The twin-turbo EcoBoost V6-engined Ford GT may be the Blue Oval’s most expensive, highest-performing road car, but it’s not the most potent. That title goes to the Shelby GT500 for the 2020 model year, a Ford Mustang that comes standard with a 5.2-liter supercharged V8.
Predator is the name of the eight-cylinder engine, which is good for 760 horsepower and 625 pound-feet of torque at the crankshaft. After hitting the dyno, Hennessey reports that the bone-stock car develops 708.5 horsepower at the rear wheels.
Torque is also impressive at 589.5 pound-feet at 4,100 rpm, indicating that Ford Performance has been conservative with the crankshaft ratings. The video at the end of this article also shows the king of the ‘Stangs hitting 146 miles per hour (235 km/h) on the relatively short straight of the Texas-based tuner’s testing facility.
Priced at $72,900 before destination charge and options, the Shelby GT500 is currently being developed by Hennessey into a screamer with 850 horsepower for the Stage 1 upgrade. Two more levels are in the offing, cranking out 1,000 and 1,200 horsepower thanks to mods that go beyond a serialized dash plaque.
These include high-flow cats, stronger pistons and connecting rods, a high-flow fuel delivery system, more aggressive intake system, bigger intercooler, different pulley and belt, and the list comes full circle with the seven-speed DCT. The twin-turbo V8 upgrade with 1,000 pound-feet of torque on 109-octane race fuel benefits from a stronger transmission, which is an adequate upgrade if you remember that the TR-9070 handles up to 900 Nm (664 pound-feet) without any modifications.
The Venom 1000 and 850-horsepower packages are developed specifically for 93-octane premium gasoline, and regardless of which floats your boat the most, Hennessey Performance Engineering offers three years or 36,000 miles of warranty. All three are tested on the road for up to 200 miles before the customer takes delivery. On the downside, changing or modifying parts will automatically void the factory warranty from Ford.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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