Built on the “no replacement for displacement” premise, muscle cars are famous for their large capacity engines.
Classic Recreations has an interesting and entertaining proposition. As the only licensed and factory authorized builder of Shelby Mustang continuation cars, the company will introduce two Ford EcoBoost engines to the line-up of powertrains for its 1966 GT350CR and 1968 GT500CR Shelby Mustangs.
Now, before you get enraged at the thought of an EcoBoost-swapped Shelby 350, you might want to know that these are not original cars but continuations – a special type of replicas built to the original standards and blueprints of cars that are no longer in production.
So, getting that out of the way, the whole idea sounds very promising and commendable, especially as the 3.5 lt, twin-turbocharged V6 weighs significantly less than the V8 iron block that originally equipped the car, and develops 365 horsepower and 420 lb/ft (569 Nm) of torque.
As a matter of fact, Classic Recreations say that the virtually flat torque curve, lightweight package and modern suspension options will make the its Shelby one of the best handling muscle cars ever made. And, to top it off, the company is willing to tune the powerplant and add a couple of bigger turbos for those who want more than 600 hp under the hood.
Classic Recreations will also offer a variant of the 2.0-litre 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine (borrowed from the Focus ST) rated at 300 horsepower and 360 lb/ft (488 Nm) of torque, thanks to Ti-VCT twin independent variable camshaft timing, a Borg-Warner turbocharger that spins at speeds up to 195,000 rpm. This option is dedicated to customers in the Chinese market, where taxes for imported automobiles, especially those with high displacement engines, are off the charts.
PHOTO GALLERY
