Detroit’s 690bhp show star

Ford’s range-topping muscle car elbows aside the Ford GT supercar for power

The new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is the most powerful roadlegal model the firm has yet produced, but its chief engineer says the pursuit of that performance hasn’t come at the expense of handling.

The new model, the first of the current-generation Mustang to be given the GT500 nameplate, is powered by a hand-built 5.2-litre V8 engine mated to a 2.65-litre supercharger that, Ford says, produces in excess of 690bhp. That compares with 493bhp for the previous range-topping Mustang GT350 and it exceeds the 647bhp of the Ford GT.

The GT500’S power is delivered through a sevenspeed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which, the firm says, will allow a 0-60mph time in the mid-three seconds and the ability to run a quarter mile in less than 11 seconds.

Carl Widmann, the car’s chief engineer, told Autocar that getting behind the wheel of the GT500 “is a life-changing experience due to that power”. He added: “There’s so much capability, and even with all of that power and acceleration, it’s still capable of delivering on track lap time. There is no compromise on handling.”

Widmann said Ford Performance developed the GT500 to ensure it cornered as well as the GT350, despite the extra power. To boost the handling, there is revised suspension geometry, lighter springs, new Brembo six-piston calipers and new bodywork that generates more downforce than any previous Mustang.

The GT500 sits on 20in bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, although an optional carbonfibre track pack upgrades these to Pilot Sport Cup 2s, among other changes, such as an adjustable rear wing and the removal of rear seats.

The GT500 will be produced in left-hand drive only and, like the GT350, is unlikely to be sold officially in the UK – although import specialists are expected to bring in examples to order.