As the bus pulled into the M1 Concourse, there they were. Two scene-stealers overshadowed the rest of the pony cars in the corral. We were on hand to drive the 2019 Shelby GT350, but we couldn’t take our eyes off the two 2020 Shelby GT500s parked alongside every other performance Mustang variant.
From the new High-Performance EcoBoost package to the street-stalking Bullitt, the collection of hardware was impressive. However, there is no Mustang more eagerly anticipated than the 700-plus-horsepower 2020 Shelby GT500. We couldn’t help but scope out the top dog Ford Performance Mustang, and we didn’t turn down the offer to take a look under the hood.
By now any blue-blooded Ford fan knows a 2.65-liter TVS-supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine that carries an aggressive codename, Predator, provides the motivation for the next-gen GT500. Engineers took the 5.2-liter engine from the GT350 and fortified it for boost. It uses a traditional cross-plane crankshaft, a more robust block, boost-friendly cams, forged internals, and it is backed by a class-first Tremec dual-clutch transmission.
While we have seen the engine on a display stand, this was our first up-close-and-personal view of the Predator 5.2 in its native environment; under the hood of a real 2020 Shelby GT500. Since we always have a camera in hand, we quickly snapped shots the standout details of interest to the Mustang faithful.
As the hood lifted, it took a second for it to sink in. This Shelby does not have a prop rod. For the first time, there is a factory hood lift. And it is singular, as just one gas pressurized strut raises the hood after the release of the sleek hood pins.
Facilitated by a mount on the strut-tower brace, the hood lift raised the aggressively vented hood to reveal the 5.2-liter in all its glory, plus several interesting details not shown on the auto-show display engines, as these development machines appeared quite close to what will roll off the Flat Rock assembly line and on to dealer lots.
Of course, you are likely wondering about the official power output. Ford officials would only say that engineers are still working to deliver the most power available and they didn’t want to keep releasing updated numbers. As such, that big reveal won’t arrive until it is completely final, which will likely be when we finally get a chance to drive one.
For now, check out the photos for a closer look inside the Predator’s lair.
Photography by Steve Turner
Source: Read Full Article