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2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Packs 760hp, 625tq

The 2020 GT500 Mustang has more horsepower than any previous Ford road car, but not more torque, trailing the previous GT500.

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Early this morning, Ford Motor Company announced the power figures for the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500. When the car was introduced earlier this year, we were simply told that it would have at least 700 horsepower, but everyone speculated that it would be well above 700. Everyone was right, as the 2020 GT500 offers a whopping 760 horsepower, making it the most powerful Mustang and the most powerful Ford road car ever in terms of horsepower, but when it comes to torque, the new Shelby is a bit lower than everyone expected.

That being said, with 760 horsepower, the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 should be capable of going toe-to-toe with just about anything on the street.

The Big Numbers
Back in January, Ford introduced the 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang at the Detroit Auto Show and while the company provided all sorts of details, the power numbers were held back. According to Ford representatives, the engineers were still working out the final numbers, but today, the wait is over.

The 2020 Mustang GT500 with the supercharged 5.2-liter, cross-plane V8 engine delivers 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque. Ford promised that this would be the most powerful Mustang ever and it is, based on horsepower, but not on torque. This new GT500 beats out the 2014 version by 98 horsepower, but the previous supercharged Shelby packed 631 lb-ft of torque while the new model “only” has 625 lb-ft.

As a side note, it is a pretty great time that we live in, when we can loosely complain about a muscle car “only have 625 lb-ft of torque”.

In any case, the combination of 760 horsepower, 625 lb-ft of torque and a quick-shifting dual clutch automatic transmission should easily allow the new GT500 to hit Ford’s estimated performance figures of a sub-11-second quarter mile and a 0-60 time in the 3-second range.

GT500 Versus the Competition
The GT500’s output of 760 horsepower makes it the most powerful Ford ever, but it also bests any road car from General Motors, with the C7 Corvette ZR1 offering 755 horsepower. The new Shelby currently ranks second overall among the American automakers, trailing only the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye at 797 horsepower, but beating the standard Hellcat Challenger, which has 717 horsepower. The closest competition from the Chevrolet Camaro is the ZL1, with 650 horsepower, so in the American market, the 2020 GT500 Mustang has more horsepower than all but one car.

Torque is a different story, though. As mentioned above, the 625 lb-ft torque figure of the 2020 GT500 is less than the 2014 GT500, but it is also well below the other high horsepower competitors from other American brands. The Camaro ZL1 offers 650 lb-ft of torque, the Corvette ZR1 offers 715 lb-ft, the standard Hellcat Challenger offers 650 lb-ft and the Redeye offers 707 lb-ft. This big torque advantage could play a role when it comes to drag racing, but with the GT500 being engineered to shine brightest on a track with turns – torque delivery will prove to be more important than peak figures for road-racing owners.

Of course, the other key factor will be weight, and we expect that the GT500 will be somewhere in the area of 4,000 pounds. The current GT350 is around 3,800 pounds with a manual transmission. The GT500 has the added weight of the supercharger and supporting components, the gigantic brakes and the weight of the automatic transmission – all of which could push the car over 2 tons. If it weighs 4,000 pounds, it will be lighter than the Camaro ZL1 and the Hellcat Challenger in either form, possibly allowing it to compete with both of those cars in their chosen venue.

See you in the next story where I am discussing 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 options arriving online and please subscribe to our Youtube channel for daily Automotive news.

Patrick Rall @TheAutoBeard is the Managing Editor of Torque News. Please follow us on Twitter at @TorqueNewsAuto, Facebook and send us tips. You can also Follow Patrick on Youtube.

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Comments

DeanMcManis (not verified)    June 20, 2019 - 3:38AM

I think that the nearly 100HP gain is far more of a benefit than missing 6 ft tq, compared to the previous GT500. The weight will be a big factor as you mentioned, as added weight affects all aspects of any car's performance. The ZL-1 weighs around 4,000lbs, and the Challenger Hellcat Redeye weighs around 4,500lbs, so the new GT500 seems roughly in the ballpark. The single biggest factors for the GT500 to me are (A) can the car put all that power down to the road well, and how will the GT500's overall performance (acceleration, braking, handling) be compared to it's rivals. The ZL1 is a great handling car (rivaling far more expensive cars), and the Challenger is more of a good handling car, considering it's immense power and heavier weight. I am hoping that the GT500's overall performance goals are more like the ZL1 than like the Hellcat. But the upshot that I see is that it is simply a fantastic time in history to enjoy American performance cars.

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