Somehow, in an era when hybridization and electrification have revolutionized automotive performance, a few manufacturers have held onto the good-old-fashioned muscle car recipe of a V8 engine up front powering a rear-wheel-drive coupe. Of course, the usual suspects for such things include Chevrolet with the Camaro, Dodge with the Challenger, and Ford with the Mustang—but more surprisingly, Lexus has stayed in the game with the RC F, too. And now, in a new video from the YouTube channel TheStraightPipes, the RC F in Track Edition trim goes head-to-head in a direct comparison against Ford's Shelby GT350 replacement, the new-for-2021 Mustang Mach 1.
American And Japanese Sports Coupes Square Off
The Mach 1 replaces Ford's outgoing Shelby GT350 and GT350R, which proved themselves year in and year out as two of the best bang-for-the-buck sports cars on the market thanks to a screaming Voodoo V8, a six-speed stick shift, and plenty of track-tuned goodies from the aero package to the suspension and brakes. The Mach 1 has big shoes to fill, clearly, especially because the GT350 started at an impressively low price, all things considered, of $61,635.
480 Horses And The Tremec Transmission
The Mach 1 leaves the factory down about 100 horses on the GT350 at 480 HP and 420 lb-ft of torque, but still retains a six-speed stick shift operated via the quintessential retro shifter ball seen above (a ten-speed automatic is also available). Other goodies include a Torsen automatic torque biasing rear differential, a beefed-up rear sway bar, and stiffer toe links and bushings sourced from the king-of-the-hill Shelby GT500.
The Expensive Lexus RC F Track Edition
The Mach 1 also starts even lower than the GT350 did, at a base sticker of $53,915. Compared to the Lexus RC F Track Edition, which adds a whopping $30,000+ to the base RC F's starting price of $67,700 with a few weight-saving options like carbon-ceramic brakes to reach a nearly six-figure sum, the Mach 1 sounds downright cheap (and this head-to-head seems a little silly). And indeed, the GT500 may be the RC F Track Edition's more reasonable competitor—given its automatic trans and price tag—though given how well the Mach 1 fares, the GT500 would simply vault itself up and over the RC F Track Edition with ease.
Sources: youtube.com and ford.com.