2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang leaked specs: 720HP @ 7500 RPM, 650 ft-lbs @ 4500 RPM, 4225lbs curb weight

[SVTSNAKE355]

Point being is that what bothers me about said statement is that unless the car has more power than any of the other big 2 out of 3, it's not worthy of any attention. Which is complete and utter nonsense. Maybe forget some of the details for a minute and lets think power to weight which is always a universal comparison despite it not being as important as it used to be. If the 500 ends up at 4000lbs curb (which I think is realistic) and at the low end estimate of 770 horsepower, that HANDILY trumps both the ZL1 and the Hellcat Redeye and matches the Demon without having to switch over to race gas. And even so, such figures won't always get people's hearts going. The ZL1 may be the better car out of the Hellcat and itself but I'll take a Hellcat over the ZL1 because I think the ZL1 is a compromise a touch too far and the Hellcat knows exactly what it is. Put a ZL1 1LE in front of my nose though......

again like i said before,the younger crowd thats coming up,all they see is numbers.whoever has the most they jump on.i understand power to weight ratio,most of them dont.all you hear about is hellcat,red eye,and demon.they dont even really bring up zl1 and all of that Garbage Motors crap.it does seem like the hellcat charger sells pretty good here in chicago.i stand by FORD needs at least 850HP.

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[Epiphany]

The car needs balance not some sky high stupid power number. Excess over and above what the car can use to maintain traction will likely be bled off via traction control, throttle control, etc. Available grip via contact patch and a properly setup suspension/engine calibration are key to being able to put down the power. For that matter it was reported long ago that the bottleneck (in terms of power) didn't come from the engine but somewhere else in the drivetrain.

 

[nastang87xx]

again like i said before,the younger crowd thats coming up,all they see is numbers.

100% not true. Non car people who think they know about cars only care about the horsepower numbers. The people who are going to ACTUALLY BUY THE CAR know there's more to it. Ford isn't going to pander to a bunch of idiots who don't know shit about cars who spout off on Youtube and Instagram comments.

 

[J_Maher_AMG]

Amazing, isn't it? Just the way all these bolt-on shops seem to work. You're definitely paying for the SA name.

Well I mean, that's the best part eh, that it is literally a bunch of bolt-ons, with none of the overall vehicle dynamics taken into consideration, nothing integrated to work together as well as OEM, and people think its some super fast, super awesome car because it has XYZ suspension kit and a 1000hp. Genuinely baffles me how people still think that "Super Snake" or any of the other bolt on wonders they make are anything special, let alone worth the cost.

I can take any old thing and polish it up and slap a badge or serial number on it and call it "limited edition" but it don't make it unique or worth anything LOL

 

[PP0001]

The car needs balance not some sky high stupid power number. Excess over and above what the car can use to maintain traction will likely be bled off via traction control, throttle control, etc. Available grip via contact patch and a properly setup suspension/engine calibration are key to being able to put down the power. For that matter it was reported long ago that the bottleneck (in terms of power) didn't come from the engine but somewhere else in the drivetrain.

I really have to smile when I see these posts that Ford is going to come up with 850 HP to 900 HP for the upcoming GT500 and anything below that is just unacceptable.

As you so correctly mentioned the new GT500 needs to have a balance between useable horsepower/torque and what the chassis, suspension, tires and transmission is set up to handle.

A great example of too much horsepower with a suspension and chassis that is not up to task is the 2019 Corvette ZR1 whereby it has 755 HP in a car with a curb weight of 3650# but it's chassis and suspension are no match for all the horsepower and torque of that engine let alone a transmission that is slow shifting which is unacceptable for a $130,000 automobile. I am not a big BMW fan but for pretty much the same price the M5 is a much more balanced automobile with performance figures of course a little less than the ZR1 but outstanding for a 4 door sedan.

No doubt that the GT500 will be very fast in a straight line/quarter mile sprint but this car will be intended to be much more than that and will end up being a very well balanced track car with terrific straight line acceleration and will definitely will not be in the 850 to 900 HP range.

 

[SVTSNAKE355]

100% not true. Non car people who think they know about cars only care about the horsepower numbers. The people who are going to ACTUALLY BUY THE CAR know there's more to it. Ford isn't going to pander to a bunch of idiots who don't know shit about cars who spout off on Youtube and Instagram comments.

