2019 NAIAS - 2020 Ford Shelby GT500 - The Fastest, Most Powerful Mustang Ever

No North American International Auto Show is complete without a heavy dose of Detroit muscle, and this year’s show brought the most potent horsepower medicine of all – the 2020 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Powered by a 5.2-liter supercharged V8, the 2020 Shelby GT500 will make over 700-horsepower and promises to be the fastest street-legal Mustang ever built.

Let’s look at the numbers: 0-60 in mid-three seconds, quarter mile in under 11-seconds, 5.2-liters of V8 power, 2.65 liters of supercharger, and over 700 horsepower. Sounds like the recipe for a heckuva lot of fun, and what Ford is calling “the most high-performance technology to date ever offered in a Mustang.”

Power is delivered to the real wheels via a Tremec seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with a carbon fiber driveshaft. Ford Performance say the gearbox can shift in under 100 milliseconds and has multiple modes for different performance applications. Line-lock and launch control are also standard on the 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang.

To help the massive supercharger breathe and cool properly, Ford Performance focused on increasing airflow. Ford doubled the amount of open area in the grille, which allows the Shelby GT500 to breathe fifty-percent more air compared to the GT350.

The current-generation Mustang is already a fantastic performer, but Ford Performance improved the Shelby GT500 by giving it revised suspension geometry, lighter coils springs, Magneride dampers, and a tweaked electronic power steering system. Stopping duties are handled by six-piston Brembo brakes.

Customers can opt for additional improvements by way of two optional performance packages. The Carbon Fiber Track Package is the most extreme of these two and includes fully adjustable wings and canards made of carbon fiber, custom compound Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, and 20-inch, carbon fiber wheels that are a full half-inch wider than the standard wheel. Also included is a rear seat delete like the GT350R. The more subtle package is the Handling Package which includes adjustable strut top mounts and a spoiler with a Gurney flap.

Pricing has not yet been announced, but sales should begin later this fall.

For the truly hardcore, an available Carbon Fiber Track Package features exposed 20-inch carbon fiber wheels with 0.5-inch-wider rear wheels(11.5-inch),custom Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, adjustable exposed carbon fiber GT4 track wing and splitter wickers with integrated dive plane.The rear seat is deleted to reduce weight.

The all-new Shelby GT500–the pinnacle of any pony car ever engineered by Ford Performance–delivers on its heritage with more than 700 horsepower for the quickest street-legal acceleration and most high-performance technology to date ever offered in a Ford Mustang.