RE: Ford Mustang GT500: Spotted
Friday 19th September 2014
The arrival of a new Mustang, in America at least, gives an excellent excuse to dig an older one out of the classifieds. This very lightly used GT500 carries the sort of price tag you could reasonably expect to get you into a brand new Ecoboost Mustang when it goes on sale here next year. But it can probably claim to be the most immaculate example on this side of the Atlantic.
No Ecoboost required hereDespite never being officially sold here, the last generation Mustang enjoyed considerable popularity in the UK. When it was introduced back in 2005 the economy was booming and the pound-to-dollar exchange rate was riding high. It didn't take long for entrepreneurial types to work out it was possible to buy one 'Stateside, ship it over here, pay import taxes and have a head-turning muscle car for less than the price of a mid-spec Focus.
Start "LHD is useless in the UK"... now!According to the advert this one was stored from new until 2012 and since then it's only covered 2,000 miles - just enough to get it run in. Obviously its originality is underwriting a fair chunk of its value, but there are plenty of ways to get more power and sharpen up the suspension if the next owner is so minded. With the white-and-blue stripe combo it certainly looks the part, and even if it can't match the new Mustang on technical sophistication it will be able to obliterate it in a drag race.
Ford Mustang GT500: Spotted
Turned off by the four-cylinder Mustang's return? Have some supercharged V8!
No Ecoboost required here
But the bargain price tags of most of these early imports meant they were V6s or basic V8s. And it didn't take most of their new owners to realise that, by European standards, boggo Mustangs were crude, thirsty and not particularly fast. Plenty of mouth but not much in the trousers.
Which isn't an accusation you could level at this one. There have been Shelby-tuned Mustangs since practically the beginning and many of them have been comically overpowered. Ford produced the fifth-gen GT500 in house, but stuck with the established recipe of a moderately uprated chassis and a massively boosted engine, in this case a supercharged 5.4-litre V8. Being an early car, this one officially produces the 500hp suggested by its badge. Power increased over the years and the last-of-line 2013 model was quoted at producing 662hp. Still, a nice round five hundred horses should be plenty to be getting on with.
Start "LHD is useless in the UK"... now!
FORD MUSTANG GT500
Engine: 5,400cc supercharged V8
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential
Power: 500hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 480lb ft at 4,500rpm
MPG: 12-15
CO2: Ha!
First registered: 2007
Recorded mileage: 2,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £31,950
See the original advert here.
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Discussion
My best mate has one of these. They're hilarious. A prod of the right foot produces a fantastic surge of accelleration coupled with a wonderful V8 growl. And that supercharger whine ? 
Apart from the usual Mustang problem of this generation, the bonnet lip paint, the clutches on these aren't quite up to the job. Many don't last 10,000 miles before a beefier item is required.
Apart from the usual Mustang problem of this generation, the bonnet lip paint, the clutches on these aren't quite up to the job. Many don't last 10,000 miles before a beefier item is required.
"LHD is useless in the UK"... (pic text)
hopefully some kind of cryptic joke
because what is so useless about LHD in UK.....simply put if you cant drive one on a UK road you aren't much of a driver....add to that you aren't much of a driver if you cant drive on the right with a right hand drive either....yea it takes practice but being a well rounded driver takes practice
hopefully some kind of cryptic joke
because what is so useless about LHD in UK.....simply put if you cant drive one on a UK road you aren't much of a driver....add to that you aren't much of a driver if you cant drive on the right with a right hand drive either....yea it takes practice but being a well rounded driver takes practice
I've not driven anything LHD so can only guess that it can be difficult to overtake something that you can't see round, like a box van? Or is it just a case of reading the road ahead properly and leaving a really big gap to give you the biggest viewing angle round the car/van/lorry you need to get past?
Plus US cars like this are just way too wide. Way too heavy. Don't handle. Fall apart. etc etc etc. Add more Top Gear comments at will.swerni said:
Nice colour scheme, still preferred my old supercharged Roush version
Really not much difference Steve between a Roush3 and the GT500. I've driven my 427 and my mates GT500 back-to-back and the 427 felt just a shade quicker on the uptake, though really not any faster. 427 was fully Roush upgraded so sharper in the corners. Otherwise, both great smile inducing machines.I say this as I doff my Stetson, spit out my chewing baccy, and turn off my Dolly Parton CD.
Just slightly off topic...
The gaffer's brother not long ago took delivery of his Eleanor replica with an approx 600bhp 429 crate motor installed. Brought it in to let us have a look and took us for a ride round the block.
According to my boss he paid less than $AU100,000 for it although the order to delivery period was around 18 months.
Check out www.classicspeedinc.com in Manilla.
Sounded as good as it looked too with the side exit pipes, and around 8 - 10 mpg round the houses!!
