“It is, bang for the buck, one of the best cars for the money,” says Terry Fair of Vorshlag. “I compare it with the C5 Corvette, which is a good performer for the money. Unlike the C5 Corvette, it’s much newer and it fits people taller than 5-foot-9. Nothing else compares for that price range.”
Select Your Car by Powertrain
For this story, we’re going to focus on the non-Shelby editions of the S197. Surprisingly, that doesn’t narrow the field down much. There’s the 3.7-liter V6, 4.6-liter V6, 4.6-liter V8, and the 5.0-liter V8.
“Ignore the V6 cars,” Terry interjects. “It’s terrible in every way–significantly down on power, comes with awful suspension, tires and brakes. You have to do so much to make a V6 perform.”
Okay, we’ve halved the number of choices. How about the 4.6-liter V8?
“The 4.6 is appropriate only if you’re building for a class, such as NASA American Iron,” says Terry. “It’s a bit underwhelming by today’s V8 pony car standards, but it is at least reliable They never make more than 352 horsepower, and that’s with a lot of work. It’s pretty hard to justify as it’s not that big of a savings when compared to a 5.0.”
There’s something about a 5.0 in a Ford, isn’t there? That holds true with the S197.
Photograph Courtesy Vorshlag Motorsports
The Coyote 5.0 came in the GT (2011-’14) and Boss 302 models (2012-2013). Depending on which one you get, Ford rates the 5.0 for 412 to 444 horses, and that’s stock.
As far as transmissions, opt for the six-speed Getrag/Ford MT82 manual. “We tend to avoid the six-speed automatics of that era,” as Terry says, “they tend to run hot on a road course when you get fast, and are geared somewhat poorly.”
The MT82 isn’t exactly indestructible, though. “As long as you’re not trying to drag race or powershift everything, the MT82 is appropriate for that power level that it came with,” adds Terry, “but not a lot more.”
To sum it up, “I only push people toward the Coyote, 5.0-liter V8, six-speed manual cars,” he says. “I know that’s narrowing out 80% of the cars out there, but you’re saving yourself loads of hassles.”
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