Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 - Exclusive TopGear SA Drive in the US of A.
Not too long ago, I found myself part of a team competing in one of these grouped, off-road driving challenges. Our team name? I kid you not, was ‘Don’t Wake the Snake.’ It never really worked, the team and the name. We were useless and fell somewhere in the bottom 5 of the competition.
Little did I know that just a few years on, that name would surface once again, except this time from behind the wheel of a 2022, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. The car was made available to TopGear SA as part of a crop of Ford product drives in Ford-Central, Detroit, Michigan.
The GT500 is a headliner. Just the name is a headline. Its heritage is fabled. Its design is head turning and its power to the rear wheels is simply staggering. It is to date, the most powerful Ford Shelby Mustang available from the factory. It’s a special car with the significant weight of the brand upon its wide haunches.
It’s a real privilege to be able to drive this car and I approach the opportunity with some trepidation. The numbers are burbling around in my head – 566 kW; 847 Nm; 0 – 100 kph in under 4-seconds; $1000 fine for speeding…These are all big numbers and much to think about. But…life is never fun at the whim of worry. I press the start button and indeed, wake the snake. I’m winning already. The sound is glorious. It’s abrasive and charismatic all at the same time.
I don’t have all day with the GT500, so I set about finding some roads to exploit the massive metal at the command of my right foot. The supercharged 5.2-litre, V8 is mated to a TREMEC 7-speed dual clutch transmission with paddle shifters behind the steering. It burbles along making no small talk. This car is loud in volume, loud in styling set apart from other Mustang or Shelby with some signature pieces. The open hood vents, racing stripes and humongous quad exhaust tips are but a few tell-tale signs of the immensity of performance. Everyone is looking at us as we make our way out of town. Under the shouty exterior bits, the Shelby GT500 throws in 20-inch, lightweight, exposed carbon fibre wheels fitted with Michelin Sport Cup 2 rubber. Then the cooling is enhanced with larger radiator and oil cooler, the chassis is tuned as are the brakes, dampers and stability control software.
That $1 000 ticket still looms large in my mind as I work my way towards open country roads but eventually, I bravely unleash all 760 horses. The GT500 is a significant departure from a normal Mustang. The power is hypercar level and therefore needs a lot more finesse and respect with the throttle. Feed it through some corners and the key standout is the steering feel and front end being a lot more in tune to driver inputs. Acceleration is a maelstrom of noise and horizon bending speed but when you mix it in with that supercharged V8 sound, that’s when life becomes just about as exciting it can be. It’s the sum of all the GT500’s parts that leaves you breathless. Really. It's as involving as any supercar, if not more so. Intoxicating. Bewildering.
Carroll Shelby once said that the first GT500 was the car he was most proud of. And so it makes sense why this car is so well endowed. It makes sense why it’s the most expensive Mustang out of Ford’s factory. It moves the Shelby GT500 from wannabe muscle-car right into outright supercar territory. It reminds me of a Dodge Viper in its madness, but undoubtedly with a more sorted chassis with superior handling, damping and communication.
After around 90-minutes in the car, I can’t quite tell you about the infotainment features or the B&O sound system. I didn’t quite get that far. What I can tell you is that the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a very desirable car. It blitzes the Bullitt or Mach 1, both of which I have experienced because it wields so much more real, dynamic talent, and perhaps because it is so unattainable. I want one. You want one.
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