Ford goes all-out with the new supercharged 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500

That's a heck of a grill. [credit:
Ford ]




On Monday morning, the second-worst-ke[t secret in Detroit finally got its official reveal. I am of course referring to the newest, fastest, and biggest-grilled (that's a word) Ford Mustang ever, the Shelby GT500. (Number one is obviously the mid-engined Corvette C8.) Under its now-bulging hood is a supercharged version of the 5.2L V8 that sounded so good in the Shelby GT350. [Originally I wrote that was the 'flat-crank' engine from the GT350—in fact, the crankshaft is actually now a more conventional cross-plane arrangement like the rest of Ford's line up. Apologies.]
The addition of some forced air will give the GT500 'more than 700 horsepower' (522kW), according to the spec sheet—full figures will have to wait until closer to the car's showroom arrival later this year. To cope, it gets a new dual-clutch transmission from Tremec; sorry stick shift fans, there is no three-pedal option this time.
The rest of the car takes this same approach: start with the GT350 and turn everything up to 12 (because 11 is passe). The scoops and vents are bigger because the more powerful engine and stronger transmission need more cooling. So, too, do the brakes, similarly supersized—the front rotors now measure 16.5in (420mm) which is a hefty increase in thermal mass. It's the front that dominates the GT500's appearance. Ford says the front has double the open area of the GT350—a stat we don't doubt—and that cooling airflow is 50 percent higher.
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