A decade ago it seemed like the horsepower wars were coming to an end. The one-two punch of the financial crisis and higher gas prices put smaller vehicles in the spotlight. Naturally-aspirated V8s gave way to turbo-fours and the Hummer died for our sins.
After a few years to first deal with, then forget about, the problem brought consumers right back to the behaviors that led to the collapse. Crossovers became the class-of-choice for most buyers. And, while smaller, more powerful engines stuck around, fuel economy has become less important to most drivers.
Waving the flag of regression highest has been Dodge. Always one to read the room (should that room be a man cave for mouth-breathers), they’ve carved out a muscle car-niche with their Hellcat lineup. By adopting a simple principle (707HP) they’ve tied their identity to the preposterously outrageous output of their single-minded sports coupe.
The other two pony car manufacturers have taken different routes to mixed success. Chevrolet has tried to engineer their way to a better performing, better handling Camaro. And, in many ways, they’ve succeeded. It’s likely that Corvette’s upcoming switch to mid-engine is to help differentiate themselves from the lower-tiered muscle car that can outperform it.
Sales haven’t really reflected this, howevs. The Camaro is now at the bottom of the pecking order for American muscle cars.
Leading that race is the Mustang. The original pony car, the Mustang, along with the F-150, is one of the few reasons Ford is carrying-on. As the Blue Oval remains flummoxed as to what their lineup should consist of, the ‘Stang and pickup truck are consistent sellers.
The Ford GT500 Takes the 350’s 5.2L V8 and Maxes it Out
Capitalizing on that has meant that Ford has offered all kinds of variations on the Mustang. Some sensical, others not so much. What they haven’t done, until now, was to jump off the deep end and take on the Challenger’s big guns.
Enter: the Mustang Shelby GT500. Ready for 2020, the Ford GT500 takes the current GT350’s 5.2L V8 (526HP/429LB-FT of torque) and supercharges it to 760HP and 625LB-FT of torque.
That’s more than the Hellcat’s 707HP.
Since you can only have so much fun in a Ford, that power will be run through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. There will be no available stick shift. There will be four choices of exhaust modes, allowing you to dial in a setting that reflects your relationship with your neighbors.
A sub-11 second quarter-mile is promised, but specific times are yet to be released. A limiter will cap the top speed at 180MPH.
All that remains to be seen is if Ford will remember that the Challenger has an 840HP Demon variant.