2010 Ford Shelby GT500

It’s every host’s worst nightmare. You fuss and fret to make everything perfect, redecorating inside and out, upgrading to the best, most powerful entertainment systems, and then…nobody comes. You can’t blame Ford for overpreparing. The ruffians that were expected to crash the Mustang’s perennial sales party looked tough — particularly the 500-plus-hp Camaro Z/28. Then the global economic buzz-kill hit Ford’s competitors hard, kyboshing politically frivolous projects like gas-guzzling two-doors. Now Ford stands alone at the top of the pony/musclecar hill, but is this de-facto king of the hill worthy of his crown?

We Nancy-boy, string-back-glove sorts are quick to carp at cars carrying 58% of two tons on a strut-suspended nose with the rest on a live axle, but a spirited drive up California’s Highway 1 in Ford’s latest Shelby GT500 has us eating some preconceived carp. Despite its carryover architecture and heavy borrowing from last year’s GT500 KR, this 2010 Shelby’s steering feel, turn-in, and ride/handling balance are dramatically improved. The transformation is particularly impressive given the minimal tweaks made to the springs, dampers, and steering as 19-in. tires replaced 18s.

“The tires are the key,” says SVT vehicle dynamics specialist Eric Zinkosky, “they’re the foundation of all the chassis tuning.” Dedicated tires couldn’t be engineered for the rushed (six-month development) KR program, so they chose off-the-shelf R-spec Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercars capable of generating big track numbers. This program afforded time to engineer completely different front and rear tires. Their construction differs significantly (belts, belt angles, tread patterns) to produce differing response rates, and tuning the rate at which the rears deform under cornering forces was crucial to making the car turn in quickly and confidently. Tuning the tire, spring, and damper frequencies as a system also enhanced ride quality. Caveat, DUB enthusiasts.