We Ride Along for Hot Laps in the 2025 GT350

When Ford adopted the current Mustang’s S650 platform, it left the 5.2-liter-powered GT350 and GT500 behind. While the Dark Horse provides an interesting new niche, there was a big gap in the Blue Oval pony car lineup that Shelby American is happy to fill.

We got a background look at the car a few weeks ago, and we were able to follow up at a Shelby American track day at Willow Springs, where Shelby American Vice-President Vince LaViolette, who also happens to be the brand’s chief test driver, took us for a few laps.

We strapped into the passenger seat for the first session of the day, and as we waited for Vince to pull out of the pits and onto Big Willow’s front straight, we asked how Shelby went into the development of the GT350. “I knew what I wanted to put into this car,” said LaViolette, noting that they already had the Super Snake, which is an 830-horsepower widebody package that adds six figures onto the $66,000 base price of the Mustang donor. “We wanted a little less power, but we still wanted the suspension. We still wanted to car to feel, you know, very comfortable on track.”

A little less power is just that, at 810, so the GT350 is down just 20 ponies to the Super Snake, and Willow Springs is just big enough to put most of that power to use. After two warmup laps, LaViolette turned the intensity up and the car gripped the corners and settled into the long, sweeping turns.

Triple digits came easily on the big track and the Brembos clamped down smoothly coming into Turn 1. We passed a vintage 1966 GT350 holding its own against some of the more modern cars with their extra power and wider, stickier tires. The new supercharged V-8 soundtrack is a nice homage to the original, which is tough to beat. We spent four laps in the passenger seat, each lap feeling faster than the last as the tires warmed up and LaViolette ventured deeper into the braking zones. The Shelby’s new springs and sway bars were dialed in thanks to LaViolette’s extensive track time with the car. We can’t vouch for how those changes feel from the driver’s seat, but our time sitting shotgun made us eager for a chance behind the wheel.

While the Super Snake is going to be Shelby American’s ultimate version of the platform, the GT350 will leave room to grow as the owner chooses to personalize the vehicle over time. That’s one place where we expect to see Shelby continue with the S650 platform, as it plans to expand the offerings for both Shelby GT350 and Mustang GT owners to customize the looks and performance of their cars as the brand’s list of parts grows.

“I wanted more of a car that you could buy and leave in the family and pass it down,” said LaViolette, inspired by the original GT350s. The brand has strong roots and the cars that showed up at the track day prove that the owners of the modern Shelby American cars are just as passionate as those with ’60s iron.