2017 Mustang FP350S Has Us In Our Feelings
Created by the Ford Performance group, the Shelby FP350S was the 3rd race-spec version of the sixth-generation Mustang, taking its place next to the championship-winning Shelby GT350R-C and – at the time – recently unveiled GT4. Today, the car lives on in the hearts of Mustang lovers everywhere, for its incredibly well-engineered system and immaculately designed body. Click through to learn some of the specifics of what separates this particular Stang from all the rest.
Where did the FP350S come from and why was it even built?
The Shelby FP350S was largely based off the Shelby GT350R-C, so it’s pedigree is solid. It was created to help the Mustang team (legitimately) expand its presence in other racing series’; specifically, the NASA (National Auto Sports Association), SCCA club racing (T1 and T2 categories), and Trans Am (TA3 and TA4 classes) series. When it came out, it was considered the successor to the Boss 302S that won 3 Pirelli World Challenge Manufacturer's Championships along with a bunch of SCCA Touring Championships.
Just look at that engine
The car’s engine is truly a work of art. For the Ford fanatics out there, you’ll note it’s pretty close to the company’s Aluminator 5.2 XS crate engine. This awesome piece of machinery includes a super unique Ford Performance M-6303-M52 forged-steel 90-degree crankshaft, Manley "H-Beam" connecting rods, Mahle forged pistons with low-friction coatings, among a whole bunch of other components. It’s rated at just under 600 hp (580 to be exact) and 445 lb-ft of torque.
>>Join the conversation about the Shelby FP350S here in The Mustang Source.
Why yes – that is an adjustable wing on its rear-end
A pretty cool feature at the time it was launched, the car’s rear wing can actually be manually adjusted by half-degree increments between 0 and 12 degrees. The driver does this by selecting from different combinations of eight holes on the stanchions and 20 holes on the wing. In terms of how it actually works, the downforce of the wind gets sent to the body by way of some adjustable pads, while the trunk lid is outfitted with reinforcing struts to help bear the load.
>>Join the conversation about the Shelby FP350S here in The Mustang Source.
Buttons, buttons, buttons and . . . MORE BUTTONS
You can tell this is a racer’s car because there’s no way a normal driver would be able to resist the urge to hit all these buttons. This is the center console of the vehicle and if you take a closer look, you’ll note it has buttons for pit lane speed control (PLSC), "spare" buttons for auxiliary helmet and suit coolers, and a "totalizer" button that you press when the tank is full to reset the fuel-use meter. Per the latter, this is an awesome feature to have because the system measures fuel used by monitoring fuel-injector pulse-width to let the driver know exactly how much is left, information they can then use to decide whether or not to engage the car’s "map" button to change fuel mapping to a leaner setting as conserving fuel could help prevent a pit stop.
>>Join the conversation about the Shelby FP350S here in The Mustang Source.
Put the checkbook away – you can’t get one (sorry)
Just 50 of these beautiful vehicles were ever produced. Production started in the last half of 2017 and all cars did not come with a VIN nor were they built to be street legal. Starting price for each one: $114,990. This included a full FIA-compliant roll cage, MOTEC Data Acquisition System, Sparco FIA Racing seat and quick-release steering wheel, and Sabelt FIA racing harness. And if you were looking to upgrade, there was some optional equipment available, including Ford Performance Forgeline 18” x 11” GS1R monoblock 6061-T6 Aluminum forged racing wheels in Graphite finish as well as a full-blown Ford Performance Shelby FP350S custom graphics package.
>>Join the conversation about the Shelby FP350S here in The Mustang Source.
For help with service of your car, check out the how-to section on our sister site MustangForums.com
