Did Google Accidentally Leak Ford's New GT500 Details?
Google’s all-knowing search engine may have discovered the 2017 Ford Shelby GT500.
Currently if you search “gt500” in Google, you’ll notice that one of the results is a landing page with the title “2017 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 | The Cobra of Performance Cars …” with a URL designated for that model.
Unfortunately clicking on the link takes you to the normal Mustang page, but that’s certainly a sign of what Ford has in the works. Spy photographers have caught a heavily camouflaged Mustang model testing, and it has widely been believed it would arrive as a 2018 model. But is Ford going to surprise enthusiasts by debuting it soon as a 2017 model?
SEE ALSO: 2018 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Rumored to Pack Over 700 HP
If you go digging into the source code of the landing page, one of the keywords Ford has used is “Shelby GT500 5.8L V8 engine,” suggesting that a 5.8-liter V8 will be used under the hood. As you may remember, the last-generation Shelby GT500 used a 5.8-liter supercharged V8 engine so the keywords could have just been carried over. It has been speculated that Ford would turn to a turbocharged engine for the next GT500, consistent with its EcoBoost strategy, but this website suggests otherwise.
Either way, it’s worth noting that it saves web developers a ton of time to simply replicate an existing page and change the values, rather than building a new page from scratch. So chances are, a template is being re-used for the next Shelby GT500, but what’s most exciting is a sign that it might come sooner than later.
[Source: The Drive]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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