Another take on the Monster

 Road and Track's review of the '86 Shelby GLHS, apparently its 'reasonably civilized'!  Its comparative performance to expensive sportscars also gets serious note

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Wikipedia - Shelby GLHS

 From Road & Track, June 1986

There's good news and there's bad news. First the good news: Carroll Shelby is back in the car-building business and is no longer merely a Chrysler consultant; his company just unveiled its first model and it's a winner. Now for the bad news Shelby Automobiles Inc will make only 500 copies of this little beauty the GLH-S. A pity because this up market and way-up performance Omni GLH gets off the mark quicker than a freshly branded heifer. In corners, it sticks like super-glue. Yet, it's a reasonably civilized family 4-door, the kind of automobile that Carroll Shelby espouses because It's fun." 

From a literal point of view, the Shelby GLH-S is an Omni; so if you want to dwell on the shortcomings of the basic car (R&T, December 1985), be that way. But be forewarned that the Shelby is to Omni as the GT-350 was to Mustang. The GLH-S is the embodiment of Carroll's philosophy-a good thing made better.

Just like in the old days, Shelby Automobiles gets cars from a major manufacturer (Dodge, this time around) and builds limited-production fun mobiles to be sold by selected (Dodge) dealers throughout the country.

With the GLH it's more a matter of adding salt, rather than cooking up a new brew, because this car is already pretty potent. So the recipe is relatively simple and calls for a redesigned intake manifold with longer runners, higher-flow Bosch injectors, relocated throttle body (it's behind the turbo), an air-to-air intercooler that allows turbocharger boost pressure to be increased from 9.0 to 12.0 psi modified logic for the engine management computer module, adjustable Koni gas-pressurized front struts/rear shocks, distinctive Shelby Centurion 15 x 6-in. cast-aluminum wheels, 205/VR50-15 Goodyear Eagle Gatorbacks, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and Shelby exterior graphics.

But the proof is in the driving, which tells one that the Shelby is not only deceptively fast but also well balanced. In a back-to-back comparison with the normal GLH, the S feels more sure-footed. Because of wider tires, the Shelby's power assisted steering exhibits its less often overboosted, twitchy feel often Dodge. Yet, it is still responsive (perhaps, too much so). And gol-ly does it get from turn to turn in a hurry. Not to say from 0 to 60 mph: We measured an exotic-baiting 6.7 seconds.

At the Shelby Automobiles preview held at Willow Springs international Raceway, the GLH-S catapulted itself down the straights so quickly and effortlessly that the driver found himself approaching turns much sooner and at higher rates of speed than anticipated. Ordinarily, this might he cause for alarm, but again the Shelby surprised us with its race track-bred handling (how many econoboxes can lap Willow Springs as quickly as a Mazda RX-7?). Neutral, Flat. Not at all like a front-wheel-drive sedan. That the Shelby's handling was fine-tuned at the track and not merely in the engineering department becomes readily apparent on the skidpad, where the car generates 0.88g lateral acceleration, and in the slalom, where it slithers through the cones at 62.5 mph. That's comparable to cars such as Porsche's 944, and this brings us to the best part-price.

 At an estimated $11,000, the Shelby is a bargain. True, it's not very fancy (II grand does not a Porsche buy). Nor is it a model of durability (11 big ones won't get you a Mercedes-Benz). But, like fast food, the Shelby is available in lots of places (remember, only 500, however), affordable, and able to satiate one's appetite for performance and handling. And, thanks to Carroll, this GLH not only 'Goes Like Hell," it Goes Like Hell "Somemore."

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