CAR MODIFIED WITH NITROUS OXIDE SYSTEM

Car and Driver said about the three variants:

V6

Taking the LL1 crown this year and tying the class-record time of 3:12.5 was Ford’s 305-hp V-6 Mustang. We have little doubt that it could have unseated the co–class-champ 2006 Nissan 350Z Track if the Ford hadn’t been equipped with a 114-mph governor, which the car banged into for more than 15 seconds per lap. Yet despite the interference of the electric anchor, the new V-6–powered car still managed to beat last year’s 315-hp V-8 Mustang by 0.8 second.

We might have found our minds wandering on the speed-limited straights, but the Mustang had no problem holding our attention in the corners. Equipped with the Performance package, which adds 255/40R-19 Pirelli P Zero rubber and a firmer, track-friendly chassis, the car swept through the rest of the track with an ease that masked its 3513-pound curb weight and solid rear axle. Under trail braking—braking past the point of turning into a corner—the easily modulated binders enabled impressive front-end grip as the Mustang tucked into tight, low-speed corners with the nimbleness of a much lighter car. A cinch to balance through the middle of a corner, the chassis tends toward neutrality and is only disturbed by big, foolish control inputs.

Even though effort through the leather-wrapped wheel is light and doesn’t increase much in response to cornering loads, the steering is resolutely accurate and faithful. Some initial roll compliance made the Mustang feel slightly disconnected, but the stability of its chassis makes sport of the downhill corners before the straightaway (sector five) and the uphill esses. The seats could use more support, and the V-6 lacks the torque and sound of the 5.0-liter V-8, but this model sacrifices nothing when it comes to handling.

5.0 GT

The Mustang GT gives you the best parts of the V-6–powered car, only with more ponies. Its 412-hp V-8 is 107 horses stronger than the 113-pound-lighter V-6 model, and it’s 138 horses short of the 198-pound-heavier, V-8–powered Shelby GT500. The GT’s additional juice, without a correspondingly significant weight penalty, is a key reason why we ­singled it out for this year’s 10Best Cars award and why it performs so well on a track. It is worth noting, though, that a mandatory option for hot lapping is the $1695 Brembo front brake package, which also brings sticky Pirelli P Zero tires. With that package, the GT turns a 3:08.6 lap, 0.9 second quicker than its longtime pony-car rival, the Camaro SS, managed in last year’s Lightning Lap, and third in class despite being the second-least-expensive LL2 car, at $36,280.

Like the V-6, the GT’s steering is above average. Turn-in is crisp, handling near neutral, and controlled trail braking is possible. The GT’s shifter—unlike the GT500’s—is never too quick, never induces grinding, and is light enough in hand that missing a shift is a rare event. The GT exhibits a little more body roll than the GT500, which makes the side-to-side-in-your-seat banging around less intense and more tolerable. Still, the GT would benefit greatly from a more heavily bolstered seat.

Sector two is the only place where the GT outperforms the GT500. The GT requires few throttle changes, and carrying speed is easier because the Shelby requires a significant lift to stay on track. Is it the ’80s again? Because the 5.0-liter is, once again, cool as ice. Vanilla Ice.

GT500

Shelby GT500s have never fared well in this test. The old iron-block engine repeatedly suffered from heat soak—sapping power—and the car’s tires wouldn’t last more than one lap. The 2011 updates—including a retuned suspension, new tires, an aluminum engine block, and a more efficient intercooler—have paid major dividends here, lopping nearly two seconds from the GT500’s 2007 record of 3:05.9. At 3824 pounds, the 2011 car is also lighter than that one by 84. It’s still a portly beast, but it handles like a coupe that is closer to the 3500-pound mark. There is some body roll but not a lot. And despite its solid rear axle, the GT500 brews confidence by the gallon. It excels in sectors three and five, where it keeps pace with pricier LL4 participants. If the seats did a better job of keeping the upper and lower body in place, times in sectors two and four would shrink drastically. A certain amount of steering-wheel control is sacrificed when your arms have to work harder to keep you in place than the seat does.

Even a racing bucket and a five-point belt wouldn’t bring out the absolute best in the GT500. A perfect lap requires repeatability. The shifter’s throws, for one, are unnecessarily short, and getting a lap together with an error-free two-to-three shift didn’t happen. Also, the 550-hp V-8 revs quickly to its 6250-rpm redline. At the right-hander leading into the “Snake,” the GT500 is, if driven correctly, right on its rev limiter at the apex. Managing a midcorner upshift while maintaining directional control is tough to pull off.

"Unlike our "Best-Handling Car in America" test [October 2010], where we used the Waterford Hills road course in Michigan as an element of the selection process, we rank finishers in Lightning Lap strictly on lap times, based on the best run achieved by each car during our two-day event (without any subjective criteria). Handling prowess is important for extracting a good lap time at VIR, but brakes and power are even more significant here, which isn't the case on the tight Waterford Hills track.

Full reviews and videos can be found here: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10q4/lightning_lap_2011-feature

The 20 new or revised performance cars we gathered for our fifth edition of Lightning Lap are sorted by base price (which includes performance-enhancing options) into five classes."
The Mustang V6 earned top honors in the LL1 class (under $30,000). Car and Driver said about the Mustang V6:

"We might have found our minds wandering on the speed-limited straights, but the Mustang had no problem holding our attention in the corners. Equipped with the Performance package, which adds 255/40R-19 Pirelli P Zero rubber and a firmer, track-friendly chassis, the car swept through the rest of the track with an ease that masked its 3513-pound curb weight and solid rear axle. Under trail braking—braking past the point of turning into a corner—the easily modulated binders enabled impressive front-end grip as the Mustang tucked into tight, low-speed corners with the nimbleness of a much lighter car. A cinch to balance through the middle of a corner, the chassis tends toward neutrality and is only disturbed by big, foolish control inputs."

Per MustangDaily:

"In the LL2 class ($30,000 to $59,999), the Mustang GT and Shelby GT500 dominated the competition. With a time of 3:04.0 the 2011 GT500 knocked off a full two seconds from its time in 2007 thanks to its lighter aluminum block engine and retuned suspension, and it even beat out many of the cars in the LL3 class ($60,000 to $119,999 class) including the Lotus Evora, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, Jaguar XFR, and Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. Car and Driver said about the GT500:

At 3824 pounds, the 2011 car is also lighter than that one by 84. It’s still a portly beast, but it handles like a coupe that is closer to the 3500-pound mark. There is some body roll but not a lot. And despite its solid rear axle, the GT500 brews confidence by the gallon. It excels in sectors three and five, where it keeps pace with pricier LL4 participants. If the seats did a better job of keeping the upper and lower body in place, times in sectors two and four would shrink drastically. A certain amount of steering-wheel control is sacrificed when your arms have to work harder to keep you in place than the seat does.

Finally, the Mustang GT put in a respectable time of 3:08.6, finishing third place in LL2 and beating out the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution SE, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and Mazda RX-8 R3."