Official: New Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 to Debut in Detroit

Many people planning to attend the Los Angeles Auto Show starting later this week (open today for the media) had planned to get their first look at the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. There is a GT500 on display in LA, but it is a 1967 model, perched high above the ground. Below that classic pony car is a timeline of all of the GT500 models with the model logo and the date 1.14.19.

January 14th, 2019 is the first day for media at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, so this eye-catching display in LA is the Motor Company’s public confirmation that the next chapter in the legendary story of the GT500 Mustang will be introduced in a little less than two months in Detroit.

What to Expect
There have been a few teasers from Ford Motor Company previewing the GT500 Mustang. We can expect a unique body design that is wider than the current cars. We can expect massive brakes, a magnetic suspension setup and a supercharged V8 engine that is promised to deliver at least 700 horsepower.

While the GT500 will have big power, it will not be strictly a drag strip car. Rumors suggest that the GT500 will basically be a higher powered GT350, so while it will rocket down a drag strip, it should also be quite capable on a road course. In short, I expect that the GT500 will be a competitor for the Camaro ZL1 1LE, while falling short of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye on the drag strip (and the dyno).

Ford has stated that the new GT500 would deliver at least 700 horsepower and speculation suggests that the number could climb as high as 772, but I would expected somewhere in the area of 725 to 750 horsepower. That allows the new Mustang to comfortably overpower the 650hp Camaro ZL1 and the 717hp Hellcat Challenger, but with the Challenger Redeye packing 797 horsepower, it seems unlikely that Ford will regain the title of offering America’s most powerful muscle car.

However, in less than two months, all of the speculation will be put to rest when the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT50 makes its grand debut in Detroit’s Cobo Hall. At that point, we will have reached the pinnacle of the modern muscle car war, with the big-power entries from Dodge, Chevrolet and now Ford all being available at the same time.