The MagneRide suspension sucks up bumps, even big ones, and the dual-clutch transmission doesn’t shudder to a stop. On the street, though, in normal mode, the GT500 isn’t docile, but it is simple. Full throttle, turn, full throttle, panic stop, turn, full throttle, panic stop. “I was pounding on the binders all day, with no fade-no carbon ceramic option, btw-but later when I rode along with a development driver I realized I could have gone about 40% harder on the clampers. ![]() I didn’t get the GT500 on the track during this test, but I remember overbraking at almost every turn back in Las Vegas on the launch. That means scrubbing speed off is just as easy as making it. Like the GT350, the GT500 has two-piece, aluminum-hat front rotors measuring 16.5 inches in front with six-piston Brembo calipers, along with 14.5-inch vented discs and four-piston calipers in the rear. Once you’re on the expressway, well, it still wiggles a bit, but most of that power goes to the pavement, making the 80-100-mph run in a flash. It makes me acutely aware of the fact that if I turned off TC, I’d probably loop this thing into a wall. With the traction control on, like when getting on the expressway, you can feel it wiggling side to side in the rear, begging for traction through the standard limited-slip differential. ![]() You can then just gently ease it around the 90-degree corner in full drift mode followed by a cloud of smoke. It reminds me of the Jaguar F-Type R in that, if you just plant it from a stoplight around a corner, it’ll instantly go into ice mode, where it feels like you're driving on a bumpy, pavement-like sheet of ice. With the traction control off, the GT500 spins the tires immediately. Granted, you could buy TWO Mustang GTs at that price, but that Coyote V8, as good as it is, doesn’t hold a candle to the Voodoo-based, supercharged 5.2. That’s about $12,000 more than the base GT350, but a few bucks less than the extra-sticky GT350R. The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 starts at $73,995, including destination and gas guzzler tax. I’ll suggest here that, at least the exhaust, should stay in whatever mode you leave it when shutting this beast down. The quad pipes have four modes-quiet, normal, sport and track-and my hand can’t get there soon enough after pushing the start button at 8:30 at night when the kids are just getting sleepy and I’m trying to sneak out of the neighborhood without waking them up. The GT500 has separate buttons for the steering sportiness, the firmness of the MagneRide suspension and, most notably, the exhaust. But not just your normal, sport and track (and drag) settings. The good thing-whether you have kids or not-are the drive modes. I will say that if you have children, you’re going to want to skip the harness bar, rear-seat delete and five-point harness-what I call the "things are getting pretty serious" package. How else could you describe a car that has a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 making 760 hp and 625 lb-ft of torque, all channeled through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and on to the rear wheels? A top speed of 180 mph. By definition, the GT500 isn’t an exotic car, but really, it is. It pulls eyes and drops jaws like a Lamborghini, especially in orange or green. I’ve said this before, but I don’t think this GT500 will ever be topped. ![]() Bullitt, Boss, Mach 1, Cobra, GT350 … II, and I’m probably missing some, but by far, the king of Ford Mustangs, possibly the king of pony cars in general, is the GT500.
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