Ford Shelby GT500 a demon 200 mph speed

Dan Carney
By Dan Carney, msnbc.com of mysteries

Two hundred miles per hour. This is the realm of the Indy cars. A handful of ultra-exotic sports cars have reached also the standard, but their price tags most of them make as unreachable as an IndyCar.

So when Ford hot rod tuner in the special vehicles team of the late Carroll Shelby would said that 2013 200 mph reach Ford Shelby GT500, he could believe it, hardly. Shelby, who won the 24-hour sports car race in Le Mans as a driver, team manager and car builder, knew that doubled four times takes the power the speed of 100 km/h to 200 km/h.

In fact, after an initially dizzy reaction of the news, Shelby - whose health was then precarious - began to suspect, the guys might be, trying to send it with a smile on his face, off. Taking into account the difficulties in achieving actual 200 mph in a production Mustang with a list price from $54,000, called Shelby Chief Engineer Jamal Marzooqi with a question. "You were me not bull@!$%#ting about the 200 mph, were you?" Shelby growled, remembered Marzooqi.

He was not. Ford's test driver included the nardo test track in Italy an official top speed of 202. In a factory-built Mustang.
Car and driver Magazine technical writer Don Schroeder in the year 2000 died trying 200 mph in a modified Mercedes-Benz on a similar test track in Texas. Over 150 km/h not more cars are pure land vehicles and move into the realm of low-flying aircraft.

In the introduction of Ford was worried much media of the GT500 on the race track road, Atlanta, Georgia about the amazing speed potential. The test vehicles were equipped with roll bars and five-point harnesses racing. In addition, speed just limited by a wall of the PIN on the back, forced a stop of about 155 mph. And we were ever drive on the front just prevents.

Nevertheless, it was enough to amazing makes the car to experience. And its even more amazing ability to meter, the power out and put it on the floor get. Certainly, until Ford introduced the boss 302 last year, it gave out nothing that the company charged stall corral was the incredible 662 horses in the GT500.

But the car is docile on the street to betray with only a slightly stiffer clutch pedal, the extra power under the hood. This is absolutely a car who can drive a manual transmission could use for commuters, without feeling by a stiff suspension beaten together to work.

You can many tricks like a two discs clutch Pack pedal on the reasonable, electronically switchable shock absorbers, decide which change according to driving conditions and a three-tier adjustable power steering arrangement, for keeping the clutch you how difficult it is to turn the wheel.

That clutch Pack the destructive power can withstand output while repeated drag strip started, an activity approved by an electronic start control system, which allows the driver to set the engine speed to a pre-programmed - I had released good luck with 3,700 rpm - if the clutch to start the car.

An experienced drag racer passed the quarter-mile in 11.7 seconds, while was my best time for the day of 12.4 seconds with 120 km/h. The Shelby used a beautiful new six-speed manual shifter, which somehow necessary, marries the short throws and low cost of a Mazda Miata lever with the strong transmission elements to the immense power of the GT500 survive.

The short throws make it possible to change gears, it is difficult that clutch fast enough work to keep up on the one or two Upshift so quickly on the drag strip. Many journalists crunched the gear change just because she had pressed the clutch yet not when they second the shifter in the gear jammed. OK, one of the guilty I was, but only once.

On the winding road circuit proved the GT500 align its ability to changes in direction and accelerate from corners faster than a political candidate flee a voting record. The credit some tires specifically designed goes to the Goodyear supercar G2 to treat this car to 200 km/h top speed.

Despite his huge Brembo brakes the Mustang is too slow mass significantly, if there is time, the car. Hammers in some of which induced slow corners, even after the abbreviated straight, Road Atlanta late braking brake fade as the pedal for the ground Dove, and I have to slow down the car Downshifting. The car needed probably only bled the brake fluid, is the standard race service track between meetings.

But it only a few places, where the ability of 200 mph stop matter are, is because there are only a few places, large enough for the GT500 this speed to reach. You should flats, are planning a summer vacation together with speed weeks on the Bonneville Salt give it a go, and you must not slow down it.

Although I still I now enough dangers not in a position to verify whether the GT500 to go 200 mph, had personally confirm it, I want to give it a try. Until then we have to Ford's right to trust, that the car will do it. And I don't think they are us bull@!$%#ting.