ZR-1 vs Shelby

[8cam]

Ok either the ZR-1 is about the size of an MG, or the Shelby is an RV! Ok not quite that bad, but it sure felt like my car was dwarfed by the GT350. A friend brought his new toy by today and I got to drive it. Holy cow what an amazing car, and yes absolutely pastes my old vette. Loved it.

[Kevin]

my mazda 6 "Feels" small...I had a c4 behind me yesterday, could only see the top of the windshield.

[8cam]

Standing next to it, with the Z ahead, it was shocking just how large it looked. The Z looked like a Miata...a very wide Miata.

The sound is otherworldly, fantastic. That flat-crank V8 sounds like a crazed animal, especially off-throttle with all the spits and pops (sport mode is awesome). It really does sound like a much bigger version of my 308's V8. I only drove it for about 15 minutes, and it's still in the break-in period so I didn't go much over 5k rpm, but even then it's just astounding. The turn-in is super-responsive and will grab quickly if you're not careful. The clutch is a little strange, with resistance in the first inch, and then it's like tissue paper, very light, with a pinpoint engagement. Nothing like the progressive clutch in the Corvette. Oh and the brakes are RIGHT NOW.

Honestly I loved it, and if I was new car shopping in the $60-70k range, this would be a strong contender. Absolutely amazing car. It was a fun afternoon.

I will say it's also amazing how well the ZR-1 compares, being 26 years old. It's clearly a bit slower in all respects, but the steering turn-in and feel is pretty similar. The seat/steering wheel/pedal relationship is surprisingly similar, and those Recaro seats feel almost exactly like the 90 sport seats.

The real kicker will be when he brings it to the next autocross and we can compare notes. I fully expect him to be a lot quicker, but it'll be fun to run after him.

[ZR-1 Franz]

When this Shelby is so fantastic, why doesn't anybody try (the Ford company included)
to get the world records the ZR-1 was able to get?
I know, Volkswagen got them, in some way the same way they manipulated their
diesel cars. Nice company! Not gentlemen like!

Franz

[Vette73]

True the ZR1 set records for top speed for a given amount of hours but in the real world how often are we going to put those claims to the test? None....

I think what he was trying to get at was in the real world of driving- acceleration, braking,driving aggressive for a half a mile or so, the Shelby just left the Z behind....

It's understandable due to the technology that we have gained in the past two decades...

[G8nightman]

True should compare a 90 mustang to a 90 Z :-)

[32valvesftw]

Originally Posted by G8nightman

True should compare a 90 mustang to a 90 Z :-)

Having owned a 90 mustang 5.0 and now a 91Z there is not much too compare. For 1990 the Stang was pretty fast, and ZR-1 were so rare on the road I never ran across one to play with, but it would not have been much of a contest. Stock for Stock the V-8 Camaros would run the Stang.

[rush91]

I got to ride along in a new Shelby last weekend. It was as you described....An assault on the senses. When the exhaust was changed from the default to the track mode, OH my GOODNESS!!! The sound was incredibly NASCAR like, wake the dead, and lovely!!
Seeing them parked next to each other, reminds me how far ahead of its time the ZR-1 was. And to me, it still looks like something out of the future.

[Fully Vetted]

In a lot of ways this new Shelby is doing the same thing the ZR-1 did in '90. They are taking a current platform and putting a stand alone engine unavailable in any other car and upgrading the rest of the car around it. The new 5.2L FPC engine in the Shelby is every bit as ground breaking as the LT5 was back then. Dollar for dollar the LT5 cost a lot more to develop but every analogy breaks down at some point. Kudos to Ford engineers for having the balls to tell the bean counters to get out of their sandbox.

De'ja' vue all over again...

[8cam]

Originally Posted by Fully Vetted

In a lot of ways this new Shelby is doing the same thing the ZR-1 did in '90. They are taking a current platform and putting a stand alone engine unavailable in any other car and upgrading the rest of the car around it. The new 5.2L FPC engine in the Shelby is every bit as ground breaking as the LT5 was back then. Dollar for dollar the LT5 cost a lot more to develop but every analogy breaks down at some point. Kudos to Ford engineers for having the balls to tell the bean counters to get out of their sandbox.

De'ja' vue all over again...

BINGO.

Of course the Shelby is faster than the ZR-1 everywhere, it's 26 years newer! Hard to find published top speed numbers, but I'd bet it's well in excess of 180mph. 1/4 mile times look slightly quicker, but where it shines is on a road course, where it will absolutely walk away. My time was limited and couldn't really push it, but the feel was outstanding.

And yes, real world driving is a whole real world different too, but again...26 years newer. The old Z holds up pretty damn well, and is still an outstanding car.

Cool to see a manufacturer build a car with a radical engine, designed to take down far more expensive competition, and still practical enough to drive every day. Sounds familiar.