Certainly this is Bob's kind of engine.
And I'm sure it suits the character of the car. But 238 lb-ft @ 1,500. That's an rpm that is definitely relevant with a V8 powered anything.The GT350 put down 467 hp and 374 lb-ft to the wheels. Given the ambient temperature especially, that's a very healthy result.
As always, peak numbers are just one set of data points. It's the shape of the curve that matters. Notice that at very low revs, the V-8 struggles to make torque. At 1,500 rpm, it's producing just 238 lb-ft—not a lot for a big-displacement, long-stroke V-8. In real-world driving, that output is accompanied by occasional stumbles; it's clear the engine isn't happy at low revs. Torque builds slowly, however, until 3,250, when something big happens.
Very big. From 3,250 to 3,750 rpm, torque output jumps by a huge 27 percent. And from there to about 6,250 rpm, it's essentially a huge plateau of peak torque with a few bulges likely caused by resonances in the intake system. Even then, torque starts to fall only slowly all the way to the fuel cut. Ford quotes that as happening at 8,250, but our GT350 cut fuel earlier—8,200 rpm was the highest we saw, and even that only occasionally. Our best run made it only to 8,050 rpm before the limiter kicked in.
For a daily driver, a ZL1 Camaro would probably be a lot more effective.
