Fast Cool Cars          2006 - 2007 Ford SVT Shelby Cobra GT500



 

2006 - 2007 Shelby Cobra GT500, front view
 

2006 - 2007 Ford SVT Shelby Cobra FT500 5.4-liter, dohc, 32-valve supercharged V8 from the Ford GT sports car under the Mustang's hood. Final horsepower figures are not firm, but Thai-Tang hints it will be "well over 450 hp, closer to 500." Look for 450-plus lb-ft of torque too. Whatever the final numbers, Ford says this will be the most powerful production Mustang ever. Engineer Thai-Tang, who did a stint at Newman-Haas Racing, sums up the powertrain succinctly: "It's gonna be a monster." The engine mates to a Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission beefed up to handle the power and torque. Underneath, it turns out those rumors of a live rear axle in the next-generation Cobra were true: The car will have basically carryover Mustang GT suspension, with MacPherson struts in front and the live axle in back, tuned for the 500 with revised shock valving and higher-rate springs.