Jay Leno’->ke3731s love for anything involving Carroll Shelby is so well-documented that nobody was surprised when Leno purchased the new Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R the moment it became available. The former host of the Tonight Show admitted as much in the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, which incidentally featured the latest - and some say, greatest - Mustang->ke428 to have ever been built.

Those are lofty praises for a model that has seen its share of iconic models over the years and yet, Leno seems to believe that if the new Shelby GT350R->ke1359 isn’t the best, it’s definitely in the conversation. I’m not one to disagree with a man who knows more about cars than most people, so when he heaps praise on the new Shelby GT350R like there’s no tomorrow, it’s probably best to take on his word.

Fortunately, Leno had Mustang head engineer Jamal Hameedi on hand to talk shop about the GT350R. Together, they dive deep into the things that make the GT350R stand out, spending close to 25 minutes on the subject. It’s a very enlightening discussion that shouldn’t be spoiled, especially for those who plan to watch the episode in its entirety.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to spill the beans on what Leno and Hameedi discussed, although I will tell you that, like most episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage, it ends with Jay taking the car out for a spin. Watch out for that the sound of that rare, bespoke, normally aspirated 5.2 liter V-8 engine. It lets out quite a wallop.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R

Read our full review on the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R here.