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The return of the sorcerer

Ford baptized this Mustang by the evocative name of Shelby Cobra GT500. Carroll Shelby was one of the great masters of the Mustang and Ford's success, in regards to performance-cars, in the sixties. He's the one who launched the Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT500, still considered today as well-respected track beasts. He also provided his input to SVT (Special Vehicle Team) in the development of this new Shelby GT500.

With this car, Ford wanted to pursue that performance and practical tradition: being able to drive it to work during the week and bring it on the track on weekends.

Revised suspension

The GT500 is based on the 2005 Mustang. SVT's engineers changed the shocks and stabilizer bars, and revised damper rate of the springs to assure firm handling, to go along with the 500 horsepower under the hood. They also reinforced the rigid axle rear suspension to absorb the phenomenal amount of torque, and avoid axle hop. The team used three arms with coil springs and a Panhard rod. As for braking, the car is equipped with discs and Brembo jaws. 18-inch wheels wrapped with Goodyear F1 rubber were fitted on our GT500.

More aggressive styling

With its blue stripes from front to rear, the Shelby GT500 reminds us of its past success. The front end has been redesigned and incorporates a functional air dam. Also, the hood has vents to evacuate the heat from the engine compartment. The headlights are redesigned and allow for symmetrical upper and lower grilles. The lower body still wears GT500 badges, just like classic Shelby Mustangs. At the rear, the deflector is inspired by the GT to manage the airflow better. Obviously, we couldn't create a Shelby without the famous cobra, which replaces the stallion on SVT Mustangs.

More luxurious cabin

Ford has paid attention to the cabin, a request from such a machine's customers. Even the dashboard is dressed with ebony black leather, just like the rest of the interior. The red leather seats and door panels highlight the whole ensemble. The seats are supportive and comfortable. The distinctive controls and dials are easy to use and read. Although we didn't really have time to really try it out, Ford has equipped the GT500 with a powerful audio system.

The heart of the beast

Ford has developed a supercharged 32-valve, 5.4-litre V8; the SVT team managed to obtain a conservative 500 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. A T-56 6-speed manual transmission was coupled to the engine. The engineers chose equal-length ratios with the obvious goal to benefit from the torque for accelerations and passing times.