2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

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The 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is just as powerful as last year’s GT500KR, but better equipped to handle twists and turns. "If its muscular looks don't stop you in your tracks, its basso profundo gurgling exhaust certainly will," writes Left Lane News. "If it doesn't, you'll want to check your pulse."

The 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a performance-tuned variant of the 2010 Ford Mustang -- which garners praise among muscle cars for its impressive GT performance and attractive retro-styled exterior design.

Engineered in partnership with the legendary Carroll Shelby, who created the first Ford Mustang Shelby GT in 1965 by modifying a regular Ford Mustang, the 540-horsepower 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a drag racer’s dream. And though it’s not designed to behave like an agile sports car, test drivers report that new performance upgrades allow it to handle twists and turns with more ease than ever before. Altogether, reviewers find that this pony is a great American performance vehicle. In fact, the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 recently received Popular Mechanics’ Automotive Excellence Award for “Best Performance.”

Like the base model, the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 receives a thorough revision for 2010. It’s available in two body styles: coupe and convertible.

• "In 2010 guise, the Shelby's supercharged V8 boasts a heady 540 horses - 225 more than the GT's naturally-aspirated alternative. Despite that bountiful power and formidable dynamic capabilities that make it a natural adversary of vehicles like the Chevrolet Camaro SS and Dodger Challenger SRT8, this fearsome Ford also packs a magnum load of comfort and convenience touches that allow it to serve equally well as a daily driver." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "Ace snake charmer Shelby, who's eighty-six and still kicking, thrives by teaming with Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) to scare interlopers off their hot coupe turf. Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, and, yes, Hyundai Genesis coupe, stand back; there's a new GT500 in town, and the supercharger under its humped hood isn't for blowing smoke." -- Automobile Magazine
• "Today you can walk into your Ford dealer and drive out -- sideways if you so choose -- in the 540-hp, 2010 Ford Shelby GT500, which will humiliate any of its illustrious forebears while still paying homage to their iconic styling. And thanks to this year's substantial revisions to the suspension and tire fitment, the 2010 Shelby GT500 also does quite well going around corners, too." -- Edmunds
• "Live rear axle or not, the GT500 is a serious performance car that, with a starting price below $50,000, will be hard to beat for less." -- Road and Track

The Bottom Line

Hands down, the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is the best high-performance American muscle car available today. It bests the all-new Chevrolet Camaro SS by 114 horsepower, and the 2010 Dodge Charger SRT8 and Challenger SRT8 by 115. What’s more, test drivers report that the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 achieves faster 0 to 60 mph and quarter mile times. And though a lot has been made of the Camaro SS’s handling, the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500’s tuning has been tweaked to take muscle car road performance to an entirely new level. The only drawback? The 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 coupe starts at roughly $15,000 more than the Camaro SS. It isn’t, however, that much more expensive than the Challenger SRT8.

Before you drop nearly $50,000 on a brand new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, be sure that it’s the car for you. If you’re not planning on racing your pony at the drag strip, you should consider buying the 2010 Mustang GT instead. It’s not as capable, but for quick jaunts around town it makes a great choice. If, however, you’re more interested in the Mustang’s attractive muscle car design than its performance abilities, save yourself the cash and buy a $20,000 base V6 Mustang.

Performance Dynamics

The Mustang Shelby GT500KR has been discontinued. However, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 gets a power upgrade for 2010 that matches last year’s GT500KR model. Combined with performance enhancements that transform it into a much more capable sports handler, test drivers agree that the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is the best yet.

Equipped with a 5.4-liter V8 engine, the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 produces 540-horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 510 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm. A six-speed manual transmission is standard. Many test drivers assert that the combo results in an impressive 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of less than 4.5 seconds.

Upgraded handling components for the rear-wheel drive Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 include a power rack-and-pinion steering system, SVT performance-tuned suspension, and a four-channel Anti-lock Brake System with Traction control -- including Brembo front rotors and calipers. For 2010, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500's suspension has been tuned to increase balance in twists and turns. Also, the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 now features a standard stability control system with three modes -- “traction off,” “sport mode” and “full off.” Drivers find that this system allows for a more thrilling ride.

Along with its less-powerful siblings, the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 features a revised exterior design. Setting the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 apart from other Mustangs is a new front air dam and rear spoiler which enhance its aerodynamics.

According to the EPA, the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 nets a city/highway fuel economy of 14/22 mpg.

• "Rumble and thunder is what this machine is about. The supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 launches hard, but the chassis is surprisingly capable on curvy roads, too. It's hard-riding, but worth it." -- Car and Driver
• "This is a seriously fast car -- digest the following numbers if you can. The GT500 can charge to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds and obliterate the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds. These are times that are usually associated with high-dollar exotics wearing prancing horses and raging bulls -- not a coiled-up snake -- on their snouts." -- Edmunds
• "Like the proverbial bat out of Hell, the 2010 Shelby GT500 is a rocket that strikes with the speed and ferocity of its Cobra namesake." -- Left Lane News
• "Due credit must be given to the Tremec six-speed transmission. First gear lights the rear tires, while second swings the tail into drift mode. Third is perfect for prowling the suburbs in search of unsuspecting prey. That leaves three more gears for placid cruising." -- Automobile Magazine
• "The communicative steering benefits from stiffer couplings and well-tuned front suspension geometry. The result is a car that likes to linger at the limit, but can be gently pushed into a graceful powerslide."-- Road and Track
• "There's a certainty to the car's handling that was missing before. It cuts into corners confidently, crisply, and holds the line with a reassuring surefootedness. We felt like we could drive right up to and over the edge of the tire's grip.  … We were driving as hard as we would in a much less powerful car, feeling every bit as confident." -- Popular Mechanics
• "Its comprehensively retuned chassis impressively matches control-enhancing stiffness with comfort-oriented suppleness while well-weighted steering, an amusingly liberal but ultimately protective AdvanceTrac stability system and grippy Goodyear Eagle F1 'Supercar' tires endow the Shelby GT 500 with a level of agility and responsiveness that belie its 3,920-4,040-pound curb weight." -- Kelley Blue Book

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