Clutch

1) The Challenger is much better looking in person than in pics.

2) The Camaro is a lot worse looking than in the pics.

3) And the Shelby....

For those that have not seen the GT500 in person, prepare to be blown away by the cars stance and ride height. Together, much better than the GT/V6. You won't believe it when you see one next to a GT.....pics do not do the difference justice.

Brad made mention that the cobra on the rear medallion in 3-D. Looks great! What I didn't catch was the 3 dimensional cobras in the grill and fenders. They are kind of twisted, and just not 3-D in the sense they stick out from the car. Very classy.

If you're getting the vert, the red seat inserts still do not match the red paint. Be careful there.

Lastly, don't even think about ordering this car without the leather dash.......you'll be disappointed. The regular dash in the vert did not do this car justice.

Sitting in the GT500 convertible was a dream come true. Overall this car scores a 9/10.

crazyhorse

did you see the leather dash? I haven't seen a pic of it.

MilStang

DITTO WHAT CRAZYHORSE SAID!!!




I have always had the intention of getting the leather dash. I just want to see pics of the darn production one!

Hollywood_North GT

I'll triple that! Did they have an example of the leather dash there, cause it didn't seem like they did. Personally, I wouldn't even consider a car this special without that option. Will also make the car more "collectible" (if it ever is) down the road.

I, too, noticed from the pictures that Ford really seemed to get the ride height and the wheel offset correct. This goes a long way to mitigating the fact that the car only has 18" wheels - in fact, I think it totally negates it.

Can't wait to see one in person. Overall, while I have a few gripes here and there (as do many of us, I guess), I'm pretty satisfied. Now if we could just get some test reports on ride quality, shift action, handling and performance...

Clutch

No, sorry, did not see a leather dash. The white/blue coupe may have had one, but I did not see it with the doors open. ( It was spinning on the turn table.) I just know, after sitting in the red vert, the car must absolutely have the leather dash to complete the interior. I would still buy this car if it were not an option, ie it's not make or break, but the regular dash does not fit the rest of this fine, fine automobile.

Aside, I was not very crazy about the hood from the pics either. i thought the air extractors looked like an after thought. Seeing it in person though changed my mind. Instead of bumps stuck onto the top of the hood, the backside sits flush or is fully integrated into the hood, making the design a lot more appealing in person, than in photos. The "cheap" looking vents didn't look cheap to me. They looked like the other black parts on the car. So if you don't like the vents, there is a lot more you probably won't/don't like about this car. Would I change out the vents? I was thinking you could go with a "brushed satin" look to tie in the rear medallion....but I think that once the sun hit the hood, you might not enjoy the glare. Black, is really the only way I'd go with these things.....just like Ford.

blueovalkid

I cant wait to see the car in person! Does anyone know if the Coupe or Vert will be making the car show tour or is it just going to be at select shows?

MilStang

Thanks so much Clutch for sharing your opinion and thoughts of what the Shelby is like in person.

I am truly looking forward to this summer!!

crazyhorse

The 18s will produce a better riding car anyway.

BC, glad to have you back on board. There for a while I thought you had become the biggest GT500 hater on the board.

MilStang

He had started to sway to the dark side, but yea the light pulled him back. He is now once again, our champion once again.

pvillepiper

:jedi:
Can"t wait to see one in person. I will be getting one... maybe about this time next year.

Hollywood_North GT

Yeah, sorry guys, I was getting worried there for a while. Overall the car seems great. Sure, I could whine about a few things: the mirrors, leather on the dash brow only (not the door panels) the lack of amenities...the hood "scoops" - but taken as a whole, the car looks pretty impressive, I must say.

I just hope the shift and clutch action isn't too heavy for daily driving (not that I'll be driving her every day). And I'll be anxious to see what the mags have to say when they take it around the track. (Can't wait to see "the Stig" drive it - if he ever does!)

The big question is: What color to get? I quite like the white with blue stripes, but that negates the red interior, which I think the interior needs to give it a visual "lift." Not a huge fan of Torch Red (kinda orangey, plus red fades over time). I'm thinking Tungsten with the silver stripes and the black/red interior, but not sure how the Shelby will look in Tungsten (can't wait to see pics).

crazyhorse

Is the red interior not available with the White/Blue or just not your taste? I like the red interior a lot better. IT may not be the best choice with white/blue, but, it looks a lot better.

Boomer

From what we've read, the clutch is no heavier than the stock GT for feeling. (Hydro-assisted)
and the shifting feels tight and short throws (not sure any shorter than the GT)

DEFINATELY a lot better than the previous gen. cobra's I'm sure.

MilStang

I've heard also that it is slightly shorter throw and similar to the clutch feel on the GT as well.

Sounds good to me!

tim281

I just got back from the show today also and I agree hands down that the challenger looked much better than the camaro.
The cobra was awesome, it had a firm feel on the clutch (like my 96 cobra) and the tranny shifted really well (much better than my 96). I though the cobra emblems appeared much larger in size than the emblems you find of SN95 cars. I can't wait till they start selling the cobra, I just hope I can get one within the first year of release.
I really like the front fascia of the car much better than the GT's.
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Hollywood_North GT

I don't think the red interior matches very well with a white car that's adorned with blue stripes. I'd have to choose one or the other. Either get the white and blue striped car with the all black interior, or go to a color combo that fits better with the red and black interior...most likely Tungsten/silver stripes.

Hollywood_North GT

Seems to be some contradiction here - though perhaps clutch "feel" is somewhat subjective. As long as it's about the same as the current Mustang GT, and not like the previous generation Cobra, I'm happy.

MilStang

Well if you want to be different you could always try white with red stripes to match the interior.

I like the tungsten with silver stripes as well, and I think that a lot of other people will too.

tim281

I am not used to the 05+ clutch pressures, so I can't speak to how they size up to the cobra. I do think the clutch feels firm and just like my 96 cobra.
The charcoal interior upgrade seemed to be the same in the cobra as the GT option from the picture Brad posted.
I think I would go the tungsten cobra with silver or no strips, or fall back to the old reliable black with no strips.

crazyhorse

I'll have to go back and check, but, I don't think the red is avail as a stripe color. White, blue, silver and gray were the only I remember.