Author (saundragorder). Submitted on Thu, 14 Jun 2012
Six hundred and sixty-two horses. Let that one sink in first before moving on. 662 horsepower—that’s even more powerful than the much-celebrated 2012 Chevrolet Camaro which thumped out just a little over 400 horses. This is the kind of power the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 boasts of. The 2012 model already had a respectable 550-hp engine, but the 2013 upgrade vaulted this high-performance Mustang into the supercar category with the most powerful V8 engine ever.
Carroll Shelby, the eponymous owner of the Shelby GT500, was told shortly before his passing that the 2013 model of the car bearing his name would reach 200mph. He promptly told his engineers to stop “bullsh**ting” him. But the car met these lofty expectations.
Engine and Performance
Let’s stress this again because it’s worth repeating: this car is powered by a supercharged 5.8-L V8 engine that puts out 662 horsepower and 631 pound-feet of torque. You have access to around 395 pound-feet of torque the moment you give it the juice. This baby can go from zero to sixty in just 3.7 seconds; and do the quarter-mile in a blazing 11.7 seconds, outpacing its archrival, the Camaro ZL1.
Safety and Efficiency
Despite the power, the Shelby GT500 was still rated a respectable fuel efficiency of 15mpg in the city and 24mpg on the highway. The vehicle also sports all of the usual safety features you’d expect from a Ford car, having been awarded impressive marks after undergoing government and safety organizations’ crash tests.
Interior and Features
The interior of the GT500 would remind Saskatoon muscle car enthusiasts of the Mustang GT. Though you might have a hard time reading labels on the gauges, auto dealers in Saskatoon would tell you of the voice-activated control interface, which means that you no longer need to bother looking at those gauges. Let’s just hope that the car’s voice-recognition system will be able to understand your girlish screams when this Ford thrills you.
Driving Impressions
As with Carroll Shelby himself, the adjective “refined” isn’t something that you’d ascribe to the Shelby GT500. The main characteristic of muscle cars is that driving them is so scary, it’s magical. A Ford dealer Saskatoon has would tell you that you don’t need spare boxers when driving this car, but that doesn’t mean there’s less power—it’s just more comfortable than earlier models.
Carroll Shelby once said that “whatever the competition comes up with, we’re going to kick the hell out of them”. That they did. And for a little more than $50,000, Ford dealers in Saskatoon can hook you up with the king of the road. For more information, check out edmunds.com/ford/shelby-gt500/2013/.
If you have questions, please visit us at www.CountryFord.ca for complete details and answers.