2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Suspension Deep Dive
Inverted magnetic dampers, carbon fiber wheels, 760 horses …
This is not my first encounter with a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. I was once fortunate enough to lay hands on a spanking new 2013 Shelby GT500 for the express purpose of unleashing it on a cross-country road trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles. That car was a 662-horsepower blunt instrument that was made all the more beastly by a balky six-speed manual gearbox that could complete a 0-to-60 mph speed run in first gear.
But the powertrain was not the most knuckle-dragging aspect of that car. No, that would be the solid-axle rear suspension, which only reminded me how much I resented the Mustang for its stubborn reliance on such truckish underpinnings. Oh sure, the 1999-2004 SVT Cobra had independent rear suspension, but that was a low-volume special with a clumsy IRS adaptation. It hardly counts.
My opinion utterly changed when the Mustang underwent its sixth-generation redesign. The 2015 Ford Mustang came standard with a well-conceived IRS system that was equally impressive on autocross courses and high-speed circuits alike. Now, finally, this latest generation gains its own GT500, complete with IRS, plus 760 horsepower, a seven-speed DCT and an optional Carbon Fiber Track Pack suspension and tire upgrade. I cannot wait to have a look.
