Ford Boost Mustang Shelby GT500 to 650 hp for 2013 Model
By J. P. Vettraino
The all-new Escape SUV might be more important to Ford's bottom line, but the 2013 Mustang line being unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show is more exciting--starting with the 650-hp GT500.
Yes--650 hp for the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500. It's the most powerful Mustang ever, and it almost certainly will be the least expensive 650-hp new car money can buy.
Credit Ford for not letting the Mustang get stale or soft. A year after the debut of the Boss 302, the lineup remains the same, with a V6, a GT 5.0, a Boss and a GT500. Yet all get a mild facelift for 2013, with improvements across the board. There's a more aggressive shark snout in front, standard HID projector-beam headlights trimmed with LED strips, and three-bar LED taillight/turn signals that flash sequentially. Puddle lights in the outside mirrors cast light in the pattern of the Mustang pony logo.
The 2013 Mustang GT gets LED fog lights and a bump from 412 hp to 420 hp, thanks to internal-friction reductions in the engine. The six-speed Select Shift automatic will allow full manual control, with no default upshift at the redline. Recaro seats will be available all the way down to the V6, in cloth or leather.
There will be new performance packages, upgraded audio and a new option called Track Apps, with an on-board accelerometer. Track Apps can save and display lap times, quarter-mile times and g-loads on the new 4.2-inch LCD in the center stack, not to mention a range of engine telemetry options, right down to cylinder-head temperatures.
Then there's the 2013 GT500. Ford promises that 650 hp, up 100 from the current GT500, and top speed of more than 200 mph. That kind of speed required a thorough overhaul of the suspension, cooling system and aero package, according to engineers, though Ford was keeping details close to the vest before the L.A. show.
Nonetheless, we've confirmed the source of that 650 hp, and it's not a blown version of the new 5.0 Coyote block used in the GT and the Boss 302. Rather, it's the supercharged Ford GT engine used in the current GT500, with all of its high-tech metallurgy, bumped from 5.4 liters to 5.8 liters of displacement. Redline is 7,000 rpm, which will mean incredible piston speeds for a long-stroke engine. We'd also predict some sort of self-adjusting, variable-rate suspension.
And a substantial price increase. Yet even with a bump of 25 percent from the 2012 GT500 base price of $49,605, we still haven't hit $65,000. You can't touch 650 hp or 200 mph from any other OEM for that kind of cash.
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just because the writer thinks its a great bargain doesn't mean it is,the original pony cars/muscle cars were affordable so a younger guy in his late teens early 20s could swing one.
I'm not sure what you are complaining about. Considering that the Mustang and Camaro start in the low $20k range, anyone in their late teens to early 20's and still easily afford one if they work for it.@ jaybird. The mustang is afordable. I have a 2008 mustang bullitt. I bought it when i was 25 years old. With my own money, and I am a woman and didn't have my daddy or sugar daddy buy it for me. Any 25 year old can buy what they want if they want it bad enough, I can see where you are coming from it you were 25 and still living in your mommy's house, working minimum wage, blowing money on beer, and having total disregard to your credit rating, I can believe that a 25 something individual cannot afford said car. Enjoy your scion, I on the other hand will be enjoying my high performance muscle car. :)
@jayisbird: IF you want an "affordable" american muscle car, you have to look for a used one. That's just the facts of life when your 25. Trying to compare the cost of muscle cars in the 60s (or any car from the 60s) to a current car is apples and oranges.
I/You can't be too disappointed at the price tag...remember the base price of a GT is substantially less than the GT500, and very competitive with most other cars on the market. The GT500 is their no-holds barred, top-of-the-line screamer....OF COURSE ITS GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE!!
At any rate, I'd take my 1990 5.0 over any of the new ones. You can have your GPS and LCD screens...I'll take my supercharger and tire smoke anyday.
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