The most powerful factory-built Ford Mustang in history takes to thestreet next year, following a unique collaboration between performancecar legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT).
Ford took the wraps off the 450-plus-horsepower Ford Shelby Cobra GT500show car at the New York International Auto Show March 23. Designed inthe unmistakable image of Shelby Mustangs of the 1960s, the Shelby CobraGT500 melds SVT's modern engineering with the big-block performance thatmade the original GT500 the king of the road.
"The all-new 2005 Ford Mustang is one of the hottest cars in manyyears," says Phil Martens, Ford group vice president, Product Creation. "Its chassis was engineered from the beginning to be the basis of ahigh-performance, world-class sports car from SVT, and the Shelby CobraGT500 is it."
Carroll Shelby lends his support to SVT, adapting his earlier role as asenior advisor on the "Dream Team" that was assembled to develop andbuild the 2005 Ford GT.
"I've worked with the SVT guys for several years now, and I know theyhave the guts, the talent and the passion to deliver the bestperformance Mustangs ever," says Shelby.
A production version of the GT500 will go on sale in 2006, continuingthe high-performance lineage of the SVT Mustang Cobra model line. Itwill be followed by a steady stream of performance products developed bySVT, including Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin, the industry's firstperformance sport-utility truck, in 2007.
The production GT500 will be the first in a string of specialty Mustangsthat SVT will help deliver. This will create Ford Motor Company's - andone of the industry's - broadest product portfolios, stretching fromunder $20,000 for the V-6 Mustang coupe to the 450-plus-horsepowerGT500, each offering performance and value.
The GT500 and the production-intent Sport Trac Adrenalin teaseraccelerate the wave of momentum at SVT since the launch of the 2005 FordGT supercar. SVT also now will develop non-SVT branded Ford Divisionperformance vehicles - including heritage-based performance Mustangs inthe spirit of the 2001 Bullitt GT and 2003 Mach 1 - as it becomes moredirectly integrated into Ford's mainstream product development process.
Shelby Cobra GT500's supercharged 5.4-liter DOHC V-8 producesover 450-plus horsepower
Just as the original Shelby GT500 was the "step up" to big-block powerfrom the GT350, the new Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 steps up to Ford's5.4-liter "MOD" V-8. The result? The GT500 is the most powerfulfactory Mustang ever. Its supercharged 5.4-liter, 32-valve V-8 evolvesfrom SVT's experience with supercharging the "MOD" engine to delivermore than 450 horsepower and 450 pounds-feet of torque.
The cast-iron-block, four-valve engine is force-fed an air-and-fuelmixture via a screw-type supercharger at 8.5 pounds per square inch ofboost. Aluminum cylinder heads, piston rings and bearings sourced fromthe Ford GT program bring a high level of proven durability to thedrivetrain, while upgraded cooling components promise longevity."Powered by SVT" camshaft covers are the finishing touch to the engine.
"This version of the 5.4-liter V-8 has a higher horsepower rating thanany other factory Mustang in history," says Jay O'Connell, SVT chiefvehicle engineer. "It really delivers on the essence of two great namesin Ford performance - a mix of SVT's modern-day experience withsupercharging and the Shelby GT500's heritage of big-block power."
The engine has been further tuned from its first application in aMustang, the 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R, a limited edition model of 300units.