2025 Shelby GT350 Mustang returns with serious power

When Carroll Shelby first came up with the GT350 in 1965, the setup was Shelby American, Inc. bought Mustangs from Ford and modified it in-house. That setup changed when the S550-generation GT350s were built at the Ford factory as a higher trim level offering.

For its 60th birthday, the S650 Mustang-based GT350 returns as a proper Shelby product with enhancements to the suspension, exhaust, styling, and more importantly, a huge bump in power compared to the last car that bore the moniker.

Shelby American has moved on from the high-revving, 5.2-liter flat plane crank V8, choosing the Mustang’s 5.0-liter V8 with an added Whipple supercharger. Along with a Borla cat-back exhaust system, the supercharged V8 now makes 810 horsepower – just 20 hp down from the high-performance Shelby Super Snake. There’s still a naturally aspirated version with 480 horsepower, and a choice of manual or automatic transmissions.

Inside, the GT350 gets more Shelby badging on the leather seats, door sill plates, and a dash plaque that contains the serial and VIN of the car.

The GT350 serves as the street car version, but a more track-ready GT350R is coming at a later date with a sole six-speed manual transmission package. Track-focused elements include a carbon fiber interior 'tub', optional carbon fiber racing seats and harnesses, carbon fiber trim, integrated roll cage, a Trans AM spec high speed carbon fiber Aero package, fully-adjustable JRI race struts and shocks with remote reservoir, ProSystems Alcon racing brakes, plus numerous chassis upgrades to enhance track performance.

Like the original GT350, Shelby American will only build 562 examples of the street car while the GT350R is more coveted with only 36 units planned.