There are two legendary names that come to mind in American automotive history; one of them is Mustang and the other is Shelby. Since 1965, Carroll Shelby worked magic into Ford’s pony car offerings – creating fire breathing, hi-performance versions and amassing legions of fans in the process.
Sadly Carroll is no longer with us; however, the legendary ethos still lives on in Ford’s most potent offerings. The current Shelby GT500 is arguably the blue oval’s most accomplished Mustang to date, out-muscling opposition from Chevrolet and Chrysler in the process.
So where to from here? Well, the answer is a little unclear, but there is a new generation of Mustang on the prowl, eager for some of that Shelby magic.
There are a couple of options on the table; one is to build a civilized variant with the GT350 moniker. This would capture the Boss 302 crowd with a focus on handling than warp-bending speed. The second option is to go all-out, with a supercharged GT500 successor. Such a vehicle would continue as the halo car in the Ford empire – battling the likes of Chevrolet’s Camaro ZL1 and Dodge’s latest hell-raising Challenger SRT Hellcat.
So what could the new hi-performance GT look like?
I’ve envisaged a design that builds upon the Mustang base car; cue a more dominant front-end with massaged and enlarged grille openings. Subtle changes have been made here and there to dial in aggressiveness without going to the extreme – yes, there are still scoops on the hood and down the sides, but they’re rather tame.
Under all this aggressive, striped and polished sheet metal will most likely lay an enhanced version of the Mustang’s new independent rear suspension; while the obligatory changes to geometry and spring settings will make it a compelling steer, rumor has it that adaptive magnetic damping may also make an appearance.
Propulsion in GT350 guise could come from Ford’s 5.0-litre V8; expect tweaks above the base GT with more power and an higher RPM limit. Info on the GT500 is rather limited, but don’t be surprised if the 5.8-litre, supercharged V8 makes a reappearance.
Expect a GT500 debut sometime next year. So take notice Chevrolet – your Z-badged Camaros have been put on notice.
Until then, what do you think of this SVT Mustang design study? Let us hear your feedback in the discussion area below.
By Josh Byrnes
Photo Renderings Copyright: Carscoops.com / Josh Byrnes
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