TopSpeed Cooks Up the 2016 Shelby GT350S Mustang

Based on comments made by Shelby brand manager Jim Owens, there is a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350S race car on the way and the folks at TopSpeed have already drawn up what they expect this new road racer to look like, as shown in the image above.

There is no official information on the Ford Shelby GT350S Mustang race car, but based on the comments of Jim Owens, it certainly seems as though one is on its way. This car would replace the current Mustang Boss 302S which competes in the relatively unknown Pirelli World Challenge and while I wouldn’t expect a great deal of mechanical differences with the new Shelby GT350S when compared to the Boss 302S, the more slippery form of the new Mustang may cater to those racers piloting the Mustang road race cars.

The TopSpeed GT350S
In the world of great automotive renderings, few companies offer up drawings that are as clean and as realistic as the images from TopSpeed. We have featured more than a few of their renderings here on TorqueNews and, in most cases, their guesses as to what a new car will look like are usually pretty accurate. Unfortunately, the TopSpeed team had very little to go on when designing their Shelby GT350S Mustang, but based on the appearance of the current Boss 302S race cars and the new Shelby GT350R Mustang road car, this dreamed up GT350S could look a great deal like the real thing.

Overall, the TopSpeed rendering of the Shelby GT350S Mustang looks a great deal like the production GT350R, except there are a handful of aero bits added to allow this muscle car to make serious downforce on the race track. Up front, there is an adjustable splitter that reaches down to the ground much further than the splitter on the GT350R. Next, the hood shape of the GT350S is similar to the GT350R, except TopSpeed has added a quartet of vents to help cool the engine bay, along with hood pins for added safety at high speed.

Along the sides, the Shelby GT350S Mustang wears the carbon fiber wheels of the GT350R, but the body is tucked down much tighter to these lightweight wheels thanks to the race-ready suspension components. Finally, there is a massive rear wing added, similar to the one on the Boss 302S, which is common on road racing cars.

What We Cannot See
In addition to the unique splitter, hood, stance and rear wing, we can expect that the Shelby GT350S Mustang will have a race-spec version of the new 5.2L flat plane V8 that will likely be fitted with addition cooling and lubrication components for lengthy track time. We can expect high performance brakes, but it will be interesting to see if they go with the high tech brakes from the new GT350, or if they will go with a more conventional and less expensive design for the race car. Also, expect the GT350S to have a rear diffuser and a lightened interior, devoid of a passenger seat, a back seat or infotainment items.

Provided that we do see a new Ford Shelby GT350S Mustang race car, it will likely come at a time where teams can prepare them for next season - meaning that it could be a long while before we see them on the track. However, with the addition of the GT350S, I wonder if there isn't also another version of the Shelby Mustang race car to compete in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

Of course, should any official information on the new Shelby GT350 Mustang race cars, you will find it here at TorqueNews.com.

Image Source: TopSpeed.com