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      01-07-2019, 11:30 PM   #1
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Borrowed my friend's Shelby GT350. Comparison with my M2:

So, let me preface, since buying my 2018 M2, I've enjoyed it. At times, I think I take for granted how nimble it is, and how forgiving it is........ it's truly an amazing car in so many ways.

Having said that, I've never forgotten the sound of the flat plane crank V8 when I first heard it and have been thinking about either adding the Shelby or trading for it in exchange for my M2.
I've read tons on the Shelby and watched most, if not all the videos, including the few head to head videos out there.

So I borrowed my buddy's Shelby for about 24 hours this past weekend. I didn't push it too hard, but enough to be able to get a nice feel for some of its capabilities. He's a big dude and doesn't have the Recaros, but his leather seats were amazingly comfortable........much more so than the M2 seats -- specifically for lumbar support.
Both sets of seats sit a little high. compared to the Recaros. (given my size, if I was to get this car, I would get the Recaros)
In terms of shifter and clutch, Shelby wins.
In terms of pure auditory bliss, Shelby wins (and I have the MPE)
In terms of off the line acceleration, M2 might 'feel' a bit quicker, but the Shelby elicits far more thrill/joy.
In terms of handling and being nimble, M2 wins
In terms of refinement, M2 wins.
M2 also handled road imperfections better, but the flip side is that the Shelby gave me more road feedback via steering feel than does the M2.

I also loved the lack of auto downshift rev matching in the shelby. And let me be clear: I suck at heel/toe but I still like the challenge of executing my own downshift rev matches b/c when I occasionally get them right, there is no better feeling.

The M2 is a MUCH easier car to feel like a rockstar driver in, IMHO. It's easier to maximize (or try to) its capabilities, whereas the Shelby will take a lot of time and practice to tame that beast. But it's clear from the videos that it's possible, given the lap times that car has shown it's capable of.

Different cars indeed, and both incredible for different reasons.
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      01-07-2019, 11:49 PM   #2
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Great to hear your thoughts and review after a day in the Shelby. Back in '16 I was deciding neck and neck between the M2 and the GT 350, ultimately the extensive mark up on the GT 350 ruled it out of the equation. I have continued to long for a naturally aspirated V8 that can handle in the corners But don't think I could give up the full package that is the M2.

90% of what I like about the Shelby boils down to the motor. Well the GT 350 voodoo motor is now offered as a crate engine.. i'm strongly considering its candidacy in a factory five cobra or daytona 2 cars from now.
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      01-08-2019, 06:47 AM   #3
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I love both cars. Drove the gt350 and fell I love with the sound and how it drives. The manual box is so smooth plus the flat plane crank v8 sound is so addicting. Interior is full of plastic but the recaros are perfect.

Ultimately decided on an M2c as it's a daily but often fantasize of the gt350 as much as I do love the M2c 😂
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      01-08-2019, 12:38 PM   #4
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Thanks for the review, @bruin1md. I was actually shopping the Mustang (GT but not Shelby) last summer but just couldn't pull the trigger. The drivetrain is very nice, good clutch/shifter feel, decent brakes, nice engine, but that rental car interior just drove me nuts. I actually got some good end-of-model-year pricing but just couldn't pull the trigger. I also thought that the base seats were very decent and liked the ease of getting in and out of the car. Previously I had a Corvette, and it about killed me trying to get in and out without grunting and looking the fool.

The M2, as we all know, is worlds better in most regards, albeit at twice the price. The flat plane crank noises are great (I do believe that's what makes the Aston Martins sound so good) but I can't buy a car based primarily on how it sounds.
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      01-08-2019, 08:10 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by supersam View Post
Great to hear your thoughts and review after a day in the Shelby. Back in '16 I was deciding neck and neck between the M2 and the GT 350, ultimately the extensive mark up on the GT 350 ruled it out of the equation. I have continued to long for a naturally aspirated V8 that can handle in the corners But don't think I could give up the full package that is the M2.

