For over than last 40 years the American automobile giants Ford and Chevrolet have been struggling to win the superiority in the sports car market, and the famous pony car competition is, perhaps, the most interesting part of the war. The current battle is between the 580hp Camaro ZL1 and the new Mustang Shelby GT500 presented for the 2013. The tribute to Carroll Shelby is not only more powerful than the Chevy’s pony car, with its 662hp and 631 lb-ft the GT500 is the most powerful mass car made in America.
One of the features that help manage the monstrous horsepower is the launch control. It was first introduced on Boss 302, and the one on GT500 received some improvements that will be appreciated by drag racing fans. The launch control can be configured using the front panel LED screen: you can select the desired RPM that lies in the 2500-6000 RPM interval. Having done that, push the throttle and instantly lift off the clutch – the system will automatically control the power in correspondence with the existing traction. Switching the launch control is done by pressing a separate button on the dashboard. What is the result? The system maximizes your launch efficiency and preserves from excess burning during the start, and all you got to do is push a button.
The new clutch is tighter but still easy to operate. Same as the engine, it received a series of upgrades, as such it became 10 mm larger than in the previous Mustang, the friction material is able to withstand higher loads, same as the reinforced springs do. Along with this, the clutch housing is now stronger and clamp is 33 percent larger. The six-speed manual Tremec transmission has also been improved. The improvements are not revolutionary, but they take place in every component of the transmission resulting in the overall performance increase: stronger gears and quicker gear shifting. The new Shelby GT500 is equipped with a carbon driveshaft; using this material gave the ability to lower the weight on 14 pounds and increase the durability of the unit, decreasing the noise and vibration at the same time.
The new suspension has a sport and comfortable mode, but since we drove mostly on smooth highways we were not able to feel the difference in full extent. The new performance package includes Bilstein dampers that can be adjusted both on the front and rear with just a touch of the button. The normal mode is meant to be used on most occasions such as relatively calm drives in the city or on highways; it swallows all small ruts with ease providing a comfortable ride. The sport mode, in its turn, applies quite stiff settings to the suspension, providing stability at high speeds. A powerful car needs to have proper wheels and Shelby GT500 definitely has it. The 19” at the front and 20” at the rear forged wheels suit perfectly the exterior of the car and helps transferring all the power of the engine to the road. The wheel’s beads have special nodes that keep the tire firmly on the rim and prevent slipping when accelerating and braking.
No doubt, the best place to feel the difference between the old and the new Mustang is the track, so we headed straight to it. As you remember, the previous GT500 was not very good at turns, especially as it tended to go into the quick hardly-controllable slides, as soon as you push the accelerator in corners. The new generation model has a good progress in this point, the electronic systems let you have some fun, but still the slide is controllable so that you can easily choose how far to swing the rear out. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires hold the road firmly providing precise handling and combined with a sporty suspension it allows you to turn at higher speed not losing in stability.
The results of our figure-eight tests have shown great results: 24.2 seconds at 0.8 g and 0.98 g of average lateral acceleration. The testing director Kim Reynolds said that the car is simply easier to drive than its predecessor. An important role in improving the total results is played by the Torsen differential that comes in the SVT performance package. It constantly monitors the driving conditions and maintains the appropriate amount of torque and thus optimizes handling and traction. And yet, the previous Mustang has not disgraced itself with a very close 24.0 seconds @ 0.82 g and even higher lateral acceleration – 1.01 g.
Reynolds also mentioned that though the car handles excellent you still have to countersteer sometimes, but it doesn’t mean rushing to steer the wheel in order to stabilize the car. But the power of the V8 still leaves some precautions, and pushing the full throttle on the corner is a real madness that will have consequences.
In order to achieve the stunning power, Ford has brought many technical innovations to the new Mustang’s engine. At first, the cylinders' volume was increased from 5.4 to 5.8 liters. That resulted in thinner walls, so the engineers used new cylinder-liner coating technology instead of the former design with cast iron sleeve. The new technology allows to decrease friction and heat transfer that results in the overall performance boost. The more powerful the engine, the more heat it produces, so optimizing the heat spreading and cooling system was deemed necessary. The Mustang engineers solved the problem by using oil squirters and drilling several heat passages in the cylinder block. Further improvements include new air cooler with a separate pump, there is also an optional $3K SVT Track package that comprises of coolers for axle, transmission plus external oil cooler.
The improvements of the engine do not end here. The oil pan of the 5.8-liter V8 is made from cast aluminum and has a 8.5 quart capacity. The windage gasket maintains the windage on the required level even at high RPM. The increased torque needed a sturdier crankshaft, so Ford engineers made a new unit from forged steel that can resist the greater strain. The fuel consumption on max RPM required more efficient injectors, so their productivity is now 55 lb/hour compared to the previous 47 lb/hour. The smaller pulley in the new Elton 2.3L supercharger makes revolutions quicker and has an increased displacement.
The Shelby GT500’s front end went through serious modernizations that ensure smaller drag, better cooling and downforce that keeps the car at extreme speeds. And the speeds are really awesome, since the 2013 Mustang is capable of reaching the 200 mph mark – an outstanding result for a car below $60 000 in a base version! Those who follow can also spot the new grille and splitter. All the changes, according to Ford, gave the ability to reduce the drag on 14% and increase the front end downforce on 66%, so the drivers may be confident that the car will stay firmly on the road and will not fly up in the sky reaching its speed limit.
Good brakes are essential for such a monster as the GT500, and the car’s results in braking from 60 mph are better than the ones of the last generation Mustang and the Camaro ZL1 – 101 feet as opposed to 104 and 108 respectively. During the stopping tests the brakes started to smell, which gave a reason to worry, but the observation has shown that they have no fade. The brakes are made by Brembo, at the front they have 6-piston aluminum calipers, 15 inch rotors and improved friction pads. The rear brakes are 13.8 inch in diameter (bigger than on GT) and are equipped with single piston calipers.
The 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 received improvements in almost every part of it. Even when it’s the most powerful of all, it is the most driver-friendly and usable at the same time. Every characteristic is better than of the predecessor (and mostly, of the competition ZL1) – the car is faster, more maneuverable and more stable on the road, and what’s really surprising, it has better fuel economy on highways. The amount of innovation and the outstanding performance make it the best Ford pony car ever made. Also, the forthcoming Mustangs are likely to have an independent suspension, so this generation GT500 is probably the last one with the drag-racing-style live rear axle. Anyway, the current progress leaves hope that as long as the car has a Cobra badge, it is always ready for breaking records.
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