GT500 Scores ‘Motor Trend’ Best Driver’s Car’ Best Lap Time
With Randy Pobst behind the wheel, Shelby GT500 CFTP dominates Laguna Seca to claim the best-lap crown from the 2018 Camaro ZL1!
When it comes to high-performance Mustangs, the GT500 stands above all others. The name represents the pinnacle of ponies, with the latest bringing 760 horses and 625 lb-ft of torque to whatever street, highway or track it visits. Pair that up with a sticky set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, plus carbon fiber wheels to keep the unsprung weight down, and that’s a recipe for greatness.
How great? Enough to steal a crown from the Camaro ZL1, of course! MotorTrend (via AutoEvolution) recently took a GT500 CFTP out to Laguna Seca for a hot lap as part of the pub’s “Best Driver’s Car 2020” awards. And who better to get the most out of the stallion than the racing legend himself, Randy Pobst.
“Three years ago,” said MotorTrend senior features editor John Lieberman, “the 650-horsepower Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE managed to pop-off a 1:34.30 lap around WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. We’re thinking Randy Pobst has a pretty good shot at going quicker with the GT500.”
With all 760 horses howling at 107 decibels, Pobst rushed through the start/finish line to begin the hot lap, getting up to 130 mph before slowing down through the first turn. The big steel brakes keep things in control around the bends, while the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 helps the pony hustle down each straight.
“What a fun car,” Pobst said at the end of his run. “Front-engine, supercharged, rear-wheel drive, and a chassis that works. Really impressive work from Ford Performance.”
Pobst was also impressed with how the big V8 and its supercharger spread-out the power and torque through the range, and all through the wheels. And speaking of the wheels, he also says the GT500 is “the best-stopping car” of the 2020 class.
“A couple of years ago, we loved the Shelby GT350R,” said Liberman, “the naturally aspirated sorta version of this. That car did a 1:36.11 […] This car, the GT500, did a 1:33.84, which not long ago would’ve been a track record. The fact that it’s a Mustang is ridiculous.”
It also scored a Best Driver’s title for the loudest car with its aforementioned 107-decibel howl. May we never get tired of winning any time soon with the Shelby GT500.
Join the Mustang Source Forums now!
