A Closer Look at Our Exclusive Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Cover Shot

Motor Trend

As our July issue hits newsstands, giving readers their first uncamouflaged look at the upcoming Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Ford gave us exclusive early access to the image, and we liked it so much that we put it on the cover of our “Future Cars” issue. The GT500 looks great peeling out on our cover, but let’s take a look at the original to see what we can learn about the 700-plus-hp pony car.

The bird’s-eye view gives us a better look at the GT500’s heat extractor vents in the hood, which are likely needed to cool the GT500’s engine. That engine will most likely be a supercharged version of the GT350’s 5.2-liter flat-plane-crank V-8. Speaking of the GT350, the fenders on this car look wide, but not much—if at all—wider than those of the naturally aspirated Shelby. However, we do see some unique aero bits in the form of a large front splitter and fixed wing. Glimpses of both features can also be seen in the teaser video Ford released early this year.



Peeking through the rear window, things look a little weird. The rear seats look flat, almost like they’re a shelf meant to resemble the backseat of a Mustang. Whether this is a dummy piece to disguise the lack of rear seats or just a trick of the camera lens, we can’t say for sure. But given that both the GT350R and Boss 302 were strictly two-seaters, and this GT500 is expected to be more than just fast in a straight line, we wouldn’t be surprised if the new Shelby followed suit. At the very least, we expect Ford will offer a rear seat delete option.