Believe it or not, one of the features on the Shelby Mustang GT350 and GT350R twins started life in a Ford Taurus SHO.
One day, Mike Makled, electrical engineer for Shelby programs, was driving his when he suddenly had to come to a quick stop. The collision warning system in Makled’s car flashed red in the heads-up display to warn him of impending danger.
That’s when the lightbulb in his head also lit up. “I thought, ‘Wait a minute, why don’t we use that technology for our shift light on the GT350?’” Makled said. “With a few tweaks, it could have a big effect on high-performance driving.” Makled had a prototype system installed in his Taurus.
The production version of the Performance Shift Light Indicator is standard equipment in the Shelby Mustang GT350 and GT350R and displayed on the HUD. The shift points, light intensity, and operating modes are adjustable through the gauge cluster’s driver information center. Those modes include:
-Tach: Amber LEDs light up from left to right as revs climb to provide a second tachometer display
-Track: As the RPMs build, LEDs light up from the outside ends to the middle. When the optimal shift point is reached, the entire LED bar flashes
-Drag: The entire LED light bar stays dark until the driver-selected shift point is hit, then flashes repeatedly
You can watch those modes in action in the video below.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