The gaffer's brother not long ago took delivery of his Eleanor replica with an approx 600bhp 429 crate motor installed. Brought it in to let us have a look and took us for a ride round the block.
According to my boss he paid less than $AU100,000 for it although the order to delivery period was around 18 months.
Check out www.classicspeedinc.com in Manilla.
Sounded as good as it looked too with the side exit pipes, and around 8 - 10 mpg round the houses!!
Liquid Tuna said:
I've not driven anything LHD so can only guess that it can be difficult to overtake something that you can't see round, like a box van? Or is it just a case of reading the road ahead properly and leaving a really big gap to give you the biggest viewing angle round the car/van/lorry you need to get past?
Basically, yes.You also tend to look up the inside of the vehicle a lot as well.
swerni said:
Is this ones a bit expensive?
It certainly isn't a bargain.Ehhh... these GT500's are sort of in an unhappy middle ground for supercharged Mustangs. The earlier (2003-2004) SVT Cobras (which had a 4.6L 32v supercharged V8, 390hp) benefited from an independent rear suspension. How great it was is debatable, as they presented with a LOT of axle hop when you added some more power and stickier tires - poly bushes in the rear helped, but didn't fix it. They were better overall cars - they could actually handle, they were a few hundred pounds lighter than the later 05+ GT500's, and they weren't really any slower thanks to the weight difference and shorter gearing.
These 05+ pre-facelift cars, not so much. The iron-block 5.4L with a huge blower and all the assorted heat exchanging equipment made these cars extremely nose-heavy, and the return to a solid rear axle was a bit of a head scratcher. While they made good power (around 450hp at the wheels, stock) the Eaton blower is frequently referred to as a "Heaton" from how quickly they heat soak in track use, turning on check engine lights, and sending the car into "limp home" mode. Not much quicker than the earlier Cobras (03-04, "Terminator") in a straight line either
the post-facelift cars (I believe 2011+) benefited from an aluminum block with spray-in liners and a bump in power, to either 540 or 550bhp - can't remember off hand. This took about 150lbs(!) off the front end and the cars didn't go into melt-down mode on the track as quickly. They could actually turn, too.
The 2013-2014's are nuts of course, a bump from 5.4 to 5.8L and a larger supercharger brought the alarming 662bhp figure. First hand experience says that not many road-going cars have the third-gear pull that a 13+ GT500 does. Truly insane
as per modified 4.6L 3v cars (Like the Roush Stage 3 or 427R) vs these factory GT500's - the GT500 engine is HEAVY. Bolting a blower to the 4.6L 3v motor can make close to the same power, but not quite as much. If the car is seeing track use it might be a plus. The Shelbys make nice cruisers (since they're usually fully spec'd) and good drag cars.
What really killed the appeal of the GT500 was the 5.0L "Coyote" motor (in the 2011+ GT) which made ~420bhp naturally aspirated, is all aluminum, has power everywhere thanks to trick cam timing on I/E, and can make nearly 600bhp on stock rotating assembly while weighing down the front of the Mustang a lot less than the truck-based Shelby motors did. A 2011+ GT 5.0 is a shockingly well rounded car with the Brembo front brakes and 3.73:1 gears - even with it's shoes tied together. My experience is they're about on par with one of the earlier 4.6 3v cars with a blower on it in a straight line, but much more drivable.
My $0.02 from the other side of the Atlantic.
These 05+ pre-facelift cars, not so much. The iron-block 5.4L with a huge blower and all the assorted heat exchanging equipment made these cars extremely nose-heavy, and the return to a solid rear axle was a bit of a head scratcher. While they made good power (around 450hp at the wheels, stock) the Eaton blower is frequently referred to as a "Heaton" from how quickly they heat soak in track use, turning on check engine lights, and sending the car into "limp home" mode. Not much quicker than the earlier Cobras (03-04, "Terminator") in a straight line either
the post-facelift cars (I believe 2011+) benefited from an aluminum block with spray-in liners and a bump in power, to either 540 or 550bhp - can't remember off hand. This took about 150lbs(!) off the front end and the cars didn't go into melt-down mode on the track as quickly. They could actually turn, too.
The 2013-2014's are nuts of course, a bump from 5.4 to 5.8L and a larger supercharger brought the alarming 662bhp figure. First hand experience says that not many road-going cars have the third-gear pull that a 13+ GT500 does. Truly insane
as per modified 4.6L 3v cars (Like the Roush Stage 3 or 427R) vs these factory GT500's - the GT500 engine is HEAVY. Bolting a blower to the 4.6L 3v motor can make close to the same power, but not quite as much. If the car is seeing track use it might be a plus. The Shelbys make nice cruisers (since they're usually fully spec'd) and good drag cars.
