Ford Shows Most Powerful Street-Legal Mustang With 760 Hp, Sales Starting This Fall

The most powerful street-legal Ford Mustang ever built will go on sale this fall.
Ford Shows Most Powerful Street-Legal Mustang With 760 Hp, Sales Starting This Fall
Ford had promised the Mustang Shelby GT500 would be its most powerful factory-built car ever. Now we know how powerful. (CNN Business)
The Associated Press
8/5/2019
Updated:
8/5/2019

DETROIT—The most powerful street-legal Ford Mustang ever built will go on sale this fall.

A 5.2-liter supercharged V8 will crank out 760 horsepower in the 2020 Shelby GT500.

The new version has a beefed-up suspension and brakes. It also has a seven-speed automatic transmission that Ford promises will shift smoothly on commutes and quickly on the track.

The engine is hand-built at a Michigan factory and comes with unique pistons and other parts. It can crank out 625 foot-pounds of torque, a measure of rotational force.

This undated image provided by Ford Motor Company shows a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that will be part of the most powerful street-legal Ford Mustang ever built. The Mustang will go on sale this fall. (Ford Motor Company via AP)
This undated image provided by Ford Motor Company shows a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that will be part of the most powerful street-legal Ford Mustang ever built. The Mustang will go on sale this fall. (Ford Motor Company via AP)

The Shelby GT500 can go from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in around 3.5 seconds, although Ford didn’t release a precise number. That’s slightly slower than the mid-engine 2020 Chevrolet Corvette, which General Motors says will do it in under three seconds.

Performance powertrain engineering manager Patrick Morgan says the new version is aimed at Mustang enthusiasts who also want track performance.

He said the car can go from zero to 100 mph (161 kilometers per hour) and back to zero again in 10.6 seconds.

The 2020 Shelby GT500 is displayed during a Ford press conference in the Detroit suburb of Clawson, Mich., on July 31, 2019. (Tom Krisher/Photo AP)
The 2020 Shelby GT500 is displayed during a Ford press conference in the Detroit suburb of Clawson, Mich., on July 31, 2019. (Tom Krisher/Photo AP)

The car comes with pumps that can send gas to the fuel injectors all the way until the tank is empty. It also takes 11 quarts of oil with an oil pan that can keep the engine lubricated during extreme cornering moves on the track.

The car starts at $73,995 including shipping and a $2,600 gas-guzzler tax. Ford says it hasn’t finished fuel economy tests.

The First 2020 Ford Mustang Sells for $1.1 Million to Help Children With Diabetes

“Mustang Sally, think you better slow your mustang down ... you been running all over the town. All you want to do is ride around Sally; ride, Sally, ride!” goes Mack Rice’s R&B anthem of 1965. The song was allegedly penned as a joke after singer Della Reese wanted a new Ford Mustang.

But the latest model is no joke.

The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is unveiled during day one of the 2019 The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Mich., on Jan. 14, 2019. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is unveiled during day one of the 2019 The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Mich., on Jan. 14, 2019. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Automobile behemoth Ford have launched their newest Mustang coupe, and in addition to some impressive statistics, it’s worth a lot more than the company’s first model from 1964.

Hearts were pounding and bidders were on the edges of their seats at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The auction offered the first 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500, which eventually sold to the highest bidder for a whopping US$1.1 million. A fully functional prototype was demonstrated to awe-struck crowds.

But it wasn’t all big cars and big money. To add dimension to the proceedings, the slot was being auctioned by Ford in a benevolent gesture to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The worthy organization will benefit from all monetary proceeds.

Craig Jackson, owner of Barrett-Jackson auctioneers, placed the winning bid himself. It’s no secret that Jackson is a huge Mustang fan and dedicated collector; he already owns several historic GT500 models. Jackson’s $1.1 million bid proved to be the second highest price ever paid for a Mustang at auction.

Fox News reported that a 1967 Shelby GT500 “Super Snake” went for $2.2 million at auction the previous weekend. That’s double Jackson’s payout.

The auction prototype of the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 was a show-stopping yellow; however, Jackson will be able to order whatever configuration and color he likes when he cashes in on his auction win.

And now for the gear heads: The new GT500 features a 5.2-liter V8 with over 700 horsepower. “It can cover a quarter-mile in under 11 seconds,” Ford said, making it one of the quickest cars in the world. The model was unveiled to enthusiastic crowds at the Detroit Auto Show earlier in the week.

The Barrett-Jackson auction was a field day for car lovers. In addition to the astonishing Shelby GT500 bid, the auction showcased the first pre-production Mustang coupe, a 1964 model, hand built at the Ford Pilot Plant. Only three survive. For the sake of conscientious historical accuracy, the ‘64 model was used during the filming of the upcoming “Ford v.Ferrari” film directed by James Mangold, released this year.

Hold your breath. It sold for $192,500.

Epoch Times reporter Louise Bevan contributed to this article.