2007 Shelby GT 500 - Test Drive

Horse Sense: Along the way to getting thestory on the GT 500, we picked up a few hints about the next refresh onthe Mustang. It's apparently "well underway," and it looks to add a moredefined character to the car, especially on its currentlyextrusion-smooth flanks. This next iteration was also described as "verymodern," so perhaps it's a move away from pure retro to a modernprimitive look like the Camaro concept, which is sure to hit around thesame time the Mustang is freshened. Gotta love competition.

Thanks to 480 lb-ft of torque and an intuitive traction control, it'spossible to lay rubber with ease in a Shelby GT 500. You still want toturn off the traction control for the full smoke-show effect. Fordprojects a 114-mph trap speed, which should equate to high-11-secondpotential.

Anticipation could not have been higher. Ford has been teasing us withshow cars for so long we almost couldn't believe it when the invitationcame along to drive the real thing. Sure, our own Tom Wilson drove anearly engineering car months ago, but these cars promised to be muchcloser to the production version, though Job 1 isn't scheduled till thissummer. As I rounded the corner at California Speedway in Fontana,California, there they were--practically every Shelby GT 500 prototype inexistence and even the man himself, Carroll Shelby, stood watch wearingall black.

These cars really do exist! Somewhere between 7,500 and 8,000 luckyMustang performance enthusiasts will be able to buy a 500 hp,supercharged, 5.4 Mustang bearing the name of the most famous Mustangtuner ever. Better yet, the car is largely the product of Ford's SpecialVehicle Team, which has long produced some of our favorite vehicles.Because the media program was hosting a larger group of scribes andthere were few cars--we only drove two on the road course inside CalSpeedway--I had to wait for the first group to have its way with thecars while I scoped out the little details.

Opportunity Cost

Amazingly supple, forgiving, and balanced on the road course, the GT500's suspension tuning quickly communicates any flaws in the pavementonce you hit the street. By the way, those stripes can be optionallydeleted--either just the over-the-top LeMans stripes or the top and sidestripes. Convertibles get only side stripes, but they can be deleted aswell. Unlike the GT supercar, the GT 500's stripes are all decals.

If you're one of the many in line to buy a Shelby GT 500, it's likelyfor the same virtues on which SVT was founded: performance, exclusivity,and value. At a projected $41,950 sticker (includes destination and delivery charges) for a base coupe, the GT500 is an incredible value. Of course, if you want one right away,you'll have to be willing to pay an early adopter tax that we've seenrange from $5,000 to $25,000 over MSRP. That kind of capitalism,combined with the car's horsepower ratings, has pushed the car intounfair comparisons with the much lighter, much pricier Corvette. Well,the Mustang has never been and never will be a Corvette. You can't takeyour wife and kids out for ice cream in a Corvette. But you'll likely beable to outdo a Corvette at the drags, and by the time the initialfrenzy dies down, you can do it for the kind of price that makes thiscar such a performance value. Ford is committed to building 8,000 to10,000 GT 500s per year for three years. So if you're patient, you mightjust be able to buy the most powerful Mustang ever built.

Our group finally made its way to the track. I grabbed a helmet andjumped in line. I took the second car, a Tungsten Gray coupe with SatinSilver stripes, which just happen to be the colors I would want. Afteradjusting my seating position and getting settled, the interior feltquite familiar to anyone who has driven an S197 Mustang, but thepresentation is a bit more upscale. As I pulled away down the accessroad, I immediately noticed two things. The clutch pedal effort was justa notch more than a GT's and much less than a Terminator's, which issurprising for a car with more power. According to the SVT engineers,the clutch in the GT 500 is a metalliceramic unit sourced from theFR500C racer, but the effort is indeed reduced by 17 pounds (33 versus50 in the Terminator).

I noted the cars seemed really quiet while other cars lapped the track,and only a bit raucous when throttled from a standing start. Theserenity is even more pronounced inside the car. Exhaust and blowernoise are minimized, even with the pedal to the carpet. I'm alwaysconservative at drive programs, as I don't want to be the guy who wrecksthe car, but even as I gained confidence and began carrying more speedon track, it didn't feel as fast as I had imagined. Sure I'm probably asjaded as the come. I've driven more than my fair share of cars with 400and 500 hp at the rear wheels, but few have tipped the scales at 3,920pounds. I chalked it up to a heat-soaked blower and my unrealisticexpectations.

This is what we've all been waiting for: a supercharged Four-Valve 5.4between the fenders of the Mustang. Sure, the iron-block 5.4 adds moreweight to the car's front, but the potential lurking inside an 8.5:1 5.4that sports only 9 pounds of boost from the factory is immense. TheEaton M112H blower is more efficient than the blower found on theTerminator, so simple pulley swaps should be more efficacious, thoughthis pulley is a press-on too. Ford uses petroleum jelly to ease thepulley's installation, and this lube burns off during the hot testing ofthe car, so the pulleys are likely to give fits coming off. We're surethe rewards will outweigh the struggle. The M122H is considered ahybrid, hence the "H," as it features sixth-generation rotors in afifth-generation case. For more on the blower, check out our drive ofthe GT 500 prototype back in the February issue. Likewise, the enginemanagement is a step up from even the Spanish Oak fare in the '05-'06Mustangs. The GT 500 is run by Silver Oak with a faster processor and aunique calibration for a blown 5.4.

The interior is available in all Charcoal Black or Charcoal with CrimsonRed inserts. What differentiates the GT 500 from a more pedestrian S197is the traditional SVT gauge treatment, which in this case includes asilver-face, electroluminescent look with the tach and speedo locationsswapped when compared with the GT. Moreover, the accents on the A/Cvents and gauge cluster receive a satin-silver treatment instead ofbright chrome. This look ties in nicely with the silver gauge faces.Another touch of brightwork is the SVT-logo'd door-sill plate at eachentryway--yeah, they still say "SVT."

As with any SVT Mustang, the most attractive change from standardMustang practice is the signature round-foglight front fascia. In thecase of the GT 500, it is likely the most radical departure from the GTyet. Not only are the foglights incorporated, but also the grille mouthis much larger, the snake emblem is offset to the driver side, and afront splitter adorns the bottom of the valance. The grille opening isan obvious carryover from the GT-R concept, and allows much greaterairflow over the radiator and intercooler heat exchanger. In short, theGT 500 offers a far more menacing visage than the Mustang GT, and weexpect GT 500 nose jobs will be a popular upgrade. Along those lines,the vented hood allows some of the air rushing in the grille to escapeout the hood and release pressure--a lesson learned during the FR500C'sfirst race when a non-vented hood flew off at speed.

It was the handling that exceeded my expectations, though it reallyshouldn't be a big surprise. SVT has a history of making mammoth rides,such as the Lightning pickup that handles like much smaller vehicles.With all the improvements in the S197 chassis and a few more weldedseams, strengthened panels, and both shock tower and lateralfront-crossmember braces, the '07 Mustangs are even more robust. Allupgrades but the braces will make it to all '07 Mustangs, while thelateral crossmember brace will make it to all convertibles. Obviously,SVT spent considerable time striking a balance between road-course gripand street civility.