The new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a distinct animal than its predecessor. If you would’ve requested me to get the last version to a street study course, I would have been leery. That auto was designed for straight-line best velocity runs higher than all. But speedy forward to today and it is a distinct tale. The new GT500 is nonetheless a drag-strip stunner, but adds a serving to of apex-looking prowess to its bag of general performance methods.

Never Like

  • Dear Carbon Fiber Keep track of Deal
  • Transmission occasional hunts for gears
  • Flimsy plastic paddle shifters

Supercharged brute

The big section of what can make the GT500 a GT500 is its hulking five.two-liter supercharged V8. With the help of an Eaton supercharger pushing twelve psi into the cylinders, the hand-built engine churns out a hearty 760 horsepower and 623 pound-toes of torque. Channeling energy to the rear wheels is a Tremec-sourced 7-velocity dual-clutch transmission. Alongside one another the drivetrain pairing will get the coupe to sixty mph in 3.3 secondsĀ and lets it to protect the quarter mile in ten.seven seconds, on to an electronically constrained best velocity of one hundred eighty mph.

To help the Shelby achieve these remarkable straight-line outcomes, the GT500 has an built-in line-lock purpose for pro-degree burnouts (or for warming the rear tires), a reconfigurable start command and a DCT that shifts gears in just eighty milliseconds. I know, there’s a significant contingent of manual gearbox purists out there cringing at the truth that a adhere is not accessible, but there’s no denying the advantage a well-tuned DCT brings to the table — swift shifts signifies more rapidly acceleration.


The DCT pays dividends on street classes, as well. All over the two.two-mile, eleven-transform GingerMan Raceway in western Michigan, the Shelby’s gearbox is a swift-shifting marvel, permitting me as a substitute target on putting the auto wherever it demands to be. The paddle shifters are not Ferrari-responsive to commands, but the Shelby is darn fantastic, to the point wherever I really don’t truly skip possessing a traditional manual transmission.

The GT500 rockets out of corners with authority, with energy accessible at every single point in the rev-array — nevertheless the engine is significantly muscular involving five,five hundred and seven,five hundred rpm. The sound that comes out of the active exhaust technique is phenomenal, to boot. Finding a fantastic operate out of Transform 10B on to GingerMan’s longest straightaway signifies surpassing 140 mph is not a trouble prior to digging into the brakes. In the desire of self-preservation, I hit 136 mph prior to lifting, supplying myself generous home to make it properly close to the ninety-diploma proper hander at Transform eleven on to the entrance straight.

New dealing with methods

It really is worthy of noting that my Shelby check auto is optimally established up to torch a street study course. It really is outfitted with the optional $eighteen,five hundred Carbon Fiber Keep track of Deal that ups aerodynamics with entrance splitter wickers and a GT4 rear wing. This GT500 also wears twenty-inch carbon fiber wheels wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup two tires and the adjustable strut best mounts have a Ford Effectiveness-advised monitor alignment. The other big point to mention is that this auto is outfitted with a rear hoop, which ups structural rigidity.


Carbon fiber wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup two tires and splitter wickers occur with the GT500’s optional Carbon Fiber Keep track of Deal.


Jon Wong/Roadshow

With that out of the way, this four,081-pound GT500 has me questioning logic at the end of each individual of my fifteen-minute monitor periods. From the leap, the Shelby eagerly obeys everything I inquire, with the Brembos confidently slowing in brake zones, turning in right away when cranking the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and hunkering down with lots of grip by way of sharp corners with controlled physique roll. Off the racing line a small? No trouble — the GT500 has enough entrance-end grip to make mid-corner corrections to get back on the right trajectory. With the exception of the brake pedal acquiring a contact for a longer time at the end of runs, the hefty Mustang hardly suffers any general performance falloff lap soon after lap, which is doubly remarkable on a sizzling and humid 88-diploma day.

The Shelby’s steering is weighty and communicative, the Michelins execute magnificently about very long runs and the steadiness command does its perform just about invisibly powering the scenes. The GT500 transfers body weight side-to-side with aplomb, it is comfortable at superior-speeds and composed less than braking. It really is complicated to obtain several dynamic faults with this auto on monitor — which can make me speculate just how significantly improved it could be if Ford engineers place a bigger target on cutting down body weight.

On monitor, the Recaro’s added side bolstering occur in real handy.


Jon Wong/Roadshow

Tame on street

As hardcore as this Shelby seems to be and performs on a monitor, it has a softer side suited for frequent street driving. Connect with up the car’s Ordinary setting and you can expect to soften the adaptive dampers, lighten steering and tranquil the exhaust. This can make freeway cruises comfortable enough, the cabin remaining semi-tranquil and the Recaro seats offering support in all the proper locations. The dampers offer you enough give, smoothing out most impacts, but if you occur throughout rutted roadways the meaty tires will result in the GT500 to tramline.

The drivetrain returns an EPA-believed twelve miles for each gallon in the metropolis and eighteen mpg on the highway, which match the figures I observed. Unfortunately, these figures are low enough for the GT500 to be slapped with a $two,600 gas guzzler tax.

The GT500 packs plenty of street presence with an intense, hunkered stance thanks to the significant entrance air intakes, vented hood, carbon wheels and big wing. As with all Mustangs, cabin construct quality is on par with opponents like Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, meaning it is fantastic, but not great. My Shelby tester does have a small added style with carbon fiber sprint trim that I wish extended to the center console. As is, there’s a big piece of plastic topping the console that would not look negative but would unquestionably look significantly cooler in carbon and extra substantial paddle shifters as a substitute of the flimsy plastic kinds are on my wish record, as well.

Ford’s tried using-and-genuine Sync 3 technique handles infotainment features in the hottest Shelby Mustang.


Jon Wong/Roadshow

Infotainment tech falls to Ford’s familiar Sync 3 technique with an eight-inch touchscreen controlling a nine-speaker sound technique, satellite radio, Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Vehicle. People on the lookout for some extra goodies can spring for an optional Technologies Deal for a twelve-speaker B&O audio setup, navigation and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-website traffic alert. Aside from BSM, other active basic safety devices are not provided on the hottest Shelby.

How I would spec it

Building my suitable Shelby GT500 is simple. Make mine Ford Effectiveness Blue and I would only verify a person option box: the incredibly pricey $eighteen,five hundred Carbon Fiber Keep track of Deal. For me, nevertheless, this a person is worthy of it — I would do as several monitor times as I could. That brings the price tag tag of my beautifully spec’d auto to $92,595, which is a little bit more cost-effective than my $ninety three,385 check auto.

Make my GT500 a Carbon Fiber Keep track of Deal auto, remember to.


Jon Wong/Roadshow

Undisputed Mustang king

The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 commences at $74,095, which includes $1,195 for destination and the aforementioned gas guzzler tax. That’s pretty a little bit extra than Chevrolet’s possess hearth-breathing supercharged Camaro ZL1, which starts at $sixty five,695 with destination and guzzler taxes. Three-pedal purists can get a 6-velocity manual in the Chevy, as well, but it is outgunned by the Ford, the Chevy only creating 650 hp.

Specified the alternative involving the two, I would give the nod to the Shelby. It really is an emotional auto that’s simple to love. It really is received intense seems to be, a riveting soundtrack, all the punch you can expect to at any time need to have and it can now bust and transfer close to a racetrack with the finest of them. It really is a complete Mustang deal that would not have to make any apologies.