Shelby GT 500 Commercial

[djomlas]

well thats all drag race horsepower, down a straight line. try keeping up with that car trough the turns and ull find urself in a ditch most likely

[JackG]

You guys are embarrassing me. This is precisely the attitude that leads many people to label Porsche owners as "dicks".

That Shelby would hand a Boxster it's ass on pretty much any track. What may lack in the turns it would more than make up for in the straights. No, the steering wouldn't be nearly as precise, the brakes might lack in pedal feel and ultimate stopping power, and the ride may not be as refined. The Boxster is a better car in nearly all aspects... except it would end up in second place.

Hey, I love my Boxster, but reality is a ********************.

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by JackG

You guys are embarrassing me. This is precisely the attitude that leads many people to label Porsche owners as "dicks".

That Shelby would hand a Boxster it's ass on pretty much any track. What may lack in the turns it would more than make up for in the straights. No, the steering wouldn't be nearly as precise, the brakes might lack in pedal feel and ultimate stopping power, and the ride may not be as refined. The Boxster is a better car in nearly all aspects... except it would end up in second place.

Hey, I love my Boxster, but reality is a ********************.

I think you might find this link interesting. A Cobalt hung with a Mustang GT on a pretty long track. This is by no means an apples to apples comparison but it does show a lower powered car hanging with a much faster car simply due to handling characteristics.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11755/the-lightning-lap.html

I think the head to head on any road course could go either way, but my money would be on the Boxster. The Shelby would need to slow down too much to turn and can't carry the speed...

Put slicks on the Shelby and things would probably tilt the other way...

[JackG]

Originally Posted by Sammy

I think you might find this link interesting. A Cobalt hung with a Mustang GT on a pretty long track. This is by no means an apples to apples comparison but it does show a lower powered car hanging with a much faster car simply due to handling characteristics.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11755/the-lightning-lap.html

I think the head to head on any road course could go either way, but my money would be on the Boxster. The Shelby would need to slow down too much to turn and can't carry the speed...

Put slicks on the Shelby and things would probably tilt the other way...

There's no doubt that the GT is tuned to be more of a cruiser than a racer. But we're talking about the Shelby version, with 500hp and tweaked suspension. It's pretty hard to overcome a 250hp advantage.

Did you notice the Shelby in the article you linked? It turned its laps right with a Cayman S, and it had engine problems. According to the article, the Shelby was falling on it's face at 5000 rpm, a whole 1000 rpm shy of its peak. There's your proof... a Boxster would be no match for a Shelby.

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by JackG

There's no doubt that the GT is tuned to be more of a cruiser than a racer. But we're talking about the Shelby version, with 500hp and tweaked suspension. It's pretty hard to overcome a 250hp advantage.

Did you notice the Shelby in the article you linked? It turned its laps right with a Cayman S, and it had engine problems. According to the article, the Shelby was falling on it's face at 5000 rpm, a whole 1000 rpm shy of its peak. There's your proof... a Boxster would be no match for a Shelby.

Yeah, I noticed the Shelby, but for discussion my point was better shown in the other comparison because the engine issue raises a few too many questions. My point being that an underpowered car (even being FWD) can hang with a high powered car because of handling and shouldn't be dismissed.

Regarding the Shelby, I don't believe that 2 seconds is close when you have the top three cars all within 0.5 seconds of each other. Even if the engine was running properly, the time made up in the straights would be minor compared to what it loses in the corners.

I forgot to add that I think a base Boxster would have a hard time keeping up, but I think a "S" would take care of business.

BTW - I thought it was a great article and hopefully they will keep using this comparison in the future.

[super66]

couple funny things here....imagine if the porsche had the engine troubles?! oh boy the ford is getting a free pass on our forum

I don't get into this stuff too much but seems like the cayman S beat the gt 500 around the track.....which would indicate the new box s would beat it as well....at least until ford fixes their engines

[z12358]

The Shelby has 205 hp more power and weighs 767 lbs more than the Cayman S. Taking on the twisties on my Sunday morning run with FIVE guys riding along? Thanks, but no thanks. Eight girls, maybe.

[Perfectlap]

Shelby v. Boxster

well I would hope that 500 HP would ensure the sub 300 HP 987/986 an ass handing. If it didn't it would be downright embarrasing.

equally powered (I rented a v6 slushbox) I don't think the Moostang is anwhere even close to the Boxster in any sportscar (left and right turns) way.
The brakes were awful--off ---on. Steering was similar to Crysler Sebring I rented earlier. And throttle was just as primitive as the brakes.
I like muscle cars but that thing had neither the looks nor the power rush of muscle car.

