Ford recently announced details on the soon-to-arrive 2020 Shelby GT500 and, as you’d expect, in no uncertain terms, it’s completely over the top, overkill, and excessive in every way. Of course, this will help them to sell a lot of units.
And, if you’re interested, you’d best make tracks to your local dealer ASAP to get your name on the order list.
Here’s the sticky: The latest Shelby Mustang is, simply, Ford’s most powerful road car yet, and that’s because under its hood is the most power-dense supercharged production V8 engine in the world.
That wide-open fascia, complete with maximum ducting square-footage for maximum airflow through some SIX heat exchangers, leaves little guesswork as to how serious a car this is. And don’t miss the six square feet of heat extractor on the hood, either.
Behind the face?
A 5.2-litre, V8 engine, hand-built and packing a 2.65-litre Eaton supercharger with integrated liquid-to-air after-cooler for consistent performance. The supercharger is inverse mounted for more compact sizing, and a lower centre of gravity. That force feeds air into the four-cam V8, complete with its signature cross-plane crank and output is rated at 760 horsepower, backed by 625 pounds of torque.
Active baffles in the oil pan, as well as dual thermostats, help provide the extreme levels of lubrication and cooling required by Ford’s most powerful engine yet — and power is handled exclusively by a seven-speed TREMEC dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifting for maximum performance.
This car is all about performance figures — so the lightning-fast dual-clutch transmission, which can complete a gearshift in less than 100 milliseconds is the only option. A manual transmission, shifted by a human being, would only slow this car down.
Fully computerized launch control is included as well, helping drivers achieve 0-100 kph in the mid three-second range, en route to a sub-11 second quarter-mile pass.
A fully active stainless steel exhaust system ensures the new GT500 is followed around by a signature soundtrack.
Big Brembos handle the braking, by way of the largest brakes ever fitted to a Mustang and are the largest on any domestic sports coupe.
The 16.53-inch front brake rotors contribute to a 20 per cent increase in pad-swept area compared to the Shelby GT350, and they feature two-piece construction and motorsports-ready venting for maximum durability in severe use.
Application-specific magnetic shocks and extensive structural strengthening lay the foundation for extreme handling to match the new Shelby’s power output.
Lightweight wheels, with available carbon fibre wheels, as well as speciality Michelin tires, help glue it all to the road.
For racers, a carbon-fiber wing, rear-seat delete, and adjustable shock camber plates can all be specified via the Carbon Fiber Track Package.
We expect more details soon, and the first copies of the 2020 Shelby GT500 should be shipping to their lucky owners this fall.
