The automotive enthusiast community is quite taken with Ford’s Mustang Shelby GT350, and for good reason. The pony car wars have moved far beyond the parameters of a drag racing strip, and the GT350 sports car has proven to be a match even for elite European two-doors like the Porsche 911.
But while the GT350 can rip its way around a road course, Mustang fans still long for a tire-smoking Shelby to wear the storied GT500 badge. It would appear the wait will soon be over, as spy shots and reports of the next-generation GT500 are cropping up on the interwebs.
Autocar is reporting that the new GT500 won’t just best its 2013 predecessor’s 662 horsepower, it will plow right on to an enormous 800 ponies. This, of course, means the new ‘Stang will completely leapfrog the current kings of power: Dodge’s Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcats. It’s difficult to imagine 707hp being dwarfed by anything less than a Bugatti Chiron, but Ford Performance might just be the mad scientist to make this fantasy real.
While the previous generation Shelby GT500 used a supercharger to achieve its lofty output, sources are reporting that the new macho Mustang will employ twin turbochargers. This expectation is based on the fact that GT500 test mules wear TT badges on their windshields, similar to Ford SVT Raptor test vehicles from a year prior.
It’s unclear if the new GT500 will start with the GT350’s 5.2-liter flat-plane crank V8 before applying turbo tech, but we can almost guarantee the Mustang will use a large displacement eight-cylinder motor. Dialing power up from the GT350’s 526 horses won’t be an easy task, but if Ford can stir over 600 hp from the 2017 Ford GT’s EcoBoost V6, anything is possible.
In addition to its monstrous power, the GT500 will wear an aggressive aerodynamic body kit, use large Brembo brakes, and shod its wheels in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.
Who’s excited?