What really killed the appeal of the GT500 was the 5.0L "Coyote" motor (in the 2011+ GT) which made ~420bhp naturally aspirated, is all aluminum, has power everywhere thanks to trick cam timing on I/E, and can make nearly 600bhp on stock rotating assembly while weighing down the front of the Mustang a lot less than the truck-based Shelby motors did. A 2011+ GT 5.0 is a shockingly well rounded car with the Brembo front brakes and 3.73:1 gears - even with it's shoes tied together. My experience is they're about on par with one of the earlier 4.6 3v cars with a blower on it in a straight line, but much more drivable.
My $0.02 from the other side of the Atlantic.
No00st said:
Ehhh... these GT500's are sort of in an unhappy middle ground for supercharged Mustangs. The earlier (2003-2004) SVT Cobras (which had a 4.6L 32v supercharged V8, 390hp) benefited from an independent rear suspension. How great it was is debatable, as they presented with a LOT of axle hop when you added some more power and stickier tires - poly bushes in the rear helped, but didn't fix it. They were better overall cars - they could actually handle, they were a few hundred pounds lighter than the later 05+ GT500's, and they weren't really any slower thanks to the weight difference and shorter gearing.
These 05+ pre-facelift cars, not so much. The iron-block 5.4L with a huge blower and all the assorted heat exchanging equipment made these cars extremely nose-heavy, and the return to a solid rear axle was a bit of a head scratcher. While they made good power (around 450hp at the wheels, stock) the Eaton blower is frequently referred to as a "Heaton" from how quickly they heat soak in track use, turning on check engine lights, and sending the car into "limp home" mode. Not much quicker than the earlier Cobras (03-04, "Terminator") in a straight line either
the post-facelift cars (I believe 2011+) benefited from an aluminum block with spray-in liners and a bump in power, to either 540 or 550bhp - can't remember off hand. This took about 150lbs(!) off the front end and the cars didn't go into melt-down mode on the track as quickly. They could actually turn, too.
The 2013-2014's are nuts of course, a bump from 5.4 to 5.8L and a larger supercharger brought the alarming 662bhp figure. First hand experience says that not many road-going cars have the third-gear pull that a 13+ GT500 does. Truly insane
as per modified 4.6L 3v cars (Like the Roush Stage 3 or 427R) vs these factory GT500's - the GT500 engine is HEAVY. Bolting a blower to the 4.6L 3v motor can make close to the same power, but not quite as much. If the car is seeing track use it might be a plus. The Shelbys make nice cruisers (since they're usually fully spec'd) and good drag cars.
What really killed the appeal of the GT500 was the 5.0L "Coyote" motor (in the 2011+ GT) which made ~420bhp naturally aspirated, is all aluminum, has power everywhere thanks to trick cam timing on I/E, and can make nearly 600bhp on stock rotating assembly while weighing down the front of the Mustang a lot less than the truck-based Shelby motors did. A 2011+ GT 5.0 is a shockingly well rounded car with the Brembo front brakes and 3.73:1 gears - even with it's shoes tied together. My experience is they're about on par with one of the earlier 4.6 3v cars with a blower on it in a straight line, but much more drivable.
My $0.02 from the other side of the Atlantic.
Great post- really interesting stuff.These 05+ pre-facelift cars, not so much. The iron-block 5.4L with a huge blower and all the assorted heat exchanging equipment made these cars extremely nose-heavy, and the return to a solid rear axle was a bit of a head scratcher. While they made good power (around 450hp at the wheels, stock) the Eaton blower is frequently referred to as a "Heaton" from how quickly they heat soak in track use, turning on check engine lights, and sending the car into "limp home" mode. Not much quicker than the earlier Cobras (03-04, "Terminator") in a straight line either
the post-facelift cars (I believe 2011+) benefited from an aluminum block with spray-in liners and a bump in power, to either 540 or 550bhp - can't remember off hand. This took about 150lbs(!) off the front end and the cars didn't go into melt-down mode on the track as quickly. They could actually turn, too.
The 2013-2014's are nuts of course, a bump from 5.4 to 5.8L and a larger supercharger brought the alarming 662bhp figure. First hand experience says that not many road-going cars have the third-gear pull that a 13+ GT500 does. Truly insane
as per modified 4.6L 3v cars (Like the Roush Stage 3 or 427R) vs these factory GT500's - the GT500 engine is HEAVY. Bolting a blower to the 4.6L 3v motor can make close to the same power, but not quite as much. If the car is seeing track use it might be a plus. The Shelbys make nice cruisers (since they're usually fully spec'd) and good drag cars.
What really killed the appeal of the GT500 was the 5.0L "Coyote" motor (in the 2011+ GT) which made ~420bhp naturally aspirated, is all aluminum, has power everywhere thanks to trick cam timing on I/E, and can make nearly 600bhp on stock rotating assembly while weighing down the front of the Mustang a lot less than the truck-based Shelby motors did. A 2011+ GT 5.0 is a shockingly well rounded car with the Brembo front brakes and 3.73:1 gears - even with it's shoes tied together. My experience is they're about on par with one of the earlier 4.6 3v cars with a blower on it in a straight line, but much more drivable.
