Competition Prepped

Ford Performance will unleash the Shelby GT350R-C this weekend

By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company

With a production model that just begs to run wide open on a road course, it was just a matter of time before Ford Performance released a racing version of the vaunted 2015 Shelby GT350R. That model is called the Shelby GT350R-C. The C is obviously for competition and these cars will see their first competitive action at Watkins Glen this weekend.

“Like so many Mustangs before it, the Shelby GT350R is a car born to race,” Dave Pericak, director, Global Ford Performance, said. “We’re taking it to the track as the GT350R-C and we’re ready to see what it can do against the best competition in the world.”

That top-level competition will be found in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, where the Flat-Plane-Crank 5.2-liter GT350R-C will compete for the remainder of the season with drivers Billy Johnson, Scott Maxwell, Austin Cindric and Jade Buford behind the wheel of these new race cars.

“American muscle cars have a storied history in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and we eagerly anticipate the start of a new chapter with introduction of the Shelby GT350R-C,” Scott Atherton, president of IMSA, said. “Mustang has earned icon status through its racing heritage going back to the competition Mustangs of the 1960s, and this new race car will undoubtedly add to the legend.”

Managing the team is longtime Ford partner Multimatic Motorsports, which previously fielded the Boss 302Rs in IMSA competition.

“Ford is committed to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and we’re very happy to be campaigning its product here,” Larry Holt, team principal, Multimatic Motorsports, said. “We like the endurance format, and the racing is always intense. Strategy plays a big role; the cars must be fast and reliable, and there are always at least 10 contenders running door-to-door for two and a half hours. It is the perfect home for the GT350R-C.”

So, even if you can’t make it to New York to hear that FPC 5.2-liter buzz across the finish line, you can watch the GT350R-C debut live online or on Fox Sports.

2015 Shelby GT350R-C Specs

CHASSIS

• Seam-welded and mass-optimized Shelby GT350 production unibody fitted with FIA-specification Roll-Over Protection System (ROPS)
• Selected panels reproduced in lightweight composite
• FIA-standard race seat
• Five-point harness and lateral restraints
• ATL 79.5 litre (21 US gallon) fuel bladder
• FIA/IMSA-compliant fire suppression system

ENGINE

• Naturally-aspirated Ford quad-cam, dry-sump V8 with flat-plane crankshaft, 5.2-liter displacement, assembled by Roush Yates Engines
• Bosch MS5.0 ECU with engine calibration optimized for endurance racing
• Stainless steel tuned Ford Performance exhaust

DRIVELINE

•  Tremec close-ratio, six-speed manual gearbox
• Ford Performance adjustable-ramp limited-slip differential

ELECTRICAL

• Bespoke MIL-spec, route-optimized wiring harness
• MoTeC Power Distribution Module
• Onboard MoTeC datalogger

BRAKES

• Brembo four-piston front and rear calipers with fully-floating, slotted rotors (380mm front / 355mm rear)
• Race-tuned Bosch ABS controller

SUSPENSION

• Adjustable coilover MacPherson struts with race-specific bushings, ball joints and Multimatic DSSV adjustable cartridge-type dampers
• Rear multi-link with race-specific bushings, ball joints and
• Multimatic DSSV adjustable dampers
• Blade-adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars

WHEELS

• 18×10-inch BBS multi-spoke aluminum wheels

2015 Shelby GT350R-C Gallery

Comments

comments