Right now, the rumors about Detroit’s future muscle cars are quite wild, from Chevy axing the Camaro altogether, Dodge retaining internal combustion via the new Hurricane straight-sixes alongside the EV muscle, and Ford being determined to keep the Mustang Shelby GT500 alive for the all-new S650 generation.
Currently, the sharpest Mustang you can buy is the Mach 1, as the S550 Shelby GT500 was discontinued back in September, following the release of the all-new S650 ‘Stang, whose first deliveries are still a full year away.
Fret not, though, as we have serious reasons to believe that the S650 Mustang stable will include a Shelby GT500, which is why we’ve brought along a rendering of the departed range-topper.
Ford has basically prepared an S650 Mustang for everybody
The most important argument for our optimism involves Ford’s can-do attitude regarding the new Mustang, which is closer to a heavily revised iteration of the outgoing sixth-gen car rather than an all-new pony. And that’s great news, since we’ll get to keep our N/A V8s and use the new fighter jet cockpit-style screens while driving the thing.
For now, the range is split between the EcoBoost turbo-four, the GT, with an updated Gen IV Coyote 5.0L V8, and the Dark Horse. The latter is a track-ready iteration of the GT that boosts the revamped engine from an expected 460-480 hp to around 500 hp via a dual throttle body intake design and some other bits.
And while the EcoBoost only comes with the ten-speed automatic and the GT lets buyers choose between this and the six-speed manual, the Dark Horse, which should be priced between $50,000 and $60,000, is exclusively offered with the latter.
The Blue Oval also let it slip that it’s developing no less than six racing versions of the seventh-gen Mustang: Dark Horse S, Dark Horse R, GT3, GT4, NHRA Factory X, NASCAR, and even an Australian Supercars racer with a 5.4L version of the Gen IV Coyote.
With all that enthusiasm and the carmaker’s willingness to use the departed S550 GT500’s 5.2L Predator supercharged V8 in the $110,000 2023 F-150 Raptor R, Ford should be able to revive the blower basher that is the GT500. And next time around, we could expect even more than the 760 hp.
Sure, twin turbos are more efficient, but in the end, it’s all a matter of paying some emission fines on low-volume models to keep the badge alive, at least in North America.
Keep in mind that while the S550 is a global car, the GT500 was never officially imported in Europe, where emission legislation is extra-severe. In fact, sometime after the 2018MY mid-cycle revamp of the S550, Ford even pulled the EcoBoost off most, if not all, Old Continent markets to ensure the sales for the emission offender are limited.
The S650 should get its GT500 way sooner than the S550 did
The retired GT500 is an absolute monster and not just in a straight line. Further building on the IRS (independent rear suspension) delivered by the S550 back in 2014 and the carbon wheels introduced by the Shelby GT350, the GT500 added a dual-clutch transmission, among other tech goodies. So our expectations for the likely S650 GT500 are sky-high.
As for when we should get to see the revival of a label that has been with the Mustang since its first generation, Ford Authority cited “sources” back in September when writing that the S650 GT500 will enter production in 2025, for the 2026 model year.
In the meantime, this 3D work, which comes from digital artist Vishnu Suresh (aka zephyr_designz), portrays the 2026 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 with the kind of front fascia upgrades we’ve seen on the retired car.
The iconic stripes are present and so are the carbon pieces that facilitate the GT500’s shenanigans on the track. Plus, you can choose between a shade of red that’s aimed at giving supercar owners a hard time for a fraction of the cost and a more restrained silver that should offer you a bit more privacy as you arrive home, at least if you use that Quiet Mode of the exhaust.
