Queer 4 Cars Celebrates the Automotive Lifestyle.

Watch our YouTube Video – 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500 Walk around with Melvin Betancourt Chief Designer with Ford  https://youtu.be/THPLarS74QQ

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2020 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500 with Jim Owens from Ford Motor Company’s Performance Division.

 

 

 

Carroll Shelby is as iconic as the Ford Mustang itself, and his legend lives on with the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. For 2020 the engineers and performance fanatics at Ford Motor Company have put more power, performance, and agility into the factory-built Shelby GT500. Making it the most advanced high-performance Mustang GT500 ever in the history of this very limited production vehicle from Ford Motor Company.

We got a very VIP preview of this supercharged 5.2-liter V8 producing more than 700 horsepower pony car from both Melvin Betancourt, the Cobra’s designer and Jim Owens, Marketing Manager for Ford Performance.  And learned that the Shelby Cobra GT500 is capable of a mid-three-second 0-60mpg and sub-11-second quarter mile scores. While the Ford team could not confirm things like horsepower, they were still improving on that, production numbers or selling price. They could share with us that this Mustang will have some amazing road track times because of improved handling and cornering, very quick stopping times, with the largest Brembo Brakes ever on a Mustang. Zero to 60 numbers that are less than 3 seconds a quarter mile in less than eleven seconds.

Yes, a Mustang Cobra that will be even faster off the line, on the drag strip, a twisty road course, or the interstate than ever before.  All this power is brought to you by the same team at Ford, that has brought us the Ford GT and Mustang GT4 racing programs.

 

Exterior Design

While you will know it is a Mustang from the classic body at first glance, when you get up close you will see that it has slight differences, more muscular in the haunches, brawnier custom Brembo Brakes, the largest ever grill and hood vent, special Michelin tires, and a choice of spoilers.  Betancourt told us how his team worked with the lines to increase the downforce and maximize thermal management, engine, exhaust, and brake cooling all the while working with a performance race-tuned active chassis. New colors for 2020 include Red Hot, Twister Orange, and Iconic Silver. The Shelby GT500 has an optional black painted roof and painted stripes are available.

Melvin Betancourt, Ford design manager, shared with us that the front grille opening and massive hood vent provide more cooling airflow “Every millimeter of Shelby GT500’s fastback design is aimed at improving performance,” “Like 007, he looks good in his tux, but he can kick your butt.”

 

5.2 Liter Supercharged Engine

Ford has put the most powerful street-legal V8 engine to date into the GT500 with a hand-built supercharged 5.2-liter aluminum alloy engine. To keep the intake air cooler and deliver a lower center of gravity, the team inverted a 2.65-liter roots-type Eaton supercharger with air-to-liquid intercooler tucked neatly in the V8 engine valley. Weight-saving wire-arc cylinder liners and high-flow aluminum cylinder heads, plus larger forged connecting rods, improved lubrication, and cooling passages. Beneath that, a structural oil pan adds strength, reduces vibration, and features a patented active baffle system to keep oil where it’s needed. To channel power and torque to the transmission Ford uses a unique carbon fiber driveshaft.

 

Transmission – Dual Clutch Automatic

A Mustang without the option of a manual transmission may seem like sacrilege to some, Ford Performance leveraged learnings from the tuning of its Ford GT supercar’s dual-clutch transmission with this TREMEC® 7-speed capable of shifts in under 100 milliseconds – markedly faster than any manual gearbox. Designed for a number of drive modes, including normal, weather, sport, drag and track, and activates features like line-lock and launch control through selectable Track Apps.

 

 

Suspension, Wheels, Brakes, and Tires – all dialed in by Ford Performance

Shelby GT500 takes advantage of revised suspension geometry, a new electronic power steering unit and lighter-weight coil springs front and rear. Next-generation active MagneRide^TM suspension along with the latest in advanced drive mode technologies from Ford Performance. provides the highest-ever lateral acceleration from a Mustang for greater track performance and driver control.

Getting power to the asphalt means that Ford has brought cutting-edge active chassis technology to the forefront with custom Ford Performance-spec Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and more aggressive Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires feature unique compounds and tread. Brembo® brakes with six-piston calipers and massive custom 16-5-inch (420-millimeter) two-piece rotors – the largest of any domestic sports coupe provide track-ready stopping power. With more than 30 percent additional thermal mass in the front corners.

 

Handling Packages

Shelby GT500 offers an available handling package with adjustable strut top mounts and spoiler with Gurney flap. Racetrack rats will appreciate the available Carbon Fiber Track Package features exposed 20-inch carbon fiber wheels with 0.5-inch-wider rear wheels (11.5-inch), custom Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, adjustable exposed carbon fiber GT4 track wing and splitter wickers with integrated dive plane.

 

Inside More craftsmanship, technology and driver comfort

Shelby GT500’s purpose-built cockpit boasts race-inspired premium materials and unique finishes. Premium touchpoints include an available exposed carbon fiber instrument panel appliqué and new door panel inserts in Dark Slate Miko® suede with accent stitching. Available Recaro racing seats with firm side bolstering and pass-throughs for safety harnesses offer the highest level of performance. For those looking for even greater comfort, power-adjustable seating with Miko suede inserts is offered. A rear seat is deleted to reduce weight for those who are truly looking at competition driving.

The all-new Shelby GT500 picks up a 12-inch full-color LCD instrument cluster, while a high-performance custom-tuned 12-speaker B&O® Play premium audio system is available. All of this is controlled via an 8-inch SYNC® 3 touch screen featuring SiriusXM and FordPass Connect^TM.

the 2020 Shelby GT500 has functional track-hero looks to match its performance. New colors for 2020 include Red Hot, Twister Orange, and Iconic Silver. Painted stripes are available for the all-new Shelby GT500 too.  A functional, menacing design tuned with Ford Performance know-how thanks to a cross-functional team of designers, Ford Performance engineers, and motorsports collaborators,

The Shelby GT500 will be in dealers late in the summer and a GT350 will be arriving Fall of 2019.

 

Words and Images by William West Hopper

Ford Motor Company kindly provided us with travel, meals, and lodging to Detroit to see both the new Shelby GT500 and the new 2020 Ford Explorer, we thank them for this courtesy.