90% of what I like about the Shelby boils down to the motor. Well the GT 350 voodoo motor is now offered as a crate engine.. i'm strongly considering its candidacy in a factory five cobra or daytona 2 cars from now.
Can you elaborate.........the voodoo flat plane crank V8 is going to be offered up in a couple of other cars soon??

As of now, my understanding is that Ferrari is the only other car maker that uses this engine (modded out version, of course).

Yeah, I loved the Shelby. If I didn't own a truck and had the M2 in DCT, it would be my DD, and I would get the Shelby as well.
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      01-08-2019, 11:16 PM   #6
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I fortunately have both, love them for their own reasons. The Voo Doo engine is GLORIOUS and taking that to redline (8.2k rpms) and banging out a few gears will make your whole week better. With the magnetic dampeners it handles surprisingly well considering its size and weight, and looks the part. Never thought I would buy a Mustang until this one!
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      01-09-2019, 09:10 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruin1md View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by supersam View Post
Great to hear your thoughts and review after a day in the Shelby. Back in '16 I was deciding neck and neck between the M2 and the GT 350, ultimately the extensive mark up on the GT 350 ruled it out of the equation. I have continued to long for a naturally aspirated V8 that can handle in the corners But don't think I could give up the full package that is the M2.

90% of what I like about the Shelby boils down to the motor. Well the GT 350 voodoo motor is now offered as a crate engine.. i'm strongly considering its candidacy in a factory five cobra or daytona 2 cars from now.
Can you elaborate.........the voodoo flat plane crank V8 is going to be offered up in a couple of other cars soon??

As of now, my understanding is that Ferrari is the only other car maker that uses this engine (modded out version, of course).

Yeah, I loved the Shelby. If I didn't own a truck and had the M2 in DCT, it would be my DD, and I would get the Shelby as well.
Nope. Voodoo engine would be a crate motor and the cars I mentioned are DIY/kit cars though very refined. Look up Factory Five

The 458 is a flat crank motor (layout) but completely different motor than the shelby
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      01-09-2019, 12:54 PM   #8
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I'm another person that almost bought a GT350. Loved the drive train, recaros and overall look of the car but the panel gaps, low rent interior plastics and cramped backseat ultimately led me to the M2 and I'm more than happy with my choice.
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      01-09-2019, 02:41 PM   #9
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my best friend and I bought our current cars on the same day, He got a 2016 GT350 with 700 miles and I got the 2018 ///M2. We both love cars for different reasons. His Shelby is blistering fast especially in the 100+ pulls. But it does not give the same confidence inspiring control and feel the ///M does in the turns. They are very different cars with different purposes. Im happier with my ///M2 and he loves his GT350.
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      01-09-2019, 05:31 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ColinMKV View Post
my best friend and I bought our current cars on the same day, He got a 2016 GT350 with 700 miles and I got the 2018 ///M2. We both love cars for different reasons. His Shelby is blistering fast especially in the 100+ pulls. But it does not give the same confidence inspiring control and feel the ///M does in the turns. They are very different cars with different purposes. Im happier with my ///M2 and he loves his GT350.
Spot on............they are completely different cars and the M2 inspires way more confidence in turns, but I don't like body roll and would prefer to sit lower in it.

The shelby does handle corners surprisingly well for a car its size, but requires more skill to manage them, while the M2 will make a mediocre driver like me look good.
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      01-09-2019, 05:34 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by windnsea00 View Post
I fortunately have both, love them for their own reasons. The Voo Doo engine is GLORIOUS and taking that to redline (8.2k rpms) and banging out a few gears will make your whole week better. With the magnetic dampeners it handles surprisingly well considering its size and weight, and looks the part. Never thought I would buy a Mustang until this one!
That is AWESOME!!! Congrats, man.

Is your M2 manual or DCT? I'm from L.A. originally and will likely be moving back out west by early next year, if not sooner, and worry about having a M2 6MT along with the Shelby. One of those needs to be a bit more 'functional'. If I was to get rid of the truck and the M2, a M3 DCT would make more sense for me personally to pair with the Shelby.

