2013 Ford Shelby GT500 rated at 662 hp, for the love of all that’s holy
Speaking to a gathering of Mustang and Shelby fans in Los Angeles last week, the chief engineer of the upcoming 2013 Ford Shelby GT500
let slip the car's official stats: 662 hp, 631 ft-lbs of torque, and
enough miles per gallon to avoid the gas guzzler tax. We've managed to
confirm the numbers and add a few more that shows Ford will soon create
not just the most powerful street-ready Mustang ever, but the most powerful sports car from any Detroit automaker.
For those who may get confused by the
permutations of Shelby, Cobras and Mustangs on the market, the 2013
Shelby GT500 will still be rated below the altered Mustangs built by
Carroll Shelby's own Shelby American shop, which can be tuned up to
1,000 hp. But it's still enough for the full factory-warrantied Ford to
beat not just any Chevrolet Camaro, but the Chevy Corvette ZR1 and even
the claimed 640 hp from the V-10 in the revived 2013 SRT Viper.
Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer for
Ford's SVT division and the man in charge of the Shelby, told the
gathering that the 2013 would get fuel economy of 15 mpg in the city and
24 mpg highway, for 18 mph combined -- a sufficient level to avoid a
federal gas penalty, and 5 mpg better than the Chevy Camaro ZL1. He also
said the GT500 has enough torque to snap to 60 mph in first gear; how
it keeps from shredding tires at every stoplight remains an open
question.
Ford
shared with us a few other notes about the Shelby: It's still claiming
the most powerful production V8 in the world, although Koenigsegg would
disagree about what defines "production." Unlike the peaky engines of
years past, 90 percent of the GT500's power from the supercharged
5.8-liter V8 is available between 2,000 revs and its redline; at just
above idle, it's making nearly as much torque -- 395 ft-lbs -- as the
Camaro SS makes at its peak.
One other tidbit, according to the Team Shelby forums:
The engine runs so hot and requires so much cooling that the GT500 will
do without any front grille. At a top speed supposedly near 200 mph,
who would notice it's gone?
Ford also sent over this graphic showing the power curves of the Shelby. Viper who?
The 412Hp and 390 ft-lbs of my 2011 GT is MORE than enough for me, thank you! (But I understand the desire!)
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