Quote:
Originally Posted by Bhobbs
The GT350 is a whole different animal from the BOSS 302 and GT500.
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I'm sure it is. It doesn't mean Chevy can't beat it with a little superior engineering like they did last time.
Here's my opinion, now that we know what we know about the new car....
- Ford is playing around with a new IRS-based Mustang. It will take some time to nail down...it took Camaro team about 2 years to really dial it in, and they have one of the most awesome road courses right in their backyard...
- In terms of track times, which is my chosen metric...Ford's best (last generation) couldn't supersede the 1LE from Camaro team. Then there was the ZL1, and then the Z/28.
- The new Mustang GT is still bested by the "old" SS/1LE. You'd have thought Ford would attempt to reach a certain impressive benchmark with such a dramatic overhaul of their car...no, instead - it got bigger, and heavier, and did not get even as fast as the lowest performance barrier put in place by Camaro team.
- The new Camaro, by contrast, has gotten slightly smaller, significantly lighter...and incredibly more dialed in. Weight aside - the car FEELS fantastic in terms of responsiveness. I've only driven the V6, but around bends and through the wheel/pedals, it felt like my 1LE. (obviously not in terms of raw speed) I can't imagine what the SS will drive like.
- I haven't driven them...I should...but I'll bet the Mustang V6, and 4 feel like marshmellows compared to the new Camaro.
- Finally...the new SS is already faster than the outgoing 1LE. This, with significantly less tire. It uses a less aggressive compounds and skinnier tire than the supercar F1 Eagles.
- Chevy, presumably...(going out on a limb, here)...still has yet to reveal a 1LE replacement, a ZL1 replacement, and perhaps even a Z/28 replacement. Furthermore, Chevy is cocky...they're never publicly cocky unless they know something we don't. Al knew the 2014/2015 GT500 wasn't going to be a real threat...and he said so...and he was right. We'd be foolish to assume they weren't paying close attention to the GT350...and they're still brash about how much better the Camaro is, unilaterally. I think there are some crazy-impressive things coming down the pipe.
This new GT350 may be fast, focused, and impressive...but I will confidently risk sticking my foot in my mouth by saying that I believe 100% Chevy will build something faster. I would wager that the Camaro SS might even be as fast, or faster than a base GT350.