Last month, Ford revealed to the world the 2010 Mustang GT, which brought with it a major revision both aesthetically and mechanically. They also promised that the next chapter in the Mustang story would be soon to follow, and now the new GT500 has made its burly presence known. But how does it stack up to the current generation GT500?
Thus far, reviews of the new base GT model have been overwhelmingly positive, with indications that Ford took all the lessons learned developing the sportier, current generation Bullitt Mustang and applied them to the GT model.
The new GT500 follows suit, taking cues from the current top dog, the GT500KR, to create what may be the finest GT500 ever to roll out of a Ford factory.
Power output has jumped to 540Hp and 510ft-lb of torque, which is good because the new pony car has been reported to tip the scales at over 3900 pounds, making the new car both the most powerful and heaviest GT500 yet. To get all that power and weight reigned in, braking will be taken care of via Brembo four-pot calipers.
The ratios for 5th and 6th gear in the GT500's new 6-speed Tremec gearbox have been lowered in effort to bump up its MPG rating, with a 3:55:1 final drive ratio.
Handling improvements have been made by way of 17% stiffer springs at the front axle and 7% stiffer out back.
From a cosmetic standpoint, the improvements seem to be similar to the new GT – not incredibly drastic, but any excess of the current gen model seems to have been shaved off, and the car appears to have a generally more solid fit and finish – most notably in the interior elements.
All of these improvements are definitely welcome. Despite some undesirable carry-overs (live axle rear suspesion? - c'mon Ford, it's 2009) the new GT500 should be a ton of fun anyway. And from a performance standpoint, we’ll just have to wait to see what sort of numbers this car can put down at the track.
