Behind The Wheel Of Classic Recreations’ Mustang Shelby GT350CR

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The old adage “they don’t make them like they used to” finds its origins in the automotive world, and one could argue that it’s specifically referencing domestic performance cars. The 1980s and much of the ’90s, if we’re honest, were dismal times for American performance – aside from a few exceptions. Compounding the emissions-choked, low compression motors of the day was a landscape of lackluster designs and suspect engineering overall.

It stood in stark contrast to the heyday of the muscle car era in the mid-to-late ’60s, when cars like the Mustang Shelby GT350 were rolling off the assembly line on a regular basis. To gaze upon an original GT350, it is easy to see why enthusiasts longed for the past – thrilling performance, head-turning looks, and that unforgettable roar of an old school V8 engine.

And despite the fact that modern performance cars have now surpassed the best and brightest of those times, there’s still a large contingent of fans that lust for old school thrills. But why not combine the technology of today with the elements that make vintage performance so unforgettable? Classic Recreations took that Pro Touring approach and ran with it when they conceived the GT350CR.

Hand built in their Yukon, Oklahoma, factory, each Mustang that rolls out of its shop is recognized by the Shelby American Worldwide Registry, and maintains the lion’s share of that old school look and feel – yet it’s coupled with some very serious modern hardware. It creates an interesting juxtaposition with modern muscle cars, offering a brand of visceral joy that they cannot. And yet, it also occasionally reminds one that – in certain instances – there are reasons why they don’t make them like they used to.

Serious Firepower

The Classic Recreations GT350CR starts off with a 1966 Mustang body and chassis that’s stripped to the bone and built from the ground up. While the company offers a general template for the car’s configuration, there’s also no shortage of customizable options available to dial-in more performance, additional comfort, and unique appearance features.

The heart of the GT350CR is a 427 cubic-inch small-block V8 (based off the 351) from Ford Racing that makes 545 horsepower and 530 lb-ft of torque. It’s a brutal lump of all-American violence that’s happy to rev, and sounds the absolute business when routing its fumes through a set of BBK Performance ceramic long-tube headers (and into a pair of Magnaflow mufflers) that dump downward before the rear axle for maximum thump. The power is sent to the Chassisworks 9-inch rear-end via a Tremec five-speed manual gearbox that’s backed by a seriously burly clutch, and an equally-hefty Hurst Performance shifter.

Modernization abounds in the drivetrain, with a FAST fuel injection system managing the feed rather than a traditional carburetor. It’s supplemented by a VaporWorx fuel pump and MSD Performance ignition components, while an oversized Be Cool radiator ensures that operating temperatures remain within spec.

Of course adding copious amounts of horsepower isn’t much good if you don’t have the braking and handling confidence needed to actually use it. Accordingly, the GT350CR gets modern stopping power from Wilwood four-piston calipers at all four corners with ventilated and cross-drilled rotors, and handling gets a makeover by way of Rod and Custom coilovers up front, a Total Control four-link system in the rear with QA1 shocks, and Total Control sway bars.

A hydraulically assisted Flaming River rack and pinion steering system is on hand as well, and the car rolls on 17-inch American Racing Torque Thrust wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich g-Force T/A tires.

Seats from back in the day aren’t known for being particularly comfortable or well bolstered; so the GT350CR is equipped with a pair of Carroll Shelby Signature sport seats, and a pair of five-point harnesses to keep occupants in place during hard driving. The latter also significantly enhances both safety and the sense of occasion.

But the GT350CR also makes some effort to add comfort to that equation, too. Air conditioning is provided by Old Air Products, and a modern audio system kicks out the jams by way of a JVC U.S.A. head unit and Kicker amplification.

All told, the car’s spec sheet reads like a wish list for most muscle car fans today – and the beauty of the GT350CR package is that Classic Restorations has done all the legwork already – leaving buyers to drive the car, rather than having to endlessly wrench on it for months or years on end to bring it to this level.

On The Road

When you’re gazing at the timeless beauty of a first generation Mustang fastback, it’s easy to forget that in the half a century that has transpired since this car was first produced, auto manufacturing has evolved quite a bit. There’s no laser welds, no backup cameras, no telescoping steering columns. It’s a very analog experience – for better and for worse.

Both sides of that coin become evident the first time you dip generously into the throttle. There’s no torque management telling the motor to regulate the thrust; no exhaust valves keeping the volume at socially-acceptable levels until you insist otherwise, and no electronic nannies saving you from yourself. But, that last bit stayed at the forefront of our minds as we buried the throttle from a 20 MPH roll – summarily lighting the tires up through First gear, then Second, and likely all the way through Third if common sense hadn’t gotten the better of us.

Make no mistake – this 427 small-block is an absolute screamer that makes tidal waves of horsepower throughout the rev range. It easily overwhelms the BFG rubber – which is certainly fun for a while – but we also couldn’t help but feel that some performance was being left on the table, due to the lack of rear end grip in the face of this onslaught of torque.

Classic Recreations also offers a supercharger system that brings peak output to 745 horsepower with an available intercooler, while the option to twin turbocharge this V8 will bring horsepower into the four-digit stratosphere.

We’re not normally one to scoff at the prospect of additional power, but we’d already internally noted that the unhooked nitrous tanks housed behind the seats were a step or two beyond what the limited grip available could utilize, in any meaningful way. Without some significant change in rear end grip, these big jumps in output will likely go up in tire smoke from just about any halfway sane speed.

Glorious excess aside, operating the GT350CR is a pretty straightforward proposition. Once you’re acclimated to the hearty clutch and limited rear visibly, due to the harnesses and blocked off rear windows, you’re reminded of how much easier it is to see out of the front of an older car because of the thin A pillars and low beltline.

The upgraded rack and pinion steering (while not on par with modern systems due to its vague on-center nature), is still worlds better than the original on its best day. Same goes for the braking system – while you need to dive a bit deeper into the pedal to get the industrial-grade stopping power on hand than you would in a modern muscle car, the GT350CR’s braking prowess is on an entirely different level from the stock components found on a ’66 Mustang – GT350 or otherwise.

Comfort is substantially improved by the adjustable sport buckets too, but there’s a caveat or two despite the upgrades. For example, finding a comfortable driving position for the author’s 6’3? frame resulted in some tight quarters around the steering wheel, and the lack of a dead pedal to the left of the clutch meant that we either kept our foot hovering above the clutch, or on the floor when not shifting.

Of course, that’s a limitation of the original Mustang’s design, rather than an oversight on Classic Recreations’ part; but it does serve to illustrate that no matter how much you modernize a vintage automobile, it will still be a vintage automobile with modern components.

Buyers expecting a modern driving experience with vintage looks may be in for a bit of a surprise with the GT350CR. But for those who still long for the good old days, the Classic Recreations GT350CR delivers a driving experience that’s well beyond a best case scenario for an original factory muscle car.

Classic Recreations  Phone: (877) 235-3266