The Shelby GT350R was previewed to the media yesterday at Grattan Raceway and the first ride-along reviews are rolling in now. As some M6G members have discovered, Ford will be taking the GT350 Mustang across the country to spread the word of its track prowess, and this event was one of the first stops to kick off the tour.

While by no means as illuminating as upcoming media test drives slated for this Fall, the Grattan Raceway ride-alongs, with its twists and turns thoroughly tested handling and appear to have the media universally impressed —

As MotorTrend writes, “combined with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 high-performance tires specially designed for the GT350R, the handling appeared superb. Michelin said that the tires were developed for hard cornering and are able to handle the GT350R at 1 lateral g… the Shelby GT350R Mustang is the real deal. It’s a daily commuter Monday through Friday and then an insatiable track car on the weekend.”

One can expect that Ford did not push the GT350Rs to its performance limits with journalists riding in the passenger seat, but it nevertheless managed to lap the 2-mile Grattan track in roughly 90 seconds during the hot laps.

Now, if you don’t find that impressive perhaps this tidbit will do it — Ford has told the press that the GT350R is capable of track times comparable to the Porsche 911 GT3. Specifically, the GT350R is good for lap times equal to the hundredth of a second compared to the $130,000-priced 911 GT3, and over a second quicker than the Chevy Camaro Z/28.

The base GT350 with Track Pack is equal to within a hundredth of a second to the Porsche Carerra and the Corvette C7 with Z51 package.

Read more media reviews in the FORUMS.

The superb handling and speed of the GT350Rs can be seen in hot lap videos: