Recently, Agent 001 had a chance to attend the launch of the updated 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. On hand for the occasion was the all-new 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
Ford Performance brought out the big guns.
And, as always with these sort of things, there was a catch. No one was allowed to drive them. They were for display only. [Insert sad trombone here].
Being car geeks we discussed the event, inside and out. One of the things that came up during our conversation was the Mustang's face. 001 told me that he believed every Mustang should wear the GT500 facade. I, on the other hand, disagreed. I would prefer the flagship model is differentiated from the pack.
It turns out that there is a legitimate reason as to why the Shelby variants sport a different look. As I've learned with today's autos, there's always a reason. You just have to dig deeper and get around the canned "PR answer."
See below.
If you have ever asked yourself why the Shelby GT350 and GT500 range-topping muscles don’t have the same front end design as the latest 2019 Ford Mustang, we now have the answer...
...Fortunately, the folks at FordAuthority dug a little deeper into the issue and learned the Shelby models are fitted with Ford’s Carbon Composite front subframe, which is different from the subframe of the regular Mustang. It's an entirely different structure, which reduces weight and stiffens the chassis. Changing the design would require a complete re-engineering of this detail to fit the new shape fascia and that would cost a lot of money...
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