[wild1poet2]

I can't remember where I read it but the Shelby Mustang engine is detuned and there is supposedly lots more bhp waiting to be unleashed. I believe the Mustangs are speed limited to 155 mph. Not sure about the Shelby.

i think it is great that there are so many performance car choices out there now.

[JackG]

Originally Posted by Sammy

Regarding the Shelby, I don't believe that 2 seconds is close when you have the top three cars all within 0.5 seconds of each other. Even if the engine was running properly, the time made up in the straights would be minor compared to what it loses in the corners.

BTW - I thought it was a great article and hopefully they will keep using this comparison in the future.

FWIW, the time diff was 1.5 seconds, not 2. And it's a huge assumption backed up by no facts that "the time made up in the straights would be minor" if the Shelby weren't sick. We just don't know.

Finally, my whole point was that this thread smacks of snobbery against anything not Porsche. The Shelby was being dismissed because it is a Ford, and that's a mistake. Look at what won the shootout. A Ford GT.

[z12358]

Originally Posted by JackG

FWIW, the time diff was 1.5 seconds, not 2. And it's a huge assumption backed up by no facts that "the time made up in the straights would be minor" if the Shelby weren't sick. We just don't know.

Finally, my whole point was that this thread smacks of snobbery against anything not Porsche. The Shelby was being dismissed because it is a Ford, and that's a mistake. Look at what won the shootout. A Ford GT.

Just your opinion. I didn't see any snobbery at all. Is someone a snob just because he prefers a lighter and more agile roadster to a much heavier but more powerful GT? Different people prefer different cars, and prefer to pay up for different attributes. Some pay up for raw power. Others pay up for superior engineering that keeps weight low without sacrificing comfort and rigidity.

Frankly, considering that this is a Porsche Boxster forum, I would say that most other cars get a fair treatment, especially when compared to other forums. For some reason you care very much about "d**k" stereotypes which are mostly spread by "d**ks" anyway.

Z.

[SigmaPi]

Originally Posted by JackG

FWIW, the time diff was 1.5 seconds, not 2. And it's a huge assumption backed up by no facts that "the time made up in the straights would be minor" if the Shelby weren't sick. We just don't know.

Finally, my whole point was that this thread smacks of snobbery against anything not Porsche. The Shelby was being dismissed because it is a Ford, and that's a mistake. Look at what won the shootout. A Ford GT.

Since I started the thread primarily about the commercial and the use of the Carrera in it, I feel obligated to respond. Call it what you wish however, loyalty to a brand and espousing its superiority did not start with Porsche owners. If you take a look back in history, GM and Ford represent one of the longest standing rivalries in the history of automakers. Yet no one seems compelled to call a GM owner "elitest snob" if they have a picture of Calvin pissing on a Ford decal on thier back window, why is that? Just because we may be proud of our vehicles and thier capabilities does not make us snobs.

Jack, I would bet my paycheck, small as it may be, that the GT 500 would still lose out against any of these cars besides the Dodge. Simply saying since it has 500hp does not make it any faster through the track. If this were the case, then the first place winner at 190hp would not have been a factor. Keep in mind the Lotus had the lowest hp in the group and the closest delta in hp was the Cayman S which it beat, and the Cayman had 105 more horses. So the moral of the story is horsepower does not a fast car make.

[TriGem2k]

I actually thought that commercial was cleaver. Specially when the guy that transported the car says "You couldn't find a car in Germany that you liked" and the owner replys "No I just couldn't find a speed limit in America that I liked".

All in all though I like the Shelby GT500 and im sure its a pretty nice drive.

[Grizzly]

Originally Posted by JackG

You guys are embarrassing me. This is precisely the attitude that leads many people to label Porsche owners as "dicks".

That Shelby would hand a Boxster it's ass on pretty much any track. What may lack in the turns it would more than make up for in the straights. No, the steering wouldn't be nearly as precise, the brakes might lack in pedal feel and ultimate stopping power, and the ride may not be as refined. The Boxster is a better car in nearly all aspects... except it would end up in second place.

Hey, I love my Boxster, but reality is a ********************.

No question, Jack. The only thing that might slow the Shelby down a bit is the $10,000 in the trunk that the driver didn't spend on the new Porsche.

I love my Boxster too. But I don't love it so much that I've lost my sense of reason.