Shelby GT350RR '65 review -
"the car had an ease of driving that I wasn't expecting given its age"
Having managed to find some time I decided to do a review of this car; just something in the name meant I had to
Taking the car to Suzuka, initial impressions were good. The car had good composure and most suprising was the cars behaviour in second gear combined with little modulation - somehow the setup managed to keep the wheels in traction - an added bonus since it relieves the workload allowing you to concentrate on other things.
Going into the first corner after the main straight I got my first indication of the cars braking. It was balanced in the fact that it didn't cause any particular over/understeer but it did feel a little soft, and before any hot laps could be done braking points had to be clearly thought out. Though overall once I had adapted to its braking, it was predicatable and generally precise.
Through the S curves the cars balance had the opportunity to shine, not once was the car stepping drastically out of line and it was willing to change direction comfortably in quick succession.
Going round the Dunlop curve, the car had good traction and stability in the high speed corner which was particularly helpful given the oncoming and sharp degner curve. Once again braking was the main issue and the
soft feel was initially an issue.
Over the rest of the track, the car kept its composure in the high speed sections, and particularly going into 130R, all that the track could throw up was well within the limits of the cars suspension.
Overall the car had an ease of driving that I wasn't expecting given its age. The setup gave the car the ability to follow all the intended lines with ease and rarely stepped out of balance (though obviously it will if you really want to
). Another indicator of the setups quality is the fact that it managed to comfortably control and use the cars power; not overly tamed but made to be civil in a way of sorts. My final time was a 1'59.738 which might not be the fastest of my Mad Finntuners tests, but easily one of the most enjoyable.
So to end, congrats with the work done on this setup - the results of which are easy to see 👍
Edit:
MFT Z-486 SC'03 review -
"I was almost under the impression I had put super softs on it by accident"
Much like the Shelby name, I've also got quite an attachment to the Nissan Z-cars.
After digging out my 350Z, the settings were promptly applied and this test was done at GVS.
As ever the first corner after the main straight gave a good indication of the cars orientation, which just happened to feel very neutral. Going into the first corner (and incidently those leading onto the straight), I was almost under the impression I had put super softs on it by accident; such was the huge amounts of grip and confidence I had from the car. This meant it took naturally to the out-out-in line I prefer on the corner and never felt as if it would lose control.
Going out of the straight and into the next complex the cars composure stayed exactly the same. I barely needed to drop the speed in preperation for the long right-left sweep and it was quick to change direction without any trouble.
As the hairpin approached, over the laps I gradually began to brake later and later. The cars neutal character meant that no understeer was ever felt but just to liven things up, on some occasions whilst in second gear, the car would treat itself to some controlled sliding.
The next complex of corners is what I consider to be the hardest part of the track to get right, but in this case the car had such composure that this was a breeze. As before it was quick to change direction whilst showing good resistance to being unbalanced by the aggressive weight shifting and had everything well within its limits, further reinforcing my belief that it corners like it's on super softs.
The latter faster sections of the lap gave a similar reaction of being unable to unsettle the car. Particularly going into the tunnel, little braking was needed before being back on full power pulling out of the long (and what was made to be fast) corner. Perhaps most suprising of all was that the right hander leading onto the straight could be taken full throttle with ease everytime without the need for a particular line.
In the end I finished with a final time of 1'42.939. My overall impressions are that the setup takes full advantage of everything its got, especially the tyres making it seem like its running some very exotic racing rubber. I've actually forgotten my previous lap times with other cars from this garage, but I'm willing to bet that this is definately amongst the fastest 👍.
Pyrelli