What are the two things car guys want? More power and less weight. The 2011 Shelby GT500 has both.
First up, Ford has replaced the cast iron, supercharged 540 HP 5.4 liter DOHC V8 engine that we all know and love. What did they put in it’s place? Why, an all-aluminum, supercharged 550 HP 5.4 liter DOHC V8, of course. That’s 10 extra ponies, in case you weren’t counting. It’s not like the 2010 GT500 was short on horsepower, but as the great Carol Shelby once said, “Too much power is almost enough.”
So, great, 10 extra horses. But did you notice that whole “out with cast iron, in with aluminum” thing? That’s right, with all-alumnium construction, the GT500’s new engine is a cool 120 lbs lighter. Not only does that increase the power-to-weight ratio (and thus, acceleration), but it will also improve handling. One of the biggest complaints about the GT500 was that it was quite nose-heavy. Shedding 120 lbs in the nose area is a great way to fix that right up.
And just in case you thought that was everything, you would be wrong! Ford expects the 2011 GT500 to get a 15 MPG city / 23 MPG highway fuel economy rating. That’s 1MPG more in both the city and highway compared to last year. While using less fuel is great, the really big deal here is that there will be no gas guzzler tax. So even if the MSRP jumps a little bit, buyers won’t get slapped with the $1k guzzler tax.
Check out the gallery after the jump: [click to continue…]