- the 2020 ford mustang shelby gt500 will hit 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and clear the quarter-mile in 10.7 seconds, according to the manufacturer's claims.
- achieving those times will require ideal conditions, including a surface prepped for launching the car.
- while the shelby gt500 makes massive power, the challenge for straight-line acceleration is turning all of its thrust into forward motion.
the shelby gt500 is the quickest mustang ford has ever built. the company says the 760-hp muscle car will rocket to 60 mph in 3.3. seconds on its way to a 10.7-second quarter-mile. achieving those times will require ideal conditions, including a prepped surface like you’d find at a drag strip. using car and driver's test procedures on clean pavement, we estimate the gt500's acceleration times will slide back to 3.5 and 11.0 seconds, respectively.
for comparison, the 755-hp 2019 chevrolet corvette zr1 notched 3.0 seconds to 60 mph and 10.8 seconds through the quarter-mile in our testing. with the 10-speed automatic transmission, the 650-hp chevrolet camaro zl1 knocked out a 3.4-second zero-to-60 time and an 11.5-second quarter-mile. the dodge challenger hellcat redeye hits those marks in 3.7 seconds and 11.8 seconds, respectively, when equipped with the eight-speed automatic. in 2013, the prior shelby gt500 recorded times of 3.5 seconds and 11.8 seconds with 662 horsepower and a six-speed manual transmission.
considering the gt500's stratospheric output—760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque—a 3.5-second zero-to-60-mph time might seem underwhelming. like every other front-engine, rear-wheel drive car with massive torque, the gt500's acceleration is limited by the ability of the tires to channel the engine’s might into forward motion. the shelby carries the majority of its estimated 4200 pounds on its nose and dispatches torque to the rear axle through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, a limited-slip differential, and either michelin pilot sport 4s tires or michelin pilot sport cup 2 tires. interestingly, gt500 engineers tells us that the longitudinal grip—the traction for braking and accelerating—is very similar between the two tires. the cup 2 tires offer a significant advantage in cornering grip.
the gt500 makes it easy to perform quick, repeatable launches. a line-lock feature applies braking force only at the front axle so the driver can heat the tires ahead of the timed run. a drag strip mode optimizes the engine, transmission, and damper calibrations for the best results. and an adjustable launch-control mode practically removes the human driver's skill from the equation. stay tuned for the official car and driver numbers, coming as soon as we get a ford mustang shelby gt500 to our test track.