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2013 Ford Shelby GT500 spied with twin-turbo?

American muscle car fans, get excited. Our spy photographers recently sent through these images of a prototype 2013 Ford Shelby GT500. And from the front, there's a definite hint the engine is equipped with some sort of forced induction, possibly a twin-turbo setup.


We might be wrong but it looks like this Shelby GT500 is carrying a rather discreet intercooler setup behind the front bumper bar. This means the engine is either turbocharged or supercharged. It's more likely to be turbocharged however, as Ford's usual screw-type supercharger is unable to use an air-to-air intercooler system like what is seen on this test mule.

Rumour has it the 2013 Shelby GT500 will be fitted a twin-turbo version of Ford's new 5.0-litre twin-cam V8. The engine is thought to be much more fuel-efficient than the larger supercharged V8s, which will be more suitable in this day and age with increasing fuel prices. Definite engine figures are not yet known but we could expect upwards of 450kW, considering the current model has 410kW.

Zoomed in, we can see Shelby has had to make some revisions to the front bumper bar to accommodate the intercooler. On the lower right corner there's an opening which allows fresh air to flow through, a place normally reserved for a spot light. On the left there's a blacked-out whole to match.

Equally as interesting, Ford is testing the car at Germany's treacherous Nurburgring. The upcoming model is expected to be significantly more dynamic and quicker from point to point and around a track compared with the existing range. This might put it closer to the Corvette ZR1 rival in terms of on-track performance, and help it rival sports cars from Europe such as the Porsche 911 more effectively.

Although it may look like the current Mustang GT500 shape on the outside, Ford is said to be testing the upcoming running gear using the existing body, so the production model is likely to look somewhat different.

No word on when the production version will hit the market yet, we'll certainly keep you updated on this and on any concrete engine details.

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