2010 Ford Shelby GT500

The new GT500 is the most powerful factory production Mustang ever.
By SAM ABUELSAMID

When Ford introduced the new 2010 Mustang at the LA Auto Show in November, marketing boss Jim Farley promised the next chapter in the Mustang story would be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Well that time has arrived and to anyone who has been following the Mustang pattern over the last several years, it should come as no surprise that it's the Shelby GT500. Just like the last iteration, the new GT500 is the most powerful factory production Mustang ever.Like the more prosaic Mustangs, the GT500 is mechanically an evolution of the older model. Just as Ford used the current-gen Bullitt model as the starting point for the 2010 Mustang GT, the lessons learned from developing the limited edition GT500 KR fed directly into the latest Shelby-badged variant. Output of the supercharged 5.4L V8 has now been cranked up to 540 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, and the handling is claimed to be better than before.

Like the last GT500, this one gets more aggressive styling, particularly in the nose, and reprises many of the same detail elements. The horizontally mirrored trapezoidal shape of the grille in the upper and lower front fascia is meant to echo the oval shape of the Shelby Cobras of the '60s. The upper grille is tilted forward at a steeper angle than the GT and the grille surround is separated entirely from the hood. The leading edge of the hood on other Mustangs forms the upper frame of the grille, while the new GT500 has an extra bit of bodywork there.The hood of the GT500 still has a functional air extractor allowing some of the massive heat generated by the blown V8 to escape. The power dome of the V6 and GT is supplanted by a smoother bulge that now encompasses most of the hood. The driving lamps stay in the lower fascia reprising the last edition and leaving the grille area open for air flow.Careful observers will note that the snake badge has moved from the right to the left side of the grille (when viewed from the front). This has nothing to do with the blowing of political winds, but is actually functional. Like the GT, the GT500 now has a cold air intake that sits directly behind the snake's former residence.

60 Seconds of Fun

You have to love a movie that combines a custom Shelby GT500 named Eleanor with Angelina Jolie. Ok, so no one is going to confuse "Gone in 60 Seconds" with Masterpiece Theater, but there are times when want a break from Whole Roasted Squab Breast with Birch, Black Trumpet Mushrooms & Devil’s Club, and just want pizza and a beer.

From it's "staring role" in Bullet, to it's cameo in Bond, the Mustang has had a long history on the Silver Screen. Shelby's Mustang not only saved Ford back in 64, but he created an Icon that became a part of the American culture and a symbol of Detroit's magic in the 60s.Since the first one rolled out on April 17, 1964, at the New York World's Fair the Mustang has been the great American sports car. True the corvette held the title as the "Top of the line" sports car; but the Mustang offered something the Corvette could not- affordability. The basic model price was $2,368. Within a year, Ford had sold 417,000 models.

The car was so successful that it created a subset of autos called "Pony Cars and helped lead the way to the Muscle Car era.