Read this very carefully: the 2013 Ford Mustang GT500 will have a 650 horsepower (yes – six hundred and fifty friggin’ horsepower) pumped through a supercharged, 5.8 liter V8. It will make 600 lbs-feet of torque and (please sit for this part… it will have a top speed of at least 200 miles per hour!
No, I am not sucking the jungle juice, smoking the reefer or eating happy mushrooms… this is the straight poop from Ford’s management. Many journalists have sat on this information for over a week and have chomped at the bit to get this out there. They even showed us 2013 Mustangs with some nifty updates, but nothing prepared us for the five-minute video presentation showing the test mule scorching the test track. Add to that Carol Shelby trumpeting the next Shelby GT 500 as THE vehicle that will kick the crap out of the competition and you have a room full of car-folk needing a post coitus cigarette.
“Sick” no?
A blackout rear fascia with highly revised taillights and an ever expanding package list are the other news. I cannot, in good conscious, ignore this tidbit of information with details about packages. I will say that, all of the information I got from Ford was easy to forget when pondering the reality of a 650 horsepower, 200+ mph Mustang.
Details are thin, but there will be a Torsen limited slip differential offered along with standard 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels. I believe Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar tires will be standard.
Hummm, a car that weighs a tad over 3,800 lbs with 650 hp? DAMN! Will GM be able to respond with a faster Camaro ZL1? Well, Chevy better crank it up or they will flounder with the current numbers they’ve released. What about Dodge? Will the next Viper engine find its way into a Challenger with a blower?
Thank you Ford for lighting a fire under the competition’s ass!
The new Mustang also sports:
- new cross-drilled block and heads
- a carbon fiber driveshaft in the engine
- upgraded clutch
- upgraded transmission and axle.
- new six-speed manual transmission
- electronic adjustable dampers
And of course all of the speeding tickets that you can afford to pay.
The 200 MPH the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 will compete head to head with Chevy’s upcoming Camaro ZL1 and we can’t wait for a head to head test.
In the meantime check out the video below that features the previous Ford Shelby GT500.
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