2016 Shelby GT350R Mustang Headlines Modern Muscle Display during April 9-12 AutoFair

CONCORD, N.C. (Mar. 20, 2015) – Five of the most powerful musclecars ever produced will assemble for a special Modern Muscle exhibit at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Apr. 9-12 AutoFair, including a Shelby GT350R Mustang that Ford Motor Co. will unleash later this year.

To highlight this latest wave of super-performance American cars, AutoFair’s Nationwide Showcase Pavilion will also be home to Ford’s 2015 Mustang GT, Chevrolet’s 2014 Corvette Z06 and Camaro Z/28, and Dodge’s 2015 Challenger Hellcat. Be warned: this handful of Big Three machines produces a combined 2,800 horsepower!

One defining characteristic of the musclecars that ruled the roads in the 1960s was the ability to drive them on the street and win races with them on the dragstrip or road course. No car maintained this dual personality better than Carroll Shelby’s GT350R, a stripped-down, brutally fast Mustang built for Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) competition in 1965. Fifty-one years later, the lightweight legend returns, aided in its competition mission by a track-ready suspension, a long list of lightweight composite parts (including the industry’s first carbon fiber wheels fitted to a production vehicle), aerodynamic enhancers, and a 5.2-liter DOHC V-8 that produces more than 500 horsepower.

Although no price has been set for the GT350R, the GT350 on which it is based retails for north of $50,000, so the R-model is expected to be the most expensive new Mustang ever. If pony performance on a budget is the goal, Ford’s Mustang GT fastback starts at $32,300 and has a 435-horsepower V-8 that gets 25 miles per gallon on the highway, making it the real bargain of this group.

Chevrolet brings an impressive pair of contenders to the street fight, with its Corvette Z06 and Camaro Z/28—two notorious performance packages born in the 1960s. Chevy made a splash last year with the introduction of its seventh-generation Corvette, a ground-hugging rocket that, in “base” Stingray form can reach 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 181. The new-for-2015 Z06 has a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that cranks out 650 horsepower, blows through zero-to-60 in an astonishing 2.8 seconds, and boasts an estimated top speed of 186 miles per hour. If the two-seater Corvette isn’t spacious enough, the recently introduced Camaro Z/28 comes with a 505-horsepower 7.0-liter V-8, built-in SCCA race champion heritage, competition-grade brakes and suspension, and room for two small adults in back. The Le Mans-ready Z06 starts at $79,000, and its Z/28 stablemate stickers for $72,305.

Dodge already had a spectacular performer in its lineup with the Challenger SRT 392—a 485-horsepower beast that can burn up a set of rear tires in nothing flat. For 2015, it has injected its Challenger with steroids to produce the most powerful musclecar ever. The SRT Hellcat cranks out 707 horsepower from a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8, reaches 60 miles an hour in 3.7 seconds, and tops out at a hair under 200 miles an hour. The $59,995 Hellcat has proven so popular that parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recently told its dealers to stop taking customer orders until production can increase to meet the demand.

The AutoFair features more than 50 car club displays and more than 10,000 vendor spaces offering an array of automotive parts and memorabilia. More than 1,500 collectible vehicles of all makes and models will be available for sale in the car corral that rings the 1.5-mile superspeedway. In addition, up to 200 cars will be auctioned by Dealer Auctions Inc., and kids can enjoy face-painting, bounce houses, and other games and entertainment in the Play Zone.

Hours for the Apr. 9-12 AutoFair are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. Ticket prices are $10 per day for adults, and children under 13 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Fans who buy three tickets get the fourth day free. Parking for the event is $5. For more information on the four-day event, contact the speedway events department at (704) 455-3205 or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

To purchase tickets, call the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267), or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

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