The Shelby GT350R is the most track-ready Mustang ever built since its namesake debuted in 1965, but it's still a heavy car. Even with carbon fiber wheels, a rear-seat delete, and other light-weighting measures, the GT350R still weighs around 3700 lbs. Wisconsin shop SpeedKore Performance has the solution, but it's not cheap.
For about $64,000, SpeedKore will replace your GT350 or GT350R's steel body with one made entirely from carbon fiber. Yes, that effectively doubles the cost of the car.
Jay Leno got to drive the carbon-bodied GT350R and spoke with SpeedKore vice president David Salvaggio all about the build. Salvaggio doesn't say exactly how much lighter this GT350R is compared with a stock example, but the weight savings are at least 400 lbs. SpeedKore's front fender weighs only 1.8 lbs, which is half that of a stock aluminum panel.
Leno owns a GT350R, and notes that this car certainly feels quicker and lighter on its feet. It would be great to have data to compare SpeedKore's GT350R with a stock example, but it's easy to imagine the performance difference being significant. It certainly should be, given the cost.
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins served as Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist.
