Self-esteem issues? Try Mustang Shelby GT500
Six hundred and sixty-two! That’s really all one needs to know about the 2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: Ford says it is powered by the world’s most powerful production V-8. The drive it delivers can be likened to the world’s wildest roller coaster. That is what makes it so much fun and one of the most extreme drives — Viper schmiper.
I will be the first to admit that the GT500’s 5.8-litre supercharged V-8 is intimidating, and it’s not so much the prodigious stallion count — the aforementioned 662 — but the torque that is available across such a broad range. The 631 poundfeet peaks at 4,250 rpm, which is exactly where the horsepower begins to build — it is pushing 500 hp at this rpm and it just keeps rising to its peak at 6,200 rpm.
Anyway, back to the torque — at 1,000 rpm, the GT500 is making more (400 lb-ft) than many so-called sports cars do at their peak. Now, that’s what you call impressive.
By way of reference, the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 and its 6.5L V12 makes slightly more power (700, but at a lofty 8,250 rpm), but comes up well shy in the torque department — it makes 507 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm, and this is Lamborghini’s most powerful engine ever.
This amount of power mandates adopting a slightly different driving style. Goosing the gas in first gear would melt a month’s worth of rubber were the traction control not doing its utmost to quell the wheel spin.
This forced me to short shift into second gear almost as soon as the Shelby was moving and then dig deeply into the torque, hang on and grab third gear as soon at the tachometer neared redline.
The adrenalin rush when something so ferocious is unleashed to its full potential has to be experienced to be believed.
It also saw drivers of souped-up, vroom-and-boom bean cans treat the Shelby with so much respect; not one dared challenge this monster, even when I was tooling around at 50 km/h in sixth gear — that’s how flexible this engine is across its entire operating range. For those with diminished self-esteem, this car is the perfect therapy.
At idle, the Shelby GT500’s quad tailpipes sang a mellifluous siren that sent shivers up my spine — it’s all the better with the convertible top dropped, as the sound seems to be piped directly to the brain’s pleasure centre. At around 3,000 rpm, the burble gives way to something far more purposeful. Then, as the revs continue to climb, a discrete whine begins to surface: It is the supercharger beginning to pack the cylinders with its intercooled air at 14-psi. That nonchalant whine also signals the GT500 is about to catch fire and blast forth as only a car with 662 hp can do.
And so to the numbers: The GT500 romps to 100 kilometres an hour in 4.1 seconds and it manages to turn the 80-to-120 km/h time with such alacrity it can only be described as world class — around three seconds.
The GT500 also includes a launch control system that delivers optimal off-the-line performance. The penalty is found in the pain at the pump — the trip computer was showing an average of 15.8 litres per 100 kilometres. That stated, who really gives a darn?
The suspension is on the firm side, but it’s not uncomfortably so. The key is that it keeps the Mustang flat through a corner. Throw in a connected steering setup (it, too, is adjustable to suit the tone of the drive) along with the enormous P265/40R19 front/P285/35R20 rear tires, and the GT500 goes exactly where pointed. Yes, it takes a little muscle, but talk about fun!
I did contemplate turning off the stability control, but it remained a distant thought, such is the driftability of the Shelby GT500’s back end. It is, as my Aussie mate opined, a car that loves to go walkabout.
Mercifully, the brakes are up to the task of dealing with the GT500’s alacrity. Up front, six-piston Brembo calipers clamp down on 14-inch vented rotors, while four-piston Brembos work with 11.8-inch vented rotors at the rear. Tromp on the brake pedal and the system scrubs off speed quickly, and without running headlong into the dreaded wall of fade when they are used the third or fourth time in succession.
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a truly outrageous ride. It is quick beyond belief and it has remarkably button-down road manners when driven quickly.
Price is $72,099.