Ford Ford Ford Ford Ford Ford Ford On Monday morning, the second-worst-ke[t secret in Detroit finally got its official reveal. I am of course referring to the newest, fastest, and biggest-grilled (that's a word) Ford Mustang ever, the Shelby GT500. (Number one is obviously the mid-engined Corvette C8 .) Under its now-bulging hood is a supercharged version of the 5.2L V8 that sounded so good in the Shelby GT350. [Originally I wrote that was the "flat-crank" engine from the GT350—in fact, the crankshaft is actually now a more conventional cross-plane arrangement like the rest of Ford's line up. Apologies.] The addition of some forced air will give the GT500 "more than 700 horsepower" (522kW), according to the spec sheet—full figures will have to wait until closer to the car's showroom arrival later this year. To cope, it gets a new dual-clutch transmission from Tremec; sorry stick shift fans, there is no three-pedal option this time. The rest of the car takes this same approach: start with the GT350 and turn everything up to 12 (because 11 is passe). The scoops and vents are bigger because the more powerful engine and stronger transmission need more cooling. So, too, do the brakes, similarly supersized—the front rotors now measure 16.5in (420mm) which is a hefty increase in thermal mass. It's the front that dominates the GT500's appearance. Ford says the front has double the open area of the GT350—a stat we don't doubt—and that cooling airflow is 50 percent higher. Advertisement There's revised suspension geometry to cope with all this excess, and like the Mustang GT we tried driving last year , there's a full suite of track-biased electronic trickery on offer from the MagnaRide suspension and the powertrain. If you opt for the Handling Pack, you get some additional goodies, including adjustable strut top mounts and a spoiler with a Gurney flap. Or you can go for the Carbon Fiber track package, which includes carbon fiber wheels (slightly wider at the rear), ultra-sticky Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires from Michelin, the adjustable wing and splitter from the GT4 Mustang race car, and no back seats. Obviously, Ford Performance can't go to all this trouble and then release a car that's slow around a track or drag strip. Full performance figures, like the rest of the stats, remain closely guarded for now, but the company says 0-60mph should happen in around the mid-three second mark, with the quarter mile taking less than 11 seconds. And with that much aero and grip—plus a gearbox that can swap ratios in 100 milliseconds—I imagine the GT500 will be the fastest track car to wear a blue oval other than the mid-engined, carbon chassis Ford GT. I doubt I'll be the one to find out, though, given the way Mother Nature intrudes whenever I get invited to a Ford track day... Listing image by Ford<doc-sep>It brings joy to my heart that even as the SUVs and crossovers are poised to take over the entire world, arguably the biggest debuts at the Detroit Auto Show were the 2020 Toyota Supra and this—the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Sporty cars still matter because they capture our attention and set the tone for their respective automakers. And in Ford’s case, the new top Mustang looks to be a real riot. Advertisement Photo : Kristen Lee To check out this car I sat down with the biggest horsepower fiend I know, Jason Torchinsky. As you all know, nothing less than 700 horsepower will do for Jason, so he’s utterly delighted by the new GT500. The rest of us should be too. With a howling 5.2-liter supercharged cross-plane V8, a seven-speed Tremec DCT, a race-inspired aero kit, exhausts you can squeeze a fist into and more power than any street-legal Ford has ever had, it’s basically impossible not to like this car. I’m very eager to get behind the wheel eventually. Photo : Kristen Lee It’s also interesting that of those two major sports car debuts, neither one had a traditional manual gearbox. And we’re not even talking exotics here. This is the top Mustang and the new Supra, both of which should be reasonably priced for their performance. I’m not sure I like what that says about the current state of the stick shift, but I really can’t argue with what you get from Ford here. Advertisement Correction: We misspoke in the video. The paddles in GT500 are magnesium and not plastic. We regret the error.<doc-sep>
The 2020 Ford Mustang GT500 unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show is the most powerful sports car the automaker has ever built, but it’s no one-trick pony. Ford says the high performance coupe is just as good wrangling a twisty racetrack as it is tearing down a drag strip. THE FUTURE OF FORD IS PERFORMANCE: It has a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 stuffed under its bulging, vented hood that’s good for “more than 700 horsepower.” Just how much more has yet to be announced. You’ll also find six heat exchangers in there to keep it cool. Instead of a manual or traditional automatic transmission, the GT500 sends its power to the rear tires through a quick-shifting 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, similar to the one used by the Ford GT supercar. With it, Ford claims the GT500 can cover a quarter-mile in under 11 seconds, which would make it one of the quickest cars in the world. But a revised suspension with adaptive MagneRide shocks was tuned for taking turns, the way Ford’s road racing GT4 Mustangs do. In fact, you can get a special handling package that includes the same, towering rear wing as the race car along with a front splitter equipped with so many blades that it looks like a torture device. Adjustable strut-top mounts and carbon fiber wheels are also included, but the rear seats are not. You'll find a set of six-piston Brembo calipers inside of the wheels that are ready to squeeze manhole-cover size 16.5-inch front brakes. A line-lock feature that carries over from other Mustangs can hold just them so you can heat up the rear tires in an epic cloud of smoke. Ford hasn’t announced pricing for the GT500, but it will slot in above the $60,000 GT350 in the Mustang lineup when it goes on sale this fall. FORD MUSTANG BULLITT TEST DRIVE: