Old vs. New – Mustang Shelby GT500

November 12th, 2019

How fast is fast enough? Obviously much faster today than it was fifty-years ago. This clip takes us on a journey all the way back to the beginnings of the Ford Mustang. It pits a Gen I Shelby GT500, one of the most powerful of the original muscle cars, against a Gen VI Shelby GT500. The Gen VI is an example of the new breed of muscle car coming out of Detroit over the last few years.

The old is represented by a stunning 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Fastback with a 7.0-liter Cobra Jet V8 engine. This piece of automotive history uses twin four-barrel carbs to deliver fuel to the big motor. At the time of production, this was considered one of the most feared cars on the street or strip.

Fast forward to the year 2020. The Mustang Shelby GT500 remains in production. You might think that it has been bogged down by technology and anti-pollution hardware. You would be wrong. Where the ’67 version could only produce around 335hp, the 2020 model uses a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 to produce 760hp. The new GT500 can also blast from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3-seconds and turn a 10-second quarter mile (from the factory). Of course, the ’67 didn’t have line lock and launch control – so, there is that.

Honestly, there is no need for a head-to-head drag race. The 2020 version will certainly win a drag race by about four-seconds (no, not four-tenths, four-seconds). The new car trap speed was 130 mph and the old car was only about 90 mph. It was still fun to line these two up and look at how drastically things can change in 50-years.

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