Best Car Models & All About Cars: 2012 Ford Shelby GT500

2012 Ford Shelby GT500

With Ford now locked during a duel of the ages with Chevrolet because the Mustang and Camaro square off on the road, track and showrooms, Ford has a new answer to Chevy’s vary-topping Camaro ZL1 – and it is the heavily updated Shelby GT500.

Whereas GM selected a half dozen.a pair of-liter supercharged LSA V8 for their vary-topping Camaro ZL1, sensible for 550 horsepower and torque, Ford has now answered with an all-new supercharged five.8-liter V8 – cranking out a downright supercar-like 650 horsepower and 60zero lb-ft of torque, creating it the most powerful production V8 in the globe.

Shifting is handled solely by a six-speed manual transmission, which also options increased torque and rpm capability due to its twin-clutch design.

To achieve such impressive power Ford ditched the five.4-liter V8 that has powered the vary-topping Mustang for years, starting anew with an all-aluminum five.eight-liter V8. The SVT folks then added a replacement TVS series 2300 (2.three-liter) supercharger and a considerably upgraded cooling system that features a larger cooling fan, fan shroud with high-speed pressure-relief doors, an updated and more economical air cooler, the next-flow intercooler pump and a thirty six percent bump to the intercooler heat exchanger’s capability.

Packing all of that power into the Shelby’s updated body conjointly results in a high speed that eclipses the 200 mile per hour barrier, though Ford hasn’t specified precisely where this snake stops. Whereas we are certain the huge power boost played a huge role in that new top speed, Ford says there has conjointly been considerable aero work done to this new Pony.

How a lot of work? For one, front fascia and splitter modifications permit for thirty three % additional effective aero at 160mph compared to the outgoing model, and continue on to allow for the extreme aero loads experienced above 200mph.

New for the most recent model year

The most recent GT500 is full of recent technology throughout, thus much therefore of course it may be a sensible idea to list out at least the majority of changes in one place: new five.eight-liter aluminum-block engine, new a pair of.three-liter supercharger, six-piston Brembo front calipers, new and larger back and front brake rotors, new brake pads, new downforce-generating front grilles, new and a lot of aggressive front splitter, new quad exhaust system, (2) new cast-aluminum wheel designs, defeatable launch management system, new (optional) Performance Package that includes new SVT-designed Bilstein electronic adjustable dampers and Torsen restricted-slip differential, with the additional Track Package adding an external engine oil cooler, rear differential cooler and transmission cooler and revised gearing so as to assist higher distribute the uprated power to the bottom.

How does the GT50zero manage its traction downside?

Needless to say, when addressing 650 horsepower and 60zero lb-ft of torque, traction management becomes a serious concern, to that Ford answered with a lot of than simply new gearing. A brand new, defeatable launch control system has been developed that permits drivers unprecedented levels of control, permitting for specific rpm launch points to be chosen based on elevation, tire and street temperature and other variables. This system is totally unique to the SVT lineup in that it is incorporated into both the engine management and traction control systems.

There is additionally a Torsen restricted-slip differential that comes with the optional Performance Package, one thing Ford says helps even any to deliver most power output to the ground. Rounding out the driving dynamic upgrades are tweaks to the AdvanceTrac system, that now features appropriately adjusted steering assist levels based mostly on the changes to the automobile.

With all this power comes the requirement to slow this 3,850lb beast to a stop, to that Ford, Shelby and SVT answered with a replacement Brembo brake system that utilizes new six-piston calipers in the front, together with larger front and back rotors. Ford says it also developed new brake pads that are even more performance-oriented, meant to performance better under high-speed heavy deceleration.

Additionally half of the stopping equation are wheels and tires, to that the latest Shelby GT50zero offers two new sets of forged-aluminum wheels as well as a unique wheel for cars with the optional packages. The 19-inch front and twenty-inch rear wheels are including Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar G: a pair of tires on all vehicle configurations.

The practically all-new Ford Shelby GT500 is built at AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan

2012 Ford Shelby GT500