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MotorWeek Tests 2007 Shelby GT500: Leaves Out 0-60, 1/4 Mile Times


MotorWeek kicked off its 26th season with a test of the new Shelby GT500. Something that really stuck out to me was the fact that when they showed the car going through the paces at the test track, they only quoted factory 0-60 times. Which leads me to ask, how bad was it?

Here's the exact dialogue as found on MotorWeek's website:

To feed all that power to the fat rear tires, the GT500 dons a heavy duty 6-speed manual gearbox and clutch. Which when launched under perfect conditions, will return a 0 to 60 time of 4.5 seconds, and quarter mile of 12.9 seconds at 112 miles per hour. But, mix in a little moisture, and slow hookup and speed sapping wheelspin really hinders the launch. Still, we were impressed with the GT500's broad power delivery and free-revving character, without any of the rough edges of classic Shelby Mustangs.

I'm fine with the caveat about the testing conditions, but in my mind you still quote the results of your test. MotorWeek had no qualms quoting their as tested fuel economy or 60-0 braking results.

Were they worried that the poor results would jeopardize their relationship with Ford?