The folks at Dearborn have been hyping up their all-new range-topping Mustang, the car said to be the most powerful road-legal car Ford has ever produced upon its launch. Ever since this year’s Detroit Motor Show, word has been rampant about the new stallion king.
Ford Performance recently teased the upcoming GT500, based on the facelifted 6th-generation Pony Car, on their social channels, by way of a single picture of a very Shelby snake logo atop a mean looking supercharger housing.
What’s more, the plaque mean to designate who was responsible for hand-building the engine has a date emblazoned that reads January 14th, 2019. No doubt Ford plans to hold the worldwide reveal for the next GT500 on that date, which of course falls neatly into the second official day of the Detroit Motor Show.
These Mustangs are to be built at Ford’s low-volume plant in Romeo, Michigan, specifically on its ‘Niche’ production line where its sibling the GT350 is also made. The connection one could immediately draw here is between both cars’ powertrain, specifically the 5.2-litre naturally aspirated Voodoo V8 with its flat-plane crank and resultant unique soundtrack.
There has been much talk surrounding what engine will live under the GT500’s bonnet, and the most consistent rumour has it pegged at a modified version of the Voodoo V8, augmented by a supercharger and strengthened internals, dubbed Predator.
In combination with a supposed 2.65-litre supercharger sourced from Eaton, the Predator should surpass the 522kW (700hp) mark without too much trouble. We’re still uncertain whether the GT500 will be offered with a manual transmission as standard or will make use of Ford’s excellent and widely adopted 10-speed automatic.
Unlike the previous-generation Mustang GT500 with its borderline primitive suspension technology, this upcoming version is said to utilise independent rear suspension and a limited slip differential right from the factory.
And while this might be the most brutal of all the Mustangs yet, Ford’s benchmark GT supercar and the fact that the Mustang is now a global product mean that this upcoming GT500 might also be the most dynamically endowed.
Presumably, the Mustang GT500’s order books will open shortly after the mid January reveal. However, Ford themselves are confirming that the deliveries will commence in the fall (or Q3) of next year at the earliest.
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