Report: Shelby GT350 Puts Out Over 520 Horsepower

2016 Shelby GT350 (Credit: Ford)

Road and Track recently reported that the all-new Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 cranks out a thunderous 526 horsepower. The news comes after Ford itself did a dyno run with the pony car. Equally as impressive is the fact that the peak horsepower output comes at 7,500 rpm.

When it comes to torque, the naturally-aspirated 5.2-liter aluminum V-8 engine makes 429 lb.-ft. at 4,750 rpm. 90 percent of that peak torque output is available from 3,450 to 7,000 rpm. That’s an incredible torque curve that should make the vehicle plenty of fun to drive pretty much anywhere.

For those who haven’t heard yet, the GT350’s 5.2-liter V-8 engine has a flat-plane crank, which helps give it a sound unlike any other Mustang to ever roll off the assembly line. It also has a 94 millimeter bore and 93 millimeter stroke, plus a 12.0-to-1 compression ratio. The thing can rev up to 8,250 rpm.

Ford gets performance enthusiasts, and has made the Shelby GT350 for them and nobody else. For that reason alone, the car can only be had with a six-speed manual transmission, instead of letting some computer enjoy the fun of transitioning through the gears.

Everything about the GT350 is geared toward throwing down hard on a racetrack, thanks to features like a magnetorheological suspension, but the car should also be great to take for a drive on public roads. For people who want an even more hardcore experience, the GT350R will be available, which will go head-to-head against the Chevy Camaro Z/28.

In a nostalgic nod, Ford will release a limited number of GT350s as 2015 models, marking exactly 50 years from when the first batch of the original cars were made back in 1965. A much larger wave of 2016 models will be coming after that.