The 5.4 liter supercharged masterpiece under the hood uses parts and components from the Ford GT engine - particularly the heads, pistons rings and bearings. The cast iron block and forged crankshaft are purpose built to handle the Magnussen M122 supercharger’s 8.5 lbs of boost. This combination of hardware was loved by ‘03-04 Cobra owners who can mod their engines to well over 600 hp with mechanical impunity. On the visual side of things, the engine features new crinkle finish valve covers with “Powered by SVT” proudly cast across them. The dual bore throttle body connects to the air filter box with a wide, low restriction tube that slithers artfully beneath a standard equipment strut brace. Like the GT, the throttle body has a drive-by-wire feature that modders have not been fond of. A new Tremec TR6060 6- speed manual transmission carries power to the ground via 18” x 9.5” wheels. Tires are 255/45ZR in front with 285/40ZR in the rear.

He Says: The live-axle set up we have all known and loved for over 40 years remains - an item Ford says is what the customers want. I say it is an item that the “bean counters” want. For what this car costs and what era in which it is being built, I think this one detail is way out of character with the car. That said, I really do like the overall execution of the GT-500. The horsepower power level is high enough for now and the interior upgrades really help the low rent plastics in the standard cars.

She says: I appreciate the Shelby for all of its history and respect Carroll Shelby for all he has done for the world of Mustang. The car itself is beautiful. I’m sure it is fast and probably sounds amazing, but…..would it have been that difficult to match the snazzy red stitching in the seats to the drab stitching on the dash?