The upcoming Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 has been
filmed out and about on the road but many questions about it remain. This
particular clip was captured by the crew from the Mustang6G forum and thanks to
the muscle car’s loud exhaust note, it’s obvious that this prototype doesn’t
have a manual transmission. That leaves just two options; Ford’s 10-speed
automatic transmission or a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Ford has access to both of these transmissions and
could incorporate either of them relatively easily. The 10-speed auto,
developed with GM, is already used by another high-powered muscle car, the 650
hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Alternatively, Ford could opt for a racing-derived
dual-clutch like the seven-speed used by the Ford GT supercar.
No matter what transmission Ford chooses, we know
that the Mustang Shelby GT500 will be extremely quick. The leaks have revealed that the pony car will use a bespoke 5.2-liter flat-plane
crank engine similar to the GT350 but complemented by a supercharger. All up,
over 700 hp is reportedly inevitable.
When the Mustang GT500 premieres next year, it could
offer straight-line performance to better the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat as
well as track performance beyond that of the Camaro ZL1.
