Ford is bringing out the Shelby name for a new Mustang variant. This time, though, it won’t be for the sort of muscle car king that we’ve come to expect, but rather a power bump option for the GT’s 5.0-litre V8 engine or the 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo.
Called the GTE with the final letter abbreviated from the word ‘enhancement’, the package the will offer the extra oomph over the standard versions of both cars but also includes some visual upgrades as well. Of course, the GTE pack will be available for both fastback and convertible version of the sixth generation Mustang fitted with either the six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.
A big upshot of it is that even a Mustang EcoBoost can now be bragged about as a ‘Shelby’. What a world.
With the GTE power bumps, an extra 26kW and 43Nm is extracted from the V8 motor to produce 340kW and 575Nm while the 2.3-litre EcoBoost is tuned to 250kW and 529Nm, a respective increase of 26kW/43Nm and 19kW/95Nm.
More than necessary amount of badges will be worn on the car’s body and cabin while a Shelby vented hood and grille are installed along with a new rear spoiler and carbon-fibre splitter. Finally, 19-inch alloys from Ford Performance rounds off the cosmetic additions.
For those who want even more power, Shelby would be glad to offer to their range of additional performance upgrades that are amazingly still covered by the factory warranty.
These include a supercharger upgrade for the Mustang GT’s V8 that elevates power to a dizzying 559kW, a track-specific cooling system and suspension components, lightweight forged wheels, and a locking rear differential by Wavetrac. Customers can also lean on Shelby’s carbon fibre add-ons for the Mustang to lighten the pony.
There’s no word yet on how much the GTE upgrade pack will cost for Australia or indeed when it will be arriving. While it won’t be as expensive as the next Shelby-branded Mustang, the GT350, it won’t be cheap either as the GTE conversion alone starts at US$17,999 or approximately $23,000+ Australian Dollars.
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