PH Carpool: Shelby Mustang GT500

Sukhdev Mahal explains why his pony-car passion began at age 15 - and ended with 566bhp

In 2000 Sukhdev Mahal (aka devman85) was visiting family in the States when they took delivery of their new car – a Ford Mustang GT. “There was just something about the way that car went about its business” he explains. “I knew right away that I had to have one.”

The proud GT500 owner. On the right

The main obstacle was that Sukhdev was just 15 at the time, so he had to suffer the agony of seeing more and more special edition and limited-production Mustangs produced which he was in no position to own. But he’d been well and truly bitten by his family’s MY 2000 Mustang, and aged 25 he began looking seriously at a GT500:

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“It was nothing like anything I’d ever seen in the UK and I knew that it would get a lot of attention over here. So I did my research online, found Bill Shepherd Mustang down in Byfleet and waited until they had one in stock.”

Then one day in June 2010, two arrived and our man was right on the case. He put his money down and duly took delivery of his own Shelby Mustang.

“To me it has classic muscle car looks but with modern features. Even the insurance is reasonable at £1750, which isn’t bad for a 25-year-old. Basic servicing starts at £250, so I see it as a more sound investment than a BMW M6 or similar. The car is left-hand drive but I rarely find this to be a real issue.”

Sukhdev describes the Mustang’s performance as “brutal, even with the silly Goodyear F1 tyres”. Apparently, very few cars even bother to try take on the GT500.

“The top speed is limited to 155mph, but 180mph should be on the cards with the limiter removed. I often find myself dropping a gear just for the astonishing acceleration, the whine of the supercharger, and the rumble of a low-revving handbuilt V8.”

Somewhat surprisingly, after 2000 miles Sukhdev reports that there are no squeaks and rattles at all, although with confirmed dyno figures of 566bhp and a shattering 521lb-ft of torque, the resulting average of 12mpg means that it doesn’t see the road that often.