Report: Shelby GT500 to Get 700-Plus Horsepower

2015 Shelby GT350 Mustang (Credit: Ford)

Rumors continue swirling about the upcoming Shelby GT500. Today, a new rumbling indicates that this beast may be prepped to be a Hellcat killer with well over 700 horsepower.

The report hails from the folks over at HorsepowerKings.com and it’s enough to get Mustang fans worked into a frenzy. The report indicates that Ford reps have claimed the GT500 will have “well over 700 horsepower” while “breathing through a straw.” The latter statement is a possible hint at forced induction. Additionally, the publication says that Ford is “working very hard” on direct injection for this new powerplant.

This leads to speculation of a 5.0-liter EcoBoost V-8 engine for the GT500 as the flat-plane-crank 5.2-liter V-8 in the GT350 would require too much reworking to prep it for forced induction.

What’s more, in a CNN interview with a Ford rep a while back, the company’s agent said, “our new SVT Halo Mustang will have more HP than the Hellcat.” Translated into today’s world—one where SVT is no longer a thing—this would likely apply to the engine under the hood of the GT500 halo rig. This means at least 708 horsepower—the Hellcat has 707 ponies—but I doubt Ford would be satisfied with just a one-horsepower advantage over Chrysler’s halo engine.

Adding fuel to this Ford versus Chrysler fire is another report that claims the GT500 was spotted doing quarter-mile runs and may have pulled off a 10.96-second run at 126 mph. There is no mention whether this was on drag radials or stock tires, but if it was on the stock rubber, then it’s 0.25 seconds faster than the Challenger Hellcat. If this is with drag radials, then the GT500 is in for a rude awakening as that’s 0.11 seconds slower than the Hellcat.

For now, this is purely a connection of the many faint dots that make up the Shelby GT500. Only time will tell just how true these reports are. Stay tuned for updates.