Mean Mug: Ford Unmasks Face of the 2019 Shelby GT500

The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 strip show continues, and the American automaker has given us our best look yet at the face of the forthcoming Mustang model.

Fitted with flared front fenders and a big Audi-like grille, the GT500 will include a robust front splitter and large lower vents that extend past the headlights and merge with the fenders. Unlike the 2018 Ford Mustang, the GT500 appears to carry on with the angrier-looking headlight shapes of the 2015–2017 Mustang.

While Ford is keeping mum on key details, we expect the mightiest Mustang to sport a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 engine under its hood. Code-named Predator, the new powerplant is expected to share its block with the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-8 “Voodoo” engine found in the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. Alas, the Voodoo’s flat-plane crankshaft is expected to be left on the cutting-room floor, and the forced-induction GT500 likely will use a less rev-happy conventional crankshaft design.

It’s a small price to pay, though, as the GT500 will pack more than 700 horsepower when it goes on sale in 2019. The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 have been put on notice by Ford, and we can now confirm that the 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 will wear a mug as mean as the big supercharged bent-eight that is sure to power it.

SOURCE: CAR & DRIVER

AUTHOR: Greg Fink