WRONG!!! non car people or car people it does not matter when it comes to a SELL.to say that there are no people that just buy based on numbers is stupid and a dam lie.one reason FORD did the IRS was to SELL ,to more people.

 

[Epiphany]

Ford went with the IRS (after a previous attempt on certain New Edge cars) because it makes for a better ride with the potential for much improved handling dynamics in performance applications.

 

[SVTSNAKE355]

Ford went with the IRS (after a previous attempt on certain New Edge cars) because it makes for a better ride with the potential for much improved handling dynamics in performance applications.

Ford went with the IRS (after a previous attempt on certain New Edge cars) because it makes for a better ride with the potential for much improved handling dynamics in performance applications.

did you notice,i said one reason?i did not say the ONLY reason.

 

[Epiphany]

What I'm saying to you is that Ford went with the IRS in the S550 in order to make it a better car. They were a little late to the game in terms of their competition but again, they did it because it made for a welcome improvement (unless your life is drag only 24/7). It obviously wasn't a sales tactic meant to appeal to buyers with a narrow focus.

 

[jake_zx2]

Power is starting to not be as much of an interest to me. Hypothetically, if the car were at that 700 on the dot mark but was able to stay around the weight of a GT350, that would be the jam. I'm beginning to appreciate way more fine tuning of certain parts of cars such as the weight, where the weight is, brakes, and how the package as a whole feels like a cohesive thought process. Time (or NAIAS) will tell.

Agreed. Considering you have FBO GTs with tires and suspension beating hellcats at the drag strip, I don't think the GT500 would need all that much to be right there with the hellcat. Hell, doesn't the ZL1 stick with the Hellcat at the strip?

I don't think the focus needs to be on straight line speed. The current "King" in that respect is the Hellcat, and that car is fairly underwhelming in stock form. Where it needs to be focused is at the ZL1 1LE, and considering the GT350R can run close in terms of lateral grip and speed through turns, I don't think the GT500 NEEDS over 700hp to "make up" time in the straights. Give the GT500 right around 700hp, make advancements in weight reduction to keep the weight and balance close to the GT350, upgrade the brakes, go all in on the aero, and we could have a serious winner. But weight is the biggest issue, and I don't think that's going to be looking so hot over here in the Ford camp.

Do I think the GT500 will be faster than a 1LE? Sure. Do I think it's going to be significant? No. Do I think it's going to be enough to hold off the competition (rumors of a coming Z/28)? Absolutely not

 

[Epiphany]

Where it needs to be focused is at the ZL1 1LE, and considering the GT350R can run close in terms of lateral grip and speed through turns, I don't think the GT500 NEEDS over 700hp to "make up" time in the straights. Give the GT500 right around 700hp, make advancements in weight reduction to keep the weight and balance close to the GT350, upgrade the brakes, go all in on the aero, and we could have a serious winner. But weight is the biggest issue, and I don't think that's going to be looking so hot over here in the Ford camp.

I wholeheartedly agree with the above.

 

[A Faster Horse]

Excitement is at an all-time low for the car, It's about 2 years late to the show. All this wait just to have it get beaten by the next generation Camaro Z28.

 

[Hi-PO Stang]

I would rather have had Ford put a supercharger on the GT350 and called it a GT500 starting with the 2016 Model year. Even if it had only 600 HP, I think it would been better to have had a GT500 then to have to wait until late 2019 for a GT500. I just don't like gaps in production for that long. Ford could have kept us all happy until the 2020 GT500 was ready.

 

[CVCashmere]

That's one porker I can't wait to see!

CVCashmere

 

[SVTSNAKE355]

What I'm saying to you is that Ford went with the IRS in the S550 in order to make it a better car. They were a little late to the game in terms of their competition but again, they did it because it made for a welcome improvement (unless your life is drag only 24/7). It obviously wasn't a sales tactic meant to appeal to buyers with a narrow focus.

ford knew in order to get in over seas and SELL a nice amount of mustangs, the IRS was needed to help push that, and it help SELL alot of mustangs over there. I myself am not into 1/4 mile racing. To me the fun starts after the 1/4 mile

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