Ford Shelby Mustang GT500

Why Shelby?

After 40 years, racing legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Mustang are back together with the introduction of the most powerful Mustang ever built, the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500.

A modern interpretation of the Shelby Mustang of the 1960s, the Ford Shelby GT500 features a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 that generates 500 horsepower, and rue to the original GT500, it will be available both as a coupe and as a convertible when it goes on sale in the summer of 2006.

"When Carroll was developing the original GT350 and GT500, he wanted to build the most powerful, most capable Mustangs of his day," says Hau Thai-Tang, director, Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team (SVT). "Our goal was to build the most powerful, most capable Mustang ever."

Serving as touchstone and inspirational leader for both the concept and the production versions, Shelby was impressed by what the team has accomplished.

"It's one thing to put 450 horsepower in an exotic supercar," says Shelby. "It's another to put that much power in something as affordable as a Mustang. The fact that they not only met their goal but pushed on to 500 horsepower is a remarkable achievement."

As expected of anything with Shelby's name on it, the heart of the car is what's under the hood. The Ford Shelby GT500's supercharged 5.4-liter, 32-valve V-8 evolves from Ford's experience with tuning its modular, or MOD, engines. Output is a brawny 500 horsepower.

The engine is force-fed an air-and-fuel mixture via a "Roots-type" supercharger providing 8.5 pounds per square inch of boost. The GT500 uses a cast-iron engine block. It borrows from the Ford GT program aluminum, four-valve cylinder heads, piston rings and bearings, adding a high level of performance durability to the drive train. Helping put the power to the pavement is a 6-speed manual gearbox.

SVT engineers retuned and upgraded key chassis components. Improvements such as revised shocks, spring rates and upgraded stabilizer bars help the Ford Shelby GT500 stop and turn with the same authority as it goes.

Carroll Shelby with the GT500 convertible.