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2019 Ford Mustang GT500 Spied In Detroit With Massive Tires

Ford’s development team was spotted while testing a 2019 Shelby Mustang GT500 on the streets of Detroit.
2019 Shelby Mustang GT500 9 photos
Photo: CarPix
2019 Shelby Mustang GT5002019 Shelby Mustang GT5002019 Shelby Mustang GT5002019 Shelby Mustang GT5002019 Shelby Mustang GT5002019 Shelby Mustang GT5002019 Shelby Mustang GT5002019 Shelby Mustang GT500
The prototype was covered in camouflage, but our spy photographers managed to snap enough photos of it to provide us with a complete set.

As you can observe, the wheels have a set of covers on top of the spokes to hide the braking system. You can presume that Ford has not developed a stunning wheel design that it wants to conceal, and that the Blue Oval is actually hiding the braking system.

We expect the upcoming GT500 to come with carbon-ceramic brakes, and these are supposed to be huge. The front wheels have a 20-inch diameter, while the ones on the rear are presumed to be 21-inch units.

The sidewall markings on the tires have been scrubbed to disclose their dimensions, and the ones on the front are 305/30/ZR20 units from Michelin.

Our spy photographers looked these tires online, and they found that Ford fitted the front with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S units, which cost $415 a piece on TireRack. The rears are bigger than the fronts, and we presume they come from the same line of Michelins.

However, the French brand does not offer the PS 4S on 21 inches, so we will learn more once the GT500 is coming close to its release date. There's a chance that the rears are also 20-inch units with corresponding alloys.

The Blue Oval’s most powerful Mustang will come with a V8 with forced induction. The bets are split between a modified “Coyote” 5.0-liter unit with twin turbochargers or a 5.2-liter “Voodoo” with a supercharger. The latter shares its base with the former, but it has been significantly enhanced to improve performance. Ford’s 5.2-liter V8 also has a flat-plane crankshaft.

Ford may always surprise the market with a turbocharged “Voodoo,” which would provide it with a rev-happy character and enough horsepower to have a say against a Demon or a Camaro ZL1. Unfortunately, we will have to wait a few more months to see what it has prepared for the hottest street version of the brand’s pony car.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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