Hennessey Performance in Texas recently took delivery of a brand new 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and wasted no time in strapping the pony car onto its dyno while also putting it to the test along its racetrack.
First things first, the dyno. Ford claims that the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine of the Shelby GT500 is good for 760 hp and 625 lb-ft (847 Nm) of torque at the crankshaft. Running at full steam on Hennessey’s dyno, the gorgeous blue car pumps out 708 hp at roughly 7,300 rpm and 589.5 lb-ft (799 Nm) of torque at 4,100 rpm at the rear wheels.
This result, as with other recent dyno tests of the GT500, indicates it likely produces a touch more grunt than Ford claims.
Read : Hennessey Will Tune The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Up To 1200 HP
With the dyno run out of the way, a Hennessey employee jumps behind the wheel to see how those monumental horsepower and torque figures translate into the real world. Running down the short straight at the facility, the car hit a top speed of 146 mph (235 km/h) without breaking a sweat.
Hennessey is currently working on a series of upgrade packages for the Shelby GT500 that will be offered in 850 hp, 1,000 hp, and 1,200 hp guises. Among the modifications Hennessey will use to achieve these figures is a new 3.0-liter supercharger (larger than the 2.65-liter unit found standard), high-flow catalytic converters, a new pulley and belt, upgraded fuel delivery system, new air induction system, an intercooler upgrade, new pistons and connecting rods, as well as a strengthened seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.