The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 might have the best-sounding engine of any new production car. If you don't believe us, take a listen. Ford calls it the Voodoo,
and it's much different than the engines in its more pedestrian pony
car brethren. Its flat-plane-crank architecture is unique among V-8s
from the 'States, as is its astronomical 8,250-rpm redline.
In the 2019 GT350 and GT350R, the Voodoo is rated at 526 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque at the crank. We decided to take the GT350 from our Best Driver's Car competition and strap it to a dyno to find out how much power it's making at the wheels. Drivetrain losses are exceedingly difficult to measure but we'll estimate a 15-percent loss between what the engine is producing at the crank and how much power makes it to the road. Based on Ford's numbers, we should be expecting a dyno readout of 457 hp and 373 lb-ft of torque at the wheels.
Last time
we measured a GT350 on a dyno in 2015, it put down a very healthy 467
wheel horsepower. This one is even stronger. Here's what the dyno tells
us: an average of 494 hp and 382 lb-ft at the wheels over three separate
runs in fourth gear. Accounting for the drivetrain loss, our results
translate to 568 horses and 439 lb-ft at the crank from the Voodoo V-8;
that's 42 hp and 10 extra lb-ft more than its ratings from Ford.
The dyno chart, which graphs power and torque against engine speed, shows a big spike in torque for the Mustang around 3,300 rpm. That's when this engine comes alive—much later in the rev range than most turbocharged engines and larger-displacement V-8s. Torque remains near its peak at 382 lb-ft between 3,300 and 6,000 rpm, at which point it begins to drop off. The power curve is relatively linear. Peak power doesn't arrive until the Voodoo is approaching its sky-high 8,250-rpm fuel cutoff.
If our tester is any indication, you not only get one of the best-sounding engines in the business with the 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, you also get more power than advertised.
