Meet the hardest ever production Mustang. We said the same thing when the Shelby GT350 appeared last autumn, but it's been almost immediately usurped by this GT350R.

That extra R is crucial, see. This is the stripped-out, track-ready GT350, with the back seats binned and the extreme dieting extending to carbon fibre wheels. You'll definitely be narked if you kerb one of those.

Like the stock GT350, Ford's most powerful naturally aspirated engine ever lies at its heart, with a disregard for rear tyres built in.

Producing north of 500bhp and 400lb ft (Ford still won't be drawn on more precise numbers), the 5.2-litre is the company's first flat-plane crank V8. It's the kind of setup you'd normally find on machinery more expensive and exotic than a traditional-recipe muscle car.

But then this is no archaic throwback. Further tech worth mentioning includes an intricate aerodynamics package (with everything from a carbon rear wing to underbody panels), a Torsen differential and MagneRide adjustable dampers, which have been retuned for the lower ride height and 59kg-lighter kerbweight of the GT350R.

Mass has been cut by the removal of equipment, with any part that "did not make the car faster around a road course" considered for the chop, according to Ford. So there's no air con, stereo or boot carpet. And never mind a spare wheel, there's not even a can of sealant. The removal of soundproofing has the added bonus of sharpening the soundtrack, too.

Those shivering at the thought of such a barren interior can take solace in the fact an optional pack brings back air con, an 8in touchscreen sat nav and an audio system. Quite what damage it'll do for your trackday kudos hasn't yet been measured.

The Shelby GT350R would ordinarily be about as punchy and exciting as Blue Oval-badged cars get, alas it made its public bow alongside the headline-stealing, jaw-slackening new Ford GT. That doesn't make us any less excited for a go, though...