As you said, they are both such different cars with different characteristics, but both amazing in different ways.
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      01-09-2019, 06:54 PM   #12
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I recently bought my M2 after going back and forth between it and the GT350. GT350 had a few things I really liked (namely the lower seat height, shifter, rev-happiness of the engine), but ultimately there were 2 "knocks" against the GT350 that were deal breakers for me.

1. The weirdness of the clutch - I have only owned about half a dozen manual cars over the last 10+ years and this one was difficult for me to get used to. Felt non-linear/progressive to me.
2. The noise - while I love it at WOT, it is pretty loud, even at idle. I live pretty close to my neighbors and I want to maintain a good relationship with them. As a side note, I revved the engine with my wife standing next to the car and she nearly fell backwards because it startled her so much. She would have HATED the GT350 (and me for buying it).
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      01-10-2019, 09:08 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Q_Subsub View Post
I recently bought my M2 after going back and forth between it and the GT350. GT350 had a few things I really liked (namely the lower seat height, shifter, rev-happiness of the engine), but ultimately there were 2 "knocks" against the GT350 that were deal breakers for me.

1. The weirdness of the clutch - I have only owned about half a dozen manual cars over the last 10+ years and this one was difficult for me to get used to. Felt non-linear/progressive to me.
2. The noise - while I love it at WOT, it is pretty loud, even at idle. I live pretty close to my neighbors and I want to maintain a good relationship with them. As a side note, I revved the engine with my wife standing next to the car and she nearly fell backwards because it startled her so much. She would have HATED the GT350 (and me for buying it).

+1 on the clutch. I was in the market for both a few years back, ADM stopped me from getting one but have driven a friends a couple times and the clutch is terrible. I have driven it stock and even with the modified spring and its not really much difference

I found the seat height in both the Recaro and Comfort seats too high personally. If you look under the recaros there is at least 4" of dead space they could have made it lower.

That engine is something though. Add the resonator delete/xpipe and it is really loud... My friends neighbors love him I am sure
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      01-10-2019, 05:35 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruin1md View Post
That is AWESOME!!! Congrats, man.

Is your M2 manual or DCT? I'm from L.A. originally and will likely be moving back out west by early next year, if not sooner, and worry about having a M2 6MT along with the Shelby. One of those needs to be a bit more 'functional'. If I was to get rid of the truck and the M2, a M3 DCT would make more sense for me personally to pair with the Shelby.

As you said, they are both such different cars with different characteristics, but both amazing in different ways.
My M2 (and M2C) are manual, I love driving stick but I also don't commute so that helps. The Shelby's clutch is surprisingly light and easy to deal with in traffic but I can understand if you have a bad commute not wanting to constantly shift any car.
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      01-10-2019, 05:40 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by windnsea00 View Post
My M2 (and M2C) are manual, I love driving stick but I also don't commute so that helps. The Shelby's clutch is surprisingly light and easy to deal with in traffic but I can understand if you have a bad commute not wanting to constantly shift any car.
Agree on the shelby clutch. Surprisingly light......... unlike many above, I actually really like it. And the shifter on the shelby feels so much better than that on the M2

Amazing you have the M2, M2c, and Shelby. I'm surprised you have swapped out the M2 for a mid engine Porsche. That would be an incredible trio.
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      01-10-2019, 05:44 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruin1md View Post
Agree on the shelby clutch. Surprisingly light......... unlike many above, I actually really like it. And the shifter on the shelby feels so much better than that on the M2

Amazing you have the M2, M2c, and Shelby. I'm surprised you have swapped out the M2 for a mid engine Porsche. That would be an incredible trio.
A lot of people have complained about the Shelby clutch but it doesn't really bother me either and I also like the shifter quite a bit too.

