Following a four-decade separation, Ford's Mustang and racing legend Carroll Shelby have reunited. The first products of this new collaboration between Shelby and Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) are a pair of Shelby GT500s, a coupe and a convertible. Modern interpretations of the Shelby Mustangs of the 1960s motivated by a supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 that pumps out 500 thoroughbred horses, they are the most powerful production Mustangs ever built, and certain future collectibles.
Their iron-block engine is force-fed by a Roots-type supercharger providing 8.5 psi of boost, and their aluminum four-valve cylinder heads, piston rings and bearings are borrowed from the Ford GT supercar. A heavy-duty 6-speed manual gearbox with evenly spaced gears puts all that power to the pavement.
Suspension is MacPherson strut front with reverse "L" lower control arms and solid-axle, three-link rear with coil springs and a Panhard rod for rear-axle control. And because the current Mustang was designed from the wheels up with future high-performance models in mind, it provides a suitably rigid platform to handle the GT500's prodigious power. Chassis improvements, including revised shocks and spring rates and upgraded stabilizer bars, ensure that it turns and stops as well as it goes.
Author: Gary Witzenburg
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