Ford Mustang 2014 Review
The Shelby GT 500 show there are enough enthusiasts high enough in the company to allow insane cars like this.
During a secret preview of the new model in Detroit two months ago, Carsguide got to sample the biggest baddest Mustang ever created, the current flagship, the Shelby GT 500.
What we like
- Powerful
- Fast
- Awesome looks
What we don't
- Thirsty
- Dynamics could be better
- Not here offocially
What we like
- Powerful
- Fast
- Awesome looks
What we don't
- Thirsty
- Dynamics could be better
- Not here offocially
So, what’s the Ford Mustang like to drive? We won’t get behind the wheel of the new one until some time next year. But during a secret preview of the new model in Detroit two months ago, Carsguide got to sample the biggest baddest Mustang ever created, the current flagship, the Shelby GT 500.
Named after the late great racer Carroll Shelby -- who became legendary after starting Ford’s four-year winning streak against Ferrari at LeMans from 1966 to 1969 -- it is the most powerful V8 road car ever built to date. Yes, even more powerful than the Germans.
At its heart is a supercharged 5.8-litre V8 with an epic 493kW, or 662 horsepower in the old money. That’s V8 Supercars territory. The numbers are so astronomical they beggar belief, until you turn the key and gently push the accelerator.
DRIVING
Admittedly the roads around Dearborn were cool as winter was starting to set in, but it became a challenge to simply get any power to the ground without being accused of hooning. I hope Ford doesn’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t believe they built such a powerful, brute of a thing. Three cheers from me at least.
I lost count of how many times I apologised to the Ford PR minder sitting alongside. “It’s the car, honest,” I offered repeatedly. Although it was a brief, 30-minute encounter, it was enough to reveal a side to Ford that Australians rarely get to see. Ford by its nature is a very conservative car company.
But cars like the Shelby GT 500 show there are still enough enthusiasts high enough in the company to allow insane cars like this to sneak their way through the Ford bureaucracy. The Shelby GT 500 I tested happened to be the company car of a senior Ford executive in Detroit, who had a private collection of more than 50 classic Mustangs. So at the very least, he’s keeping the dream alive.
VERDICT
Here’s hoping there is eventually a supercharged V8 Shelby GT 500 version of the new Mustang -- and that it gets made in right-hand-drive. The queue starts here.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500
Price: NA
Engine: 5.8-litre V8 supercharged, 493kW/855Nm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, RWD
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