Why if the Shelby GT has no spoiler, are the GT-H's equipped with spoilers. The H's would look 10X better without the spoiler! Is it a cost thing? (Motor Trend magazine says that the GT-H has stock wheels because of cost issues.) I'm confused

 

good question...I was wondering why this car is so much different than the GT-H as well....if it is supposed to be the public version of the same car....

 

I would think that they were reversing a previous decision in order to make the GT look more like the original GT-350.

 

I guess it's Shelby's attempt to, if unevenly, go less peacock and more purposeful with their GT. I, for one, applaud the lack of that spoiler as it adds only weight and drag and just looks like the generic, marketing-office driven tack on that it is. GT500's might be a different matter as that is much better integrated, stylistically, and might even function to reduce lift and drag a touch.

The Dumbo Ear side scoops are still, well, dumb (wish they'd model the '65 version here), doing nothing but adding drag and dead weight. At least they aren't as goofy as the SN95 versions (progress of a sorts?).

Kinda like the riveted-on aspect of the hood scoop, a certainly level of stylistic honesty here in that it's a tack on scoop to begin with. Presumably it's still a falsie though, wish they'd cut even a modest hole in the hood (wasn't the hood framing made just to allow such a thing) to give it at least a vestige of credibility rather than the hollow codpiece that it is now.

Also dissappointed by yet another set of Bullitt wheels on yet another Stang. The uniqueness of these wheels dissolved years ago when Ford started slapping them on just about every other Stang to roll off the assembly line. Reminds me of one of those Demotivational posters: "Be different, just like everybody else." The fact that no original Shelby's ever had the Bullitt style wheels didn't seem to be enough to ween Ford off their addiction to them. The Fanblades actually come closer to looking like some of the original Shelby Mustang wheels, wish they'd have used those.

Rest of the car is nice enough, if not particularly a Bold Move. Another 25hp would have been nice to justify a GT350 nomenclature as would a six speed to more finely match the revs to the terrain. GT500 style Brembos brakes would have been quite appreciated here rather than the stock, fade-prone Stang GT brakes on the ostensibly road-racer oriented Shelby GT.

Maybe another color or two would be nice (a deep blue and deep red with the silver stripes would look quite nice.) Split on the Hurst shifter: definitely a cool, very retro touch though perhaps a slightly more modern interpretation of the cue ball shifter would have been cooler and fresher. At least less chance Ford will totally wear out that theme as with the Bullitt wheels.

 

They didn't?? 1965 GT-350 #249

 

I don't think the regular factory/showroom models came with Bullitt'esque wheels, though some factory race cars (GT350R) did and certainly some aftermarkets were added post-purchase.

The regular wheels seemed to be either these Cragers, which I think are most closely echoed by the Fanblades:


or the stock Shelby steels (not sure of name):

 

The cost issue was not making the cars more expensive than they needed to be. That's why the cars all came with the standard Bullitt 17" wheels.

The spoiler thing, I guess Ford already committed to the run of 500 black GT premium models that were in the pipeline, and all had the wing already applied, I don't know the answer for this one, you got me

 

ah cool, thanks for the response. It just perplexed me for a lil while.

 

No sweat Lucas.

 

will we have the option of adding a spoiler? Maybe a small dovetail type. The rear end looks to plain otherwise, in my humble opinion. I can't wait for this car!