When it comes to ultra-fast Fords, all eyes are on the latest Mustang Shelby GT500. In case you forgot, it is the most powerful production car ever built by the Blue Oval, boasting more oomph than the GT supercar, and it is a true road-legal dragster.
However, its predecessor, the old Shelby Mustang GT500, isn’t that far behind either. Well, for the era it was built in, that is, because on a good day, it can give more modern rides a run for their money.
Case at hand, meet this red example filmed at the Hod Rod Drag Week 2021, challenging two Camaros, including a ZL1 and an SS, and two Mustangs, the Fox Body and S550 GT. So, how did it do? Quite fine actually, because at the end of the runs, it was clocked at a hair over the 10-second mark, with exit speeds spanning between 127+ and 133+ mph (204-215 kph).
With the 5.8-liter V8 under the hood, which generates 650 hp and 600 lb-ft (813 Nm) of torque, the old Shelby GT500 does the 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) acceleration in 4.1 seconds. That’s pretty much on par with the previous generation supercars. Top speed, on the other hand, is limited to 155 mph (250 kph).
The rear-wheel drive muscle car, with its six-speed manual gearbox, is thus still capable of fast takeoffs, even without any mods. Speaking of which, we don’t know whether this red example has had its engine tuned, yet we wouldn’t be surprised if it did.
But more importantly, how did it do compared to its ad-hoc rivals at the drag strip, and how many of them did it beat down the quarter mile? You are about to find out, so this would be a good time to take a short break and check out the vid.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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