New GT500 to have 650hp.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Packing 650 horsepower, the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 is the most powerful Mustang ever from Ford. Under the hood lurks a 5.8-liter supercharged V-8 engine.




The all-new Escape SUV might be more important to Ford Motor Co.'s bottom line, but the 2013 Mustang line being unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show is more exciting -- starting with the 650-hp GT500.

Yes -- 650 hp for the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500. It's the most powerful Mustang ever, and it will almost certainly be the least expensive 650-hp new car money can buy.

You can credit Ford for not allowing the Mustang to get stale or soft -- especially as it squares off with the new Camaro from Chevrolet and Dodge Challenger.

The Camaro has pulled ahead in the muscle car sweepstakes, with U.S. sales of 76,368 through October this year. The Mustang is second with sales of 61,516 and the Challenger is a distant third with sales of 33,254



A year after the debut of the Boss 302, the Mustang lineup remains the same, with a V6, GT 5.0, Boss and GT500.

Yet all get a mild facelift for 2013, with improvements across the board. There's a more aggressive shark snout in front, standard HID projector-beam headlights trimmed with LED strips, and three-bar LED taillight/turn signals that flash sequentially.

Puddle lights in the outside mirrors cast light in the pattern of the Mustang pony logo.



The 2013 Mustang GT gets LED fog lights and a bump from 412 hp to 420 hp, thanks to internal friction reductions in the engine. The six-speed Select Shift automatic will allow full manual control, with no default upshift at the redline. Recaro seats will be available all the way down to the V6, in cloth or leather.

There will be new performance packages, upgraded audio systems and a new option called Track Apps, with an on-board accelerometer. Track Apps can save and display lap times, quarter-mile times and g-loads on the new 4.2-inch LCD in the center stack, not to mention a range of engine telemetry options, right down to cylinder-head temperatures.



Then there's the 2013 GT500. Ford promises that 650 hp, up 100 from the current GT500, and top speed above 200 mph. That kind of speed required a thorough overhaul of the suspension, cooling system and aero package, according to engineers, though Ford was keeping details close to the vest before the L.A. show.

Nonetheless, we've confirmed the source of that 650 hp, and it's not a blown version of the new 5.0 Coyote block used in the GT and Boss 302.

Rather, it's the supercharged Ford GT engine used in the current GT500, with all its high-tech metallurgy, bumped from 5.4 liters to 5.8 liters displacement. Redline is 7,000 rpm, which will mean incredible piston speeds for a long-stroke engine. We'd also predict some sort of self-adjusting, variable-rate suspension.

And a substantial price increase. Yet even with a bump of 25 percent from the 2012 GT500 base price of $49,605, we still haven't hit $65,000. You can't touch 650 hp or 200 mph from any other automaker for that kind of cash.



Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I want one! Looks like it is going to be a very badass car!

I just hope it can put the new power to the ground with the new suspension. That was the problem with the old GT500's. On paper they were fast as hell. On the track.....not so much. It should be an interesting battle between this car and the camaro ZL1. Chevy thought they would be king of the pony cars with the ZL1. But now Ford is striking back. Let the HP wars continue! I love it! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I love when car companies battle pointlessly, the consumers win!

Unless they battle to the point of going bankrupt and we have to buy them out.

tkromer wrote:

I love when car companies battle pointlessly, the consumers win!

Unless they battle to the point of going bankrupt and we have to buy them out.

Agreed....not mentioning any names of particular companies! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

dlinsbeck wrote:

tkromer wrote:

I love when car companies battle pointlessly, the consumers win!

Unless they battle to the point of going bankrupt and we have to buy them out.

Agreed....not mentioning any names of particular companies! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Dont make me pull up the reports where Ford borrowed money. lol Granted GM borrowed much more.

GM cancelled Saturn, that was the nail in the coffin.

D-Rod wrote:

dlinsbeck wrote:

tkromer wrote:

I love when car companies battle pointlessly, the consumers win!

Unless they battle to the point of going bankrupt and we have to buy them out.

Agreed....not mentioning any names of particular companies! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Dont make me pull up the reports where Ford borrowed money. lol Granted GM borrowed much more.

Ford hasn't borrowed any money for bailouts. They have managed their money and business responsibly.



Dont make me pull up the reports where Ford borrowed money. lol Granted GM borrowed much more.[/quote]

Not to start a debate but there is alot of info on this out there. Here is the first that came up in a google search. I dont even want to get into the foreign borrowing that allegedly went on. That, IMO is much worse than taking a US buyout and I bet more than one company did it. Anyways, it is rediculous that any of the manufacurers had to borrow money after being in bussiness for so long.....even with a recession. It is embarasing but all the manufacturers are making great cars and going in the right direction. I guess thats all that matters.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

So we've got a new 5.0 (302).... a new 5.8 (351).... when's the 460 coming back?!?!

7.5 liters should do the trick.

I want one badly!

I'm just glad Ford is making a V8 that actually makes horsepower now. 215 hp out of the 4.6 in the beginning was/is a joke.

All things equal we have 200+ HP NA 4 cylinders, so the bear minimum to justify a V8 is 400HP. Anything less than that and you're not getting what you paid for.