Don't Be Left In the Dust: Powerhorse

A common theme now is for car companies to improve fuel-efficiency in their latest models. Ford, while also using new technology to make fuel-efficient cars, has simultaneously created a car just for pure power. 650 hp sounds incredible, doesn’t it? With a sleeker look, the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500’s appearance is not the only aspect that is redesigned. The supercharged Ford GT engine used in the current GT500, with all of its high-tech metallurgy, is bumped from 5.4 liters to 5.8 liters of displacement producing about 650 hp. It's the most powerful Mustang ever, and it almost certainly will be the least expensive 650-hp new car money can buy.

A year after the debut of the 2012 Boss 302, the lineup remains the same, with a V6, a GT 5.0, a Boss and a GT500. Yet all get a mild facelift for 2013, with improvements across the board. There's a more aggressive shark snout in front, standard HID projector-beam headlights trimmed with LED strips, and three-bar LED taillight/turn signals that flash sequentially.

There will be new performance packages, upgraded audio systems and a new option called Track Apps, with an on-board accelerometer. Track Apps can save and display lap times, quarter-mile times and g-loads on the new 4.2-inch LCD in the center stack, not to mention a range of engine telemetry options, right down to cylinder-head temperatures.
Ford promises 650 hp, up 100 from the current GT500, and a top speed of more than 200 mph. That kind of speed required a thorough overhaul of the suspension, cooling system and aero package, according to engineers. It also means a substantial price increase. Yet even with a bump of 25 percent from the 2012 GT500 base price of $49,605, we still haven't hit $65,000 and you simply can't touch 650 hp or 200 mph from any other OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for that kind of cash.