Ford’s Mustang Shelby GT500 is a street legal monster

Ford’s Mustang Shelby GT500 is a street legal monster

The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is set to be the most powerful Ford ever made and the king of the American muscle cars. At least in one key metric that may sway customers to spend the $73,995 or more Ford is asking for it.

The automaker has been doling out details about the car in bits and pieces ahead of its launch at the end of the year, and the latest is its 0-100-0 mph time. The benchmark test was popularized by the model’s namesake Carroll Shelby in the 1960s, when he used it to demonstrate how well his cars could accelerate and brake in one fell swoop.

The 760 hp Shelby can complete the run in just 10.6 seconds, which is quicker than both of its top rivals, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye. The performance also puts it in the same ballpark as the most powerful version of the current Chevy Corvette, although that car will be replaced by a new mid-engine model next year.

Ford credits the GT500’s abilities to a combination of power from its 5.2-liter supercharged V8, the quick-shifting action and computer brains of its 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and a set of lightweight carbon fiber wheels with sticky high-performance tires.

The last two of those are options and there are plenty more that can be added to push the price of a GT500 to over $100,000. Considering the Mustang starts under $30,000 and that Shelbys typically sell without incentives, the model is a strong profit center for the brand and a halo for the entire Mustang lineup.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP

Ford sold approximately 75,000 Mustangs in the U.S. in 2018, making it the best-selling muscle car ahead of the Challenger at 66,000 and Camaro at 50,000. With over 113,000 sold globally last year, Ford also claimed the title of best-selling sports coupe in the world for the fourth year running.

Gary Gastelu is the automotive editor at FoxNews.com. Follow him @garygastelu