I've had 2 997's before and def. want a Porsche again but not until I can afford a GT3, Cayman's are very impressive and have had a lot of seat time in the GTS but for some reason it just doesn't excite me as much as the 911. Partially because of the cave like visibility.
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      01-10-2019, 05:51 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by windnsea00 View Post
A lot of people have complained about the Shelby clutch but it doesn't really bother me either and I also like the shifter quite a bit too.

I've had 2 997's before and def. want a Porsche again but not until I can afford a GT3, Cayman's are very impressive and have had a lot of seat time in the GTS but for some reason it just doesn't excite me as much as the 911. Partially because of the cave like visibility.
I owned a 997.2 GTS prior to the M2. I'm on the list for a GT3, but not sure I really want one, the more I read about it from other owners on Rennlist.
If it was going to be tracked often, it would absolutely be the Porsche to get

Down the road I may get a Targa 4 GTS (992), but not for a while.

How would you compare the M2 to the Cayman GTS you drove (I'm assuming a 718)?
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      01-10-2019, 05:55 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruin1md View Post
I owned a 997.2 GTS prior to the M2. I'm on the list for a GT3, but not sure I really want one, the more I read about it from other owners on Rennlist.
If it was going to be tracked often, it would absolutely be the Porsche to get

Down the road I may get a Targa 4 GTS (992), but not for a while.

How would you compare the M2 to the Cayman GTS you drove (I'm assuming a 718)?
It was a 2015 GTS, that car was extremely good handling and would dominate most cars on backroads, it just was in another league. The M2 felt like a hoonigan car relative to the scalpel the GTS is. Both fun in their own way ultimately.
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      01-11-2019, 07:42 AM   #19
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Great read and comparison. I too was considering a GT350 and as a former Mustang owner the progression to go to the GT350 was natural. I almost bought a 2017 Grabber Blue GT350 but the factory flaws and the lack of certain features just stopped me from getting it. The Mrs was all gung ho on getting it but I wanted a bit more on the luxury side so looked at used M3/M4's and they were hard to come by as well hence getting the 2018 M2. I agree the clutch pedal feel is not the best but that can be fixed with a different spring. Do I regret not getting the GT350? Not at all. Love my M2 to bits. So much more compact and fuel efficient and a nicer interior helps.
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      01-21-2019, 03:46 PM   #20
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I had a GT350R, awesome car it alwas put a smile on my face to hear the exhaust, enjoyed the car a lot but I traded for a raptor and then for an M2, the M2 I had to install the MPE and fabspeed sport cat to get that same smile I got from the GT350R, both of them really good cars but my M2 is DCT, you can live with it better in the city than the GT350R, if I could I would have both cars in my garage. One more difference is that with the GT350R you dont spend lots on money on aftermarket modifications like with the M2, the car as it is is really good but with the M2 you have to invest lots of money hahah ( I like swapping parts) but its expensive
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      08-30-2019, 01:42 AM   #21
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Thread bump,

Traded my 17 M2 for a 19 Gt350 about a month ago so these are primarily first impressions.

Handling: The M2 is easier to drive fast; however, the Shelby has higher limits. You just need to trust it.

Drivetrain: Tough to compare because my M2 was a DCT and the Shelby is a manual. The N55 excels with bottom end torque whereas the Voodoo pulls hard on the top end. In terms of sound, there is no comparison (in my opinion). The 350 rules.

Interior/creature comforts: This one is a push. Fit and finish is better on the BMW, but not by much. I prefer the gloss carbon fiber on the Shelby to the raw carbon on the M2. My Shelby has the heated/cooled seats rather than Recaros. I find the seats comfortable but would give the edge to the M2 seats. The B&O audio in the Mustang destroys the HK on the M2 (not even close).

Fun factor: Shelby by a mile (for me).

I do miss the M2, but I only have one parking space in my building.
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      08-30-2019, 11:59 AM   #22
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Good to hear you like the trade. I came from a Mustang and the M2 made me realize how much I need a V8 in my life. When my assignment in Germany ends I’m selling the M2 and getting either a Gt350 or a C7 Grand Sport Stateside.

Enjoy the Shelby. Drive it hard.
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