For those new Mustang fans who think the muscle sports car is the most aggressive in its GT and GT premium variants, they certainly need a dive into the past. A muscle car that could terrorise all its American cousins and siblings was the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
The last outgoing model of the GT500, the 2022 Mustang GT500, came with a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 engine nicknamed the “Predator”. As the name suggests, the Predator made 760 terrorising horses and 847 NMs of torque, all of that sent to the rear wheels only. This vehicle went beyond the philosophy of a fast sports car and took a deep dive into what the Americans really call a “sports car”: A big V8 in the front with a big supercharger, all of that excessive power to the rear wheels, and an exterior design that could scare away Camaros. Let’s find out what the newer generation of this sports car might get us.
Exterior Design
The front fascia wears a thick layer of netting and tarp to conceal changes to the front end, though we can see wider openings for the upper and lower grilles, as well as some outer bulges on the hood. All of this suggests a bigger, bulgier front hood to accommodate a supercharger. The rear wing on the production model will be larger than the lesser Mustang GT variant, providing more downforce.
The test mule was spotted with Carbon Fiber wheels, but the base model offering will be traditional alloys, both of which will come with Pirelli P Zero RS tires for better grip. The GT500 will surely have a widebody kit with special decals, as it’s a high-performance model and will look truly intriguing.
Powertrain
There is no official confirmation on what the S650 generation of the Shelby GT500 could have under the hood, but we can make a very easy guess. A leaked memo from the Dearborn engine plant in Michigan, the document, whose contents were confirmed by the Detroit Free Press through internal sources, showed plans to produce an engine nicknamed “Legend.”
The plant currently builds the supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 found in the Raptor R. That same motor powered the last GT500, making 760 horsepower and 870 NMs of torque. So it makes sense for the factory to supply the next car’s engine too. Power is still a question mark, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see the next GT500 make over 800 hp, possibly matching the track-ready Mustang GTD. And all of that power will be mostly sent to a 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission with improved calibration, but a manual could be in the works as well.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 2026 – Watch Out, Germans
The horsepower race is a never-ending show in the automotive industry, but sometimes you don’t need 1000HP to end a debate, sometimes a sports car needs to be simply so crazy that everyone automatically respects it. Such is the case with the Shelby GT500.
