This post is actually consists of photos from two separate days – some are from the day I was first at Advantage Ford to check out the white RS (click here for that) while others are from when I returned with Brian so that he could see the RS – and we ultimately spent way more time than expected just checking out all of the new Fords. I figured I’d group them together instead of having two smaller entries on the same thing.
It was after I had photographed the RS that I then decided it was time to stop ignoring the Shelbys that were sitting a couple of rows away, so I made my way over. At that point I noticed a very important bit of red on one of them…
…and realized that one was not like the others. By ‘important bit of red’, I mean the badge. This is one of the visual differences between the GT350 and its more extreme brother, the GT350R -naturally, given it’s the model with no rear seats and a large rear wing, it’s my preference of the two. It’s also the rarer model, not surprisingly.
Coincidentally this R was almost identical in spec to my own – the only difference being that Hot Wheels went with the black roof option on mine while this one had a body-coloured panel with the stripes continuing over it.
The aforementioned wing is one of my favourite parts of the GT350R. You can see here just how much more in-your-face it is as compared to that of the GT350 beside it.
Like the Focus RS the R was locked too, but I was able to take a peek inside and also grab this shot of the dash plaque, showing it was chassis number HR031.
Some more shots of the badging. I quite like how there’s nothing on the exterior specifically saying “GT350R”. Rather, you have to recognize it based things like the wing, larger splitter, or red front and rear emblems.
This was actually not my first time seeing a GT350R in person, but it was the first time I had been able to get decent photos of one. I had found one at a Barlow meet earlier this year, but of course being a Barlow meet it was late at night and therefore dark. I was very happy to have had the chance to see one in the daytime, but upon returning with Brian we were greeted by an even better lineup…
Two GT350Rs, surrounding a pair of GT350s! I’m glad that Brian and I decided to pop down to Advantage together because I would have missed this otherwise! Also, worth noting while we’re at this photo is how much more pronounced the R’s splitter is compared to the GT350’s. This was something we hadn’t appreciated until seeing them side by side.
The second R was parked next to an F150 and lighting wasn’t the best for pictures, but of course it didn’t matter for just checking it out in person. Which we did so happily.
This photo didn’t even turn out too well but I’m putting it up anyway. The black/red/matte black combo looked great!
Of course we then had to debate over which of the two we’d each pick given the chance. I chose blue, just because I know owning a black car would drive me insane almost immediately.
I ultimately didn’t go too trigger happy with the camera the second time around since I had just been by, and after the RS and Rs we spent our time looking at the “standard” cars out on the lot anyway. I did have to take one of this Electric Spice Edge Sport however – Brian and I are both fans of this colour and it suits the new Edges’ styling so well.
I also made sure to grab a quick shot of the ST4 and RS together. The only parking spot available when I arrived happened to be this one which I wasn’t going to complain about!
After looking through basically everything from F150s to Escapes to Transits to the other Foci, we decided it was time we called it a day at the dealer and headed out for coffee. It’s always fun to peruse new cars and something like an RS or GT350R is a great excuse to head on over to a dealer and start doing just that.
-Bill