Carroll Shelby first laid hands on Ford’s Mustang in the 1960’s, creating two distinctly different flavors. The big-block GT500 targeted quarter-mile drag strips while the small-block GT350 was crafted to win SCCA road races. That same split continues in the modern era with the 2019 Shelby GT350 Mustang claiming today’s track monster.

The hand-built, 520-hp, 5.2-liter Voodoo V8 is the fastest naturally aspirated Mustang ever. It’s also the highest revving with an 8,250 rpm redline enabled by its unique flat-plane crankshaft. While electron-powered Teslas might be quicker to 60mph, they will never provide the visceral experience of the roar emanating from the four exhaust pipes as the tach needle swings past eight grand.

Specially formulated new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and now standard MagneRide dampers up the performance while making the GT350 more forgiving for amateur enthusiasts. Despite its tremendous on-track capability, those dampers mean the GT350 isn’t punishing even on rough Michigan pavement. An even harder core GT350R is available that deletes the back seat and adds lighter carbon fiber wheels. This is a track machine that you can live with on a daily basis, although you may want to avoid rain with those Michelins. ~ Text by Sam Abuelsamid