For 2011, Ford issued a mechanical overhaul of its popular Mustang: new engines, quieter interiors, better gas mileage. The lineup's granddaddy, the Shelby GT500, sees smaller improvements by comparison.
The Shelby GT500 is still a straight-line juggernaut, but the V-8 Mustang GT is catching up as a performance car — and away from the drag strip, the Shelby's handling dynamics leave something to be desired.
Officially called the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the car caps a Mustang lineup that includes new V-6 and 5.0-liter V-8 drivetrains. Though the GT500's supercharged V-8 has the same displacement as the 2010 GT500 did, a new aluminum block makes it 100 pounds lighter. Combined with better aerodynamics and new electric power steering, the GT500 is slightly more fuel efficient.
Sizing It Up
Available as a coupe or convertible, the GT500 trades the Mustang GT's galloping emblems and driving lamps for a taller grille, shapelier bumpers and lower fog lights. It ends up looking more similar, particularly up front, to the V-6 Mustang. Having never cared much for the V-8 Mustang GT's gratuitous lower air dam, I welcome the look.
The signage, not so much. Our press car came festooned with nearly a dozen cobra, Shelby, SVT and GT500 icons. (In fairness, you can remove a few, along with the racing stripes, if you want.) The decals signal the car's myriad influences: racing legend Carol Shelby, Ford's Special Vehicle Team, the resurrected GT500 moniker, the original 289 Shelby AC Cobra. I half expected to find an outline of Michigan stamped somewhere.
Ford lowered the car's ride height by nearly half an inch this year. The GT500's standard 19-inch wheels wear high-performance P255/40ZR19 front and P285/35ZR19 rear tires; our test car had an optional SVT Performance Package that includes thicker, 19-inch front wheels, 20-inch rears and Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar tires all around. A set of four of those is just over $1,200 on TireRack.com — steep, but not as bad as comparable Pirelli or Michelin sets.
Convertible GT500s employ a power cloth top. In lieu of a traditional moonroof, coupe shoppers can opt for an optional fixed glass roof. Previously available only on lesser Mustangs, the roof includes a retractable sun shade.
Horsing Around
A new aluminum-block version of Ford's 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 replaces last year's iron-block engine. Up 10 horsepower thanks to revised exhaust tuning, the 550-hp drivetrain idles with a rich interlude of growling, hissing and other certifiably bitchin' noises. It moves out, too: Acceleration lacks the immediacy you get with a larger-displacement V-8, but stay on the gas past 3,000 rpm and the supercharger's high-pitched whine signals serious thrust. Deactivate the traction control and slip the clutch just shy of that mark, and you'll handily spin the rear tires for seconds on end. Peak torque of 510 pounds-feet comes at 4,250 rpm; thundering past that mark toward the engine's 6,250-rpm redline elicits cries of enthusiasm — or terror — from your passengers.
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