2013 Mustang GT500: Just What We Needed, More Power

If I were to make a list compiling the positive and negative things about the Mustang Shelby GT500, it'd go a little like this.  On the plus side:  Enough power to pull an entire trailer park.  Enough power to eclipse the sun with tire smoke on accident.  Enough power to win a tug-of-war with a Panzer tank.  Enough power to stand up at the United Nations and bang it's shoe on the table screaming "we will bury you!" and everyone takes it seriously.

On the negative side:  it's heavy, it's got most of it's weight on the nose so it's either understeering or killing you, it's expensive, it gets 0.3 miles to the gallon, it's slathered in Shelby stickers, and most of all:  with the 412bhp GT 5.0 a useful 20 grand cheaper and having enough power for any sane person to start giggling, it's not really a value proposition of any sort.

Ford is updating the Mustang lineup for 2013, again, and the biggest change is to the GT500.  Guess what's different?  It gets more power.  Let's skip the "why" and go straight to the "what," because it's faintly ridiculous.  The GT500's 5.4L all-aluminum V8 is expanded out to 5.8L.  The block and heads are cross-drilled for durability, there are new cam profiles, and the cooling system is enlarged and updated - with a larger coolant fan and a redesigned shroud to force air through it at speed.

The entire supercharger setup is new as well.  The GT500 now uses the Eaton TVS 2300- the same supercharger on cross-town rivals like the Cadillac CTS-V, Corvette ZR-1 and Camaro ZL-1.  This larger supercharger is more efficient and powerful, and the rest of the system has been updated to suit.  The intercooler and intercooler pump are also upgraded to avoid heat soak, which has previously been an issue with the GT500.  Total result?  A mind-blowing 650bhp and 600lb-ft of torque, a gain of 100bhp and 90lb-ft over the totally underpowered 2012 model.

The driveline is beefed up to handle what Ford calls "the world's most powerful production V8 engine."  Perhaps they're talking about domestic V8's.  Or current production V8's.  Koenigsegg would have something to say about that.  Anyway, the GT500 retains the heavy duty Tremec TR6060 six-speeder (all other Mustangs use a Getrag MT-82), but now has upgraded gears, bearings and case to deal with the torque.  The clutch is an upgraded twin-disc unit, the driveshaft is carbon fiber, and the axles and differential are beefed up to suit.  The GT500 uses a relatively tame 3.31:1 final drive ratio, but with 600lb-ft of torque it doesn't exactly need 4.10 gears to get going.  This also helps the 3,850lb GT500 avoid a Federal Gas Guzzler Tax, which is nice.  A questionable benefit of the 3.31 axle is the claimed 200+mph top speed of the GT500.

Thankfully they've done a little more than just shove a bigger engine in.  The braking system is new, with 6-piston Brembos up front and 4-pistons rear.  There are two packages optional on the GT500 to improve performance and longevity.  The first is the Performance Package, which includes a Torsen (Torque-sensing) limited slip differential first seen in the Boss 302, as well as Bilstein electronically variable dampers.  The second is the Track Package, which adds an external oil cooler, transmission cooler, and differential cooler.  Performance package GT500's get 19" front and 20" rear forged alloy wheels shod with the latest Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 tires.  There is a launch control system built into both the traction control and engine control systems to maximimize acceleration.

All of the 2013 Mustangs receive a mild body freshening.  The most noticeable thing is a new, and far more attractive set of tail lights.  The GT500 gets an AMG-esque quad exhaust which looks the business, and the black blanking panel between the tail lights is a nice touch too.  The front fascia is mildly reworked, but it's still the same menacing GT500 front end we've grown to know and love.  The new wheels in the press photos look good, too.

It all sounds a bit insane to me.  I hate to beat a dead horse with another dead horse, but the GT500 still retains the "tried-and-true" solid axle rear suspension, which is now asked to put down enough power to make the earth rotate the other way.  If I were to make a list of the things the GT500 needed, "a well-designed 4-link independent rear suspension and less weight" would be at the top of the list, and "an additional 100bhp of wheelspin and axle hop" would be at the bottom.  Of course, I'm a card-carrying eurosnob, so my opinion isn't totally valid.  If it were my money, I'd get a Boss 302 in a ridiculous color, and keep the change.  (which will probably 10k+ in change; Ford hasn't released a price yet, but more than 50k is a safe bet.)  Still, if you're all about domestic V8 horsepower and quarter-mile times, this is the ticket.  Let's not forget that while the GT500 still carries a stick axle, it's also around 400lbs lighter than the 70bhp-less-powerful Camaro ZL-1.  Even though the Camaro has a fancy independent rear end, I value being able to see out of a car a bit more.  The fact that it doesn't have a gas guzzler tax is impressive, considering it has more power than a Murcielago LP-640.

It's possible the muscle car wars have now jumped the shark, considering you'll be able to buy a Mustang with more power than:  any Jaguar, any AMG Mercedes, any Maserati, all Ferraris except the 599 GTO, any Porsche, any Lamborghini except the Aventador, etc.  But it's a glorious world we live in when you have the option.