Leaked 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 Specs Claim 720 Horsepower
Thanks to the internet, it’s hard to keep industry secrets. This is especially true when a product has lots of eyes on it, as at least a few of them will be of the prying variety. Fresh leaks concerning the 2020 Shelby GT500 claim Ford has added serious horsepower and a hefty curb weight to the most muscular of Mustangs.
According to documents shared via the Mustang6G forums, the new Shelby receives a 5.2-liter, port-injected V8 that produces 720 horsepower (at 7,500 rpm) and 650 ft-lb of torque (at 4,500 rpm) with help from a supercharger. However, the claimed weight distribution ought to make it more of a straight-line bruiser than the first car you’d want to take into a tight corner with a decreasing radius.
With 56.2 percent of the load distribution hovering over the front axle, the GT500 would be the least balanced pony in Ford’s stable. However, it isn’t as if the Shelby’s supercharger could be placed into the trunk or that there’s a bunch of other Mustangs with a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. They’re front-heavy cars and always have been.
Speaking of hardware and heft, all of Ford’s go-fast parts seem to have resulted in a curb weight of 4,225 pounds. Assuming these figures are accurate, that’s pretty portly. But any Ford loyalist that’s seriously interested in flinging a coupe around a racetrack has probably purchased the much lighter GT350 already.
The GT500 appears to be aimed at other autos emphasizing brute force over agility, namely the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. At 4,492 pounds, the Redeye will definitely remain a few cheeseburgers ahead of the Ford. But the pair are more evenly matched than we’d have guessed. Dodge’s output will surpass the Stang’s proposed figures, although the added weight should help Ford make up the difference.
We’re presuming the GT500 uses the current flat-plane-crank engine found in other Shelby Mustangs, based on displacement and how high it seems willing to rev. Documents list the top speed at 190 mph with an axle ratio of 3.73:1. If everything we’re reading is true, we’d expect that aspect to the most subject to change. We’re under the assumption that the specs came from a test platform, meaning Ford could swap gearing (and a few other things) prior to production.
[Images: Ford Motor Co.]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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I am thrilled that 526HP in the GT350 now seems downright reasonable. Should make it a much easier sell for SWMBO.
That’s it? Not even announced yet and it’s already out classed. Typical Ford.