GTI-Guy

The new Mustang's prowess has drawn me in, I'm a road course guy, Instructor for BMW, Porsche and happen to be the national chairman of the SCCA's PDX Instructor Training program, so let's just say I've driven and been in lots of stock and modified street cars

I've also spent most of my car days on the European side of the fence, so I'm sorta' in a little bit of shock that I'm falling for what has been a traditional American muscle car

Thing is, I don't look at it that way.

There's a whole Mustang road course spec series doing quite well, and what blew me away recently was an apparent even running of the 2011 GT (note was on R tires) versus the current BMW M3 out on Gingerman's road course. The tires on the M3 are no slouches, but let's say a 1 large - 2ish second advantage for the R's. Just to hear an otherwise stock Mustang running that close to what has always been BMW's handling centerpiece, the M3, is HUGE. I may be the only person on this forum to appreciate it, but man, IT IS JAW DROPPING HUGE. IRS? Whatever, Ford has made the log axle work, that's all I care about

What's also cool is the sense of community among Mustang owners. The car spans 4 generations and it shows. The magazines my Mustang friends have been feeding me are thorough, intelligent and my G_d, what an aftermarket you have, unlike any other I've seen. I guess that's what you get with 40 or whatever years of uninterrupted production

My daily driver is a VW GTI but I'm planning ahead for my birthday present and have concluded the 2010 or 2011 track pack Mustangs are it

I've been hanging out in the background of the forum a bit, and this is my very first post. I have a couple of Mustang buddies at work and they've been feeding my growing interest. I've always loved cars with heritage ... Vettes, GTI, Mini ... so I consider myself pretty ecletic and platform neutral - they all have their strengths and weaknesses

I have no interest in drag racing, no disrespect to that skill set, but I'm all road course. Consider the 2010's capabilites versus one of the very, very sharpest scalpels around, the Lotus Exige S 260 Sport (turbo'd plus every handling enhancement possible)

Crazy? Take a look

700 ft Slalom: Mustang 69.1, Lotus 74.5
Lateral G's 200 ft Skidpad: Mustang 0.93 g's, Lotus 0.97
Braking 60-0: Mustang 115 ft, Lotus 112 ft
Acceleration 0-60: Mustang 5.3, Lotus 4.1
Price: Mustang $30k, Lotus $75k

Sure, some real differences there but as a non Mustang fanatic, what I appreciate is the car offers a whole lot of bang for the buck and fun on the road course. Keep in mind what a total track weapon that Lotus is.

In my mind I need to beef up the brakes for repetitive high speed braking, but the rest of the car rocks out of the box. I can run it at the track, drive my kids around, and pick up groceries too

I'm going to hang out and gather info and need to decide to go with the 2010 with some mods, or 2011 and be done with it (Brembo's, +power, 6 speed), so just wanted to intro myself and holler in

Glad to meet my fellow Mustang enthusiasts

Art161

Glad you saw the light and came over from the dark side.

ahddm

Hey GTI guy I actually hopped a similar fence, from a family with 911's and M cars to my Mustang and I don't regret it all. The news about the 2011 Mustang was exciting for me as it gave me something to use against my car talk buddies since you are serious about the circuit I think you should look into Agent Forty Seven they have a SLA kit for the S197 and from what I hear it is the Ultimate handling upgrade for the Mustang.

Here is some news on the 2011 provided by TheInsider:
3.7L V6 to be rated at 315 horsepower: Same as 2010 GT; 15 hp more than Camaro V6
No immediate plans for EcoBoost V6 Mustang due to small horsepower gap between EcoBoost and 5.0L V8 (365 vs 400)
2011 Mustang GT to be rated at 400 horsepower, will get increase in 2012
2011 Mustang GT to get 6-speed transmission and variable valve timing
2011 Mustang GT Track Pack to include Brembo brakes

And Here is info I have dug up on the 2012 Boss:
Better handling car(out handle Track Pack 2 with ease) will be high power N/A in between GT and GT500. Pricing close to that of GT500(optioned out to about 47) but that is fine since it plays to a different audience. Production number less than GT500. Styling will not see a radical change as from GT to GT500 but will be fairly noticeable even to those not engulfed in the world of cars.

If you want the best handling Mustang and can wait it'll be the Boss but that is 2 years away.

NickelDime

Sounds like the 2013 Mustang will be the one to get once the HP bump is in full effect and the issues are worked out. In the mean time.....

ahddm

Lol I decided to stop waiting for next best, I'ma just get em all Next year I can afford a new car so 2011, then I'ma save up for the Boss.

'11 DD
Boss Track Car

RedCandy2010

Once you have a Mustang... you'll never go back.

I got rid of my Lexus LS430 and I previously had a BMW 735i. I've always liked Mustangs and finally decided to get one. I've only had my Mustang one month and I love getting into my car to drive!

Don't wait. There will always be something bigger and better coming out next. Enjoy one now.

crescent_wrench

Great post! Can't wait to see what you go with.

InfernoEffect

Cool story, I saw a couple races where the stangs were keeping up with the beamers and such and that blew me away too. Congrats on your future purchase, whatever you decide, and welcome to the forums!

GTI-Guy

Thanks, but I don't consider it the dark side at all ... Mustangs are now a mainstream all around performance car, not just the straight line muscle machines anymore ...agreed? That was what brought me in

Wow, maybe we're not that rare as Mustang enthusiasts! I wonder how the long term Mustang folks view us Euro fence hoppers? Maybe we're the tip of the iceberg as more word of M3 like road course times get out? Yep, Agent 47 seem like the ones to know for road course suspension.

Note I'm not actually racing the car competively, rather PDX's / DE's are high performance driving events where you can take YOUR car as is onto the road course and enjoy the capabilities of your car with an Instructor in the passenger seat to give you tips and make sure you drive your car home with all the shiny stuff still shiny

Great fun, beats golf and bad sex by a mile

Yep, Agent 47 seem like the ones to know for road course suspension, I'll check it ou


Horsepower sells cars, torque and handling win races, at least the ones that have turns in them. Just kiddin' ya ... HP isn't really an issue so much for me, I can build up to whatever, and I'd still like non punishing MPG too as this will be a dual purpose track toy / daily driver

The thing that weighs most in my mind waiting are getting a 6 speed and Brembos. The Brembos are a must, but I can add on. The 6 speed I like, have one now, but with good torque, not as much of an issue

Very true ... I do feel myself leaning that way. Thanks to the impact of the economy, my "201k" status, I intend to buy one year used. Right now if I had to pull the trigger it'd be the 2010 with track pack and add in Brembos or whatever FRPP has to offer brakewise of similiar capabilities.

99RedStang

[QUOTE=GTI-Guy;6481995]I'd still like non punishing MPG too as this will be a dual purpose track toy / daily driver
QUOTE]

From what I understand, the 2011 GT will get better fuel efficiency than previous GT models due to the 6-speed and Variable Valve Timing.