For 2007, Ford’s Special Vehicle Team launched the highly anticipated Shelby GT500, successor to the 2003/2004 Mustang SVT Cobra. The GT500 shares many of its basic design characteristics with that of the Mustang V6 and GT. In particular, the GT500 retains the same basic live axle rear suspension setup of the Mustang V6 and GT, with some minor durability enhancements to handle the car’s power. Thicker sheetmetal supports and extra welds can be found on the GT500 chassis as well as redesigned strut towers to accommodate a wider engine. A supercharged 5.4 L 32-valve DOHC V8 with an iron block and aluminum heads powers the GT500. The engine is mated to a Tremec TR6060 6-speed manual transmission and is rated to produce 500 hp (373 kW) @ 6000 rpm and 480 lb·ft (650 N·m) of torque @ 4500 rpm. A final drive ratio of 3.31:1 is standard in the GT500. Also standard are 18×9.5 inch wheels with P255/45ZR18 tires in the front and P285/40ZR18 tires in the rear. Stopping is provided by Brembo 14-inch disc brakes with aluminum four-piston calipers in the front and 11.8-inch disc brakes with two-piston calipers in the rear.
The GT500 failed to meet some automotive journalist’s expectations. Car and Driver magazine, for example, though praising the GT500 for its ample horsepower and relatively smooth ride, criticized their test car for its heavy weight and, in particular, the nose-heavy weight distribution of 57.7% front and 42.3% rear (compared to the 52.5% front, 47.5% rear of a Mustang GT manual they tested). Nevertheless, in spite of their opinion of its drawbacks, Car and Driver drove a GT500 in their 2007 “Lightning Lap” road test at Virginia International Raceway and found that the car’s on-track performance lap time of 3:05.9 fell just below that of the Porsche 911 Turbo (3:05.8) and faster than that of the Lotus Elise (3:09.3), Porsche Cayman S (3:09.5) and BMW M6 (3:10.0).
