The 2019 GT350 is more than $60,000. The GT500 all-optioned out could be in the +$90,000 range.
The all-new Shelby GT500 – arguably the best pony car ever engineered by Ford Performance – has more than 700 horsepower, which for the moment results in the quickest street-legal acceleration and most high-performance technology to date ever offered in a Ford Mustang.
“Carroll was always working on the next faster Shelby, I think he would love this Mustang more than any other,” said Jim Farley, Ford president, global markets. (Fresh Colors for 2017 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang)
Arriving this fall to join its Shelby GT350 stablemate, Shelby GT500 on a drag strip runs mid-three-second 0-60 mph times and a sub-11-second quarter-mile – it’s claimed. On a track, performance with its race-bred chassis, custom Michelin tires and the largest front brake rotors ever available on an American sports coupe should make it challenge the best metal and/or carbon fiber 4-wheel-beasts out there.
Shelby GT500 has a supercharged 5.2-liter aluminum alloy engine built by hand. To keep the intake air cooler and deliver a lower center of gravity, the team inverted a 2.65-liter roots-type supercharger with air-to-liquid intercooler tucked neatly in the V8 engine valley.
As with the Shelby GT350, the aluminum alloy block has weight-saving wire-arc cylinder liners and high-flow aluminum cylinder heads, plus larger forged connecting rods, improved lubrication and cooling passages. Beneath that, a structural oil pan adds strength, reduces vibration, and has a patented active baffle system to keep oil where it’s needed.
Engineers selected a TREMEC 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, which shifts smoothly in less than 100 milliseconds it’s claimed – faster than any manual gearbox. This dual-clutch transmission is designed for several drive modes, including normal, slippery, sport, drag and track, and features line-lock and rpm-selectable launch control through selectable Track Apps.
Ford Performance-spec Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and more aggressive Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires feature unique compounds and tread. To provide track-ready stopping power, massive 16-5-inch (420-millimeter) two-piece rotors are added – the largest of any domestic sports coupe – plus larger, stiffer Brembo six-piston calipers. With 20% more swept area than the Shelby GT350’s, these brakes have more than 30% additional thermal mass in the front corners.
The very first model of the most powerful factory Mustang ever was auctioned tonight for $1.1 million as it goes for the famed muscle car’s biggest win ever – trying to help researchers cure children with type 1 diabetes. Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson was the winning bidder.
This 700-plus-horsepower 2020 Shelby GT500 – VIN 001 – was auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale with all proceeds going to help JDRF (https://www.jdrf.org/), a global organization funding type 1 diabetes research, find a cure.
“For 35 years, Ford Motor Company has fueled the efforts of JDRF researchers to find a cure, while helping millions of children enjoy better lives,” said Edsel B. Ford II. “The proceeds from this car will add to the more than $3.5 million Ford contributes to JDRF annually, for a total of $70 million donated during our long-time partnership.”