The fastest version of the M4 ever created to date was the M4 GTS from the last generation. It weighs 400 pounds less than the new M4, and makes more power from its engine. It has a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 190, easily making it the fastest and lightest thing we have talked about here.
And the BMW STILL loses out to the Mustang Shelby GT350R.
In Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap testing at VIR, the fastest lap set by the Mustang GT350R was 02:51.8. The BMW M4 GTS came in more than one full second slower at 02:52.9. If that isn’t enough proof that the Mustang Shelby GT350R might be the greatest car Ford has ever built…?
Well, that sounds like a you problem.
Photos: Ford
Join the Mustang Source Forums now!
