Two weeks ago, news had emerged of what could potentially be the next power-king of Ford Mustangs, the GT500. There was even a glimmer that it could be called the Mach 1. With its front portion disguised, the car was spotted meandering the streets of Dearborn, Michigan where Ford calls home.
The dust then settled with the confirmation that Ford was indeed far from content at losing face somewhat after the release of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with its 6.2-litre supercharged HEMI V8 producing 527kW. Chevrolet, too, has announced the range-topping Camaro - the ZL1 - with a 484kW V8 from the previous Corvette ZR1.
Granted, the Camaro ZL1’s objectively bonkers-powerful engine was outdone by even fifth-generation Mustang GT500’s 499kW. But the power wars are alive and well, it seems, as new inside information suggest a 552kW output from a twin-turbo V8 engine.
The sixth-generation Ford Mustang has only been in production for a little over a year, meaning that they’re far from done with it. The EcoBoost and GT versions are both good cars, and the GT350 is a definite dynamic and visceral revelation.
Should the prediction prove accurate, the next GT500 would produce in excess of 150kW over the next most powerful Mustang, the GT350R, which uses a 5.2-litre flat-plane crank naturally-aspirated V8.
The new king of Mustangs will feature much more aggressive bodywork over the standard cars (particularly at the front) and will include a fixed rear wing and other aero components to generate downforce at speed. It’s possible that Ford wants the next GT500 to be a more focused machine rather than the blunt instrument that it had been known as before. Imagine a GT350 with a lot more low-end grunt.
We just wished this mystery car was called the Mach 1.
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