2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 Is Ford's Most Powerful Street Car Ever
Today, Ford confirmed the official figures for the engine, and they're absolutely breathtaking. Ford says that the 5.2-liter pumps out 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque. That makes it the most powerful production Mustang… EVER. The horsepower figure puts it well ahead of contemporary counterparts like the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Both competitors, however, edge the Shelby on maximum torque.
And the Shelby still falls well short of the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye (797 horsepower) and the Challenger SRT Demon (840 horsepower). But when we're talking about a vehicle that produces well over 700 horsepower, it's all basically a whose junk is bigger contest anyway... Bottom line, this thing hauls ass and there are few vehicles on the road that will be able to match it in a straight line (0-60 in the low 3-second range, top speed of 180 mph).
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a TREMEC 7-speed dual-clutch [automated manual] transmission and a carbon composite driveshaft. Hopefully Ford has better luck with carbon fiber for that component that BMW did with its F30 M3/M4. 20-inch wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are affixed at each corner, while massive 420mm brake rotors are found on the front axle (370mm on the rear).
Oh, and we should mention that the aerodynamics package fitted to the Shelby generates up to 550 pounds of downforce at speed. With that being said, that downforce comes into play at triple-digit speeds, so it won't do anything to save pedestrian bystanders when some careless Mustang Shelby GT500 driver decides to peel rubber exiting a Cars and Coffee event.
At this point, about the only thing left to reveal is the pricing, which is rumored to tip-toe into the $70,000 range.
