Summarize

Ford tugged the covers off the fastest Mustang in history when it unveiled the all-new Shelby GT500 at the Detroit motor show. Packing a supercharged version of the Mustang GT350’s 5.2-litre V8 developing north of 520kW — or more than double that of the first ever 1967 V8 Mustang — and driving the rear wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and a carbonfibre driveshaft for sub-100 millisecond shift times and ‘mid-three seconds’ 0-100km/h acceleration and a sub-11 second quarter-mile. Ford is promising the GT500 to be a capable on the track and drag strip, thanks to revised suspension geometry, lighter front and rear springs, and a new electronic power steering unit. It also uses 420mm two-piece brake rotors, the largest of any American sports coupé, along with larger Brembo six-piston callipers, while GT500’s vast front grille and louvered bonnet create 50% more airflow and help generate more downforce than any other factory Mustang. Riding Ford Performance-specific Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, but the optional carbonfibre track package swaps these for more circuit-friendly Pilot Sport Cup 2s on 20-inch carbonfibre wheels, an adjustable rear wing, and deletes the rear seats.