What's the difference between a 2011 Shelby GT350 coupe and the new 2012 Shelby GT350 Convertible?
About 200 lbs.
That's oversimplifying it, of course, but that's what we were told after a specific inquiry at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, where the 2012 Shelby GT350 is currently making its world debut.
The 2012 Shelby GT350 Convertible has the same engines as the coupe, either a naturally aspirated 435 horsepower or a 624 horse supercharged version. For the latter, the 5.0-liter engine is equipped with a Ford/Whipple supercharger from the Ford Racing catalog.
The front fascia is unaltered from the coupe's, styled to resemble the front end of the original 1965 Shelby GT350 though speed tested to assure optimal aerodynamics with downforce on the front end.
Like the coupe, the 2012 Shelby GT350 includes a full Shelby/Ford racing suspension with a Shelby/Baer 6 piston front brake kit and Shelby rear Eradispeed rear rotor upgrade. Like the first GT350 models, the 2012 edition has front and rear brake cooling ducts. Shelby returned to Cragar for wheels, this time 19-inch, something unimaginable in 1965, but styled to recall the earlier model's rims.
Production of the 2012 Shelby GT350 will be limited to 350 cars in order to protect their value. Gary Patterson, veep of Shelby American operations, pointed out that every car will come with a Shelby serial number plate and that the cars will be tracked to assure that they have the same kind of future auction performance as the originals do. And, we'd add, performance the current models will have on the road today.
What kind of performance? Patterson said 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and the standing start quarter mile in the mid-11's with the mid-120 mph range through the traps. It's no slouch in handling, either, with a skid pad test number of 1.05 g.
The 2012 Shelby GT 350 will be available in three colors only, appropriately Performance White with LeMans blue stripes, Race Red with white LeMans stripes, and Kona Blue, also with white LeMans stripes.
Only four 1965 Shelby GT350 convertibles were. Unobtainiumly rare, they're among the most collectible of Shelbys in the world today and will be priced accordingly if you happen to be at the auction where one shows up.
The 2012 Shelby GT350 won't be as difficult to obtain nor nearly as expensive. The Shelby GT350 post-title package price starts at $26,995 (naturally aspirated) and $33,995 (supercharged), not including the base Mustang GT (about $30,000) which will be drop-shipped to Shelby American's facilities in Las Vegas. Expect a fully equipped supercharged 2012 Shelby GT350 to be priced about $90,000.
Be quick, however. Ordering in open now and Shelby GT350 coupe production is backlogged. And when the list for the 2012 Shelby GT350 is gone, they're gone.-examiner.com
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