2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Has Supercharged V8, More Than 700 HP

Ford just unveiled its all-new 2020 Shelby GT500, a modern-day muscle car that’s all about superlatives.

With more than 700 horses on tap, this beast will be the fastest, most powerful, best-handling and quickest-shifting street-going Mustang ever built. It’s even got the largest front brakes ever fitted on an American sports coupe.

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How’s this for fast? The GT500 should be able to hit 60 miles an hour in the mid-three second range, annihilating the quarter mile in less than 11.

Giddy-up is provided by an all-aluminum, hand-assembled 5.2-liter V8, one that’s augmented by an Eaton 2.65-liter roots-style supercharger. Built to withstand the rigors of sustained track driving, it’s, not surprisingly, fitted with forged connecting rods, an improved lubrication system and much greater cooling capacity than what’s found in the already insanely quick Shelby GT350.

Further keeping under-hood temps in check is a massive hood vent measuring 31 inches by 28 inches (78.75 cm by 71.12 cm). Underneath this opening is a removable aluminum rain tray. On the street, owners can leave this piece in place to help keep the engine clean, but it’s best removed when tracking the car to help exhaust unwanted heat and reduce front-end lift at speed.

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A structural oil pan adds stiffness to this engine and helps reduce NVH. Active baffles inside the sump ensure the pickup tube never goes dry, even during the highest-G turns.

This engine is bolted exclusively to a Tremec seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The good news is it can change gears in as little as 100 milliseconds, the bad news is no manual is offered. Torque is routed to the rear wheels through a lightweight carbon-fiber driveshaft.

Unlike lesser Mustangs, the new GT500 features revised suspension geometry with lighter coil springs at each corner. It’s also fitted with the latest and greatest MagneRide shocks for a livable on-road ride with enhanced stiffness for track use. They respond to changing surfaces up to 1,000 times per second.

Ensuring this latest Shelby speed machine doesn’t get out of hand are massive Brembo brakes. At both ends of the car, six-piston calipers clamp down on unique two-piece rotors. Up front, those discs measure a pizza-sized 16.5 inches (420 millimeters) in diameter. All told, this car’s front rotors have 20 percent more swept area and 30 percent more thermal mass than the ones fitted on GT350s.

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For drivers that want even more, Ford will offer an available handling package, which includes adjustable front strut mounts and a spoiler with a Gurney flap. Hardcore Mustang fanatics can also opt for the top-level Carbon Fiber Track Package. It includes insanely light, 20-inch carbon-fiber wheels with an exposed weave, custom Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, an adjustable rear wing also rendered in carbon, splitter wickers and no rear seat. This should be the ultimate version of the new 2020 Shelby GT500.