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. (AutoInformed.com on: 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.”