Shelby GT500?
 

Anyone have experience with tracking a GT500? Seems damn fast, and under $100k.

Got a couple friends with them- one has done maybe one track day with it but didn't push it as it was new, and the $$$ carbon wheels made him a little nervous! I got a new Mach 1 with all the track options but don't have enough miles on it yet to take to the track but that is what I primarily got it for. Has a great Tremec 6 speed and 480hp so it should do just fine! Other than a Pinto station wagon I had in med school a LONG time ago, that is the first American car I ever bought... (not counting pickup trucks) All my Porsche friends think I have early dementia...

In the same league I prefer the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

Fast. Definately. Fun. Definately. Heavy. Definately. Zl1 1lE would be fun too. Both will smoke tires and brakes like they are chewing gum, and not the long lasting kind either, like the double bubble you have to spit out after a half an inning. Vettes are great fun and have great driving dynamics compared to the vettes of yesteryear. C7 Grand Sport is basically tailor made for this hobby IMO. C7 Z06 if you like to burn fuel faster than a top fuel tragster.

Why? How much time do you have in each?

Pretty darned good!

Please elaborate. I know the lap time is very fast, but how does the car feel during a feel weekend of lapping, how long do tires, rotors, and pads last, is it too loud, etc.?

It is currently ranked as the 19th fastest stock production car around VIR per C&D while weighing over 4100 lbs. Tires, rotors and pads will all be swallowed. There is a lot of info out around the ZL1 1LE consumable rates if you do some googling, should be very similar in that regard.

With modern noise restrictions on production vehicles, hard to say what is "too loud" since its a personal preference. Have you test driven one? I would start there and consider a ride along at track events if you walk past one in the paddock.

I know many that have driven that architecture of mustang and rave about how they "feel" much lighter than they are due to the massive amount of rubber and the wonderful chassis. But if you are worried about noise and consumables whatsoever, this would not be the toy for you as those must be disregarded when perusing that level of American Muscle sadly.

How many track days can one get out of the GT500 with Cup 2? With my 991 GT3, I get somewhere around 8-12 days.

#1.) 500hp 3100 lbs vs 760hp 4100 lbs means at a HIGH LEVEL, you are probably looking at 60% - 70% of the life you are getting today

#2.) Cup 2s (from what I understand) are a low bar with all of the other tires available that better withstand heat cycling. They tend to heat cycle out before they wear down to the wear indicators. Are you saying 8-12 days before they are worn out or are heat cycled out and have a much lower levep of grip? Have you looked at competitors offerings for track day 200 TW tires?

#3.) In what universe would someone consider getting rid of a 991 GT3 for a (comparative) boat of a Ford? Feel, weight, quality all lean heavily towards tracking the Pcar. It's an absolute marvel of a machine and lightening fast. Curious as to what would have you leaning towards the Stang? I could see shopping them if the garage was empty, but with your current stable what's the problem?

If seeking to try something different from Porsche, I'd second the suggestion to consider the 6gen Camaro 1LE. I like the GM Alpha over the Mustang S550.

Cup 2 is OEM tire for GT500 with the track pack, hence my asking about that. I'm using Goodyear Supercar 3 on the GT3 these days. When I used Cup 2 with the GT3, front tires would wear down much faster than rears, then I'd replace all four. If I only replaced the fronts, rears would heat cycle out before the new fronts were done.

GT500 would replace 981 GT4, not the GT3. Wife and I both track, so we need (at least) two track cars. My interest in GT500 is because it's fast, cheap, and different from Porsches.

GT500 may be fast, but it's definitely not cheap. With the track pack they are still well over 100K. Figure 2-3 MPG and a $2400 set of tires every event. I tried a ZL1 1LE for a year and just couldn't get past the size and weight. It was fast, but it just didn't match my driving style. Filling the tank after every session got old, too, and it has a bigger tank and gets better MPG than the GT500. Hurt one of those carbon wheels, and you will have to dig pretty deep to replace it. I ended up with a 981 GT4, and I'm much more comfortable with it. I wish it had more power to run with the big boys on the back straight at VIR, but I just feel much more connected to the car.

If you want cheap and fast, look at the Camaro SS 1LE. I think it really hits the performance sweet spot, and is a surprisingly good driving car on the road. It is pretty much equal to GT4 performance on track even on the stock SC3 tires.

Agree with everything you said but why recommend the SS over the Grand Sport that weights significantly less? The Grand Sport checks all of the boxes with low weight, high HP/TQ (compared to GT4), huge tires, dry sump, z06 cooling packages, and big brakes as well as a 7 year warrenty available.....

All while being 7 seconds a lap faster than an SS around VIR stock for stock. Same lap times as a 16RS and 18GT3 based on the lightening lap.

GS is also a good option and certainly the sweet spot of the C7 lineup, probably a bit more expensive. I haven’t driven a GS, but a friend who owned both preferred the way the Alpha platform Camaro drove on track.