Yahoo Autos Our Best Look Yet at Ford’s Hellcat-Baiting Mustang Shelby GT500
When we first caught a glimpse of a camo’d GT500 mule back in 2016, Ford’s latest iteration of the more-power-than-sense Mustang was wearing a wing on the back, and we surmised that it would carry a pair of turbos strapped to a Voodoo V-8. We also suggested that it would be in dealerships by now. We were wrong about the on-sale date and the engine, but, hey, we’ve got some new spy photos that offer the best look yet at Dearborn’s Camaro ZL1/Challenger Hellcat competitor.
It has now been well established that the GT500 will carry a 5.2-liter V-8 under the hood with a conventional 90-degree crankshaft, and, like the ZL1 and the Hellcat, it will wear a Roots supercharger between its cylinder heads. In Hellcat-baiting style, the overfed mill, code-named Predator, will churn out more than 700 horsepower, making it the most powerful roadgoing automobile Ford has ever offered.
Last month, Ford offered up a teaser photo of the GT500’s black hole of a maw, but the light camo job pictured here suggests that what seemed like the blackest hole this side of interstellar space will be bisected by a bumper, which makes sense, given modern safety mandates. Whatever aggro was lost in the grille in the harsh light of day is made up for by a nigh indecent hood bulge featuring serious-business heat-extraction louvers.
The front splitter’s plane continues into a secondary side sill extending a foot or so behind the front wheels, and there are other trick aero additions, including a new rear diffuser in between the ginormous quad exhaust tips. The aggressively flared front fenders carry a leading edge that frames the front fascia. Although they were highlighted in Ford’s teaser, these spy photos give us our first real look at how the extra-wide fenders integrate with the rest of the car’s front end.
The more we see of the new Mustang range topper, the more insane it seems to get. All that really remains is to find out how it stacks up against the ZL1 1LE, last year’s second-fastest Lightning Lap entrant. The 500 traditionally has offered more brawn than finesse. Has Ford finally found a balance? Ask us next year.
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