My $0.02 from the other side of the Atlantic.
No00st said:
Ehhh... these GT500's are sort of in an unhappy middle ground for supercharged Mustangs. The earlier (2003-2004) SVT Cobras (which had a 4.6L 32v supercharged V8, 390hp) benefited from an independent rear suspension. How great it was is debatable, as they presented with a LOT of axle hop when you added some more power and stickier tires - poly bushes in the rear helped, but didn't fix it. They were better overall cars - they could actually handle, they were a few hundred pounds lighter than the later 05+ GT500's, and they weren't really any slower thanks to the weight difference and shorter gearing.
These 05+ pre-facelift cars, not so much. The iron-block 5.4L with a huge blower and all the assorted heat exchanging equipment made these cars extremely nose-heavy, and the return to a solid rear axle was a bit of a head scratcher. While they made good power (around 450hp at the wheels, stock) the Eaton blower is frequently referred to as a "Heaton" from how quickly they heat soak in track use, turning on check engine lights, and sending the car into "limp home" mode. Not much quicker than the earlier Cobras (03-04, "Terminator") in a straight line either
the post-facelift cars (I believe 2011+) benefited from an aluminum block with spray-in liners and a bump in power, to either 540 or 550bhp - can't remember off hand. This took about 150lbs(!) off the front end and the cars didn't go into melt-down mode on the track as quickly. They could actually turn, too.
The 2013-2014's are nuts of course, a bump from 5.4 to 5.8L and a larger supercharger brought the alarming 662bhp figure. First hand experience says that not many road-going cars have the third-gear pull that a 13+ GT500 does. Truly insane
as per modified 4.6L 3v cars (Like the Roush Stage 3 or 427R) vs these factory GT500's - the GT500 engine is HEAVY. Bolting a blower to the 4.6L 3v motor can make close to the same power, but not quite as much. If the car is seeing track use it might be a plus. The Shelbys make nice cruisers (since they're usually fully spec'd) and good drag cars.
What really killed the appeal of the GT500 was the 5.0L "Coyote" motor (in the 2011+ GT) which made ~420bhp naturally aspirated, is all aluminum, has power everywhere thanks to trick cam timing on I/E, and can make nearly 600bhp on stock rotating assembly while weighing down the front of the Mustang a lot less than the truck-based Shelby motors did. A 2011+ GT 5.0 is a shockingly well rounded car with the Brembo front brakes and 3.73:1 gears - even with it's shoes tied together. My experience is they're about on par with one of the earlier 4.6 3v cars with a blower on it in a straight line, but much more drivable.
My $0.02 from the other side of the Atlantic.
Interesting stuff, also means that the new Mustang V8 with an IRS should be quite a machine, then there is the prospect of that then supercharged.These 05+ pre-facelift cars, not so much. The iron-block 5.4L with a huge blower and all the assorted heat exchanging equipment made these cars extremely nose-heavy, and the return to a solid rear axle was a bit of a head scratcher. While they made good power (around 450hp at the wheels, stock) the Eaton blower is frequently referred to as a "Heaton" from how quickly they heat soak in track use, turning on check engine lights, and sending the car into "limp home" mode. Not much quicker than the earlier Cobras (03-04, "Terminator") in a straight line either
the post-facelift cars (I believe 2011+) benefited from an aluminum block with spray-in liners and a bump in power, to either 540 or 550bhp - can't remember off hand. This took about 150lbs(!) off the front end and the cars didn't go into melt-down mode on the track as quickly. They could actually turn, too.
The 2013-2014's are nuts of course, a bump from 5.4 to 5.8L and a larger supercharger brought the alarming 662bhp figure. First hand experience says that not many road-going cars have the third-gear pull that a 13+ GT500 does. Truly insane
as per modified 4.6L 3v cars (Like the Roush Stage 3 or 427R) vs these factory GT500's - the GT500 engine is HEAVY. Bolting a blower to the 4.6L 3v motor can make close to the same power, but not quite as much. If the car is seeing track use it might be a plus. The Shelbys make nice cruisers (since they're usually fully spec'd) and good drag cars.
What really killed the appeal of the GT500 was the 5.0L "Coyote" motor (in the 2011+ GT) which made ~420bhp naturally aspirated, is all aluminum, has power everywhere thanks to trick cam timing on I/E, and can make nearly 600bhp on stock rotating assembly while weighing down the front of the Mustang a lot less than the truck-based Shelby motors did. A 2011+ GT 5.0 is a shockingly well rounded car with the Brembo front brakes and 3.73:1 gears - even with it's shoes tied together. My experience is they're about on par with one of the earlier 4.6 3v cars with a blower on it in a straight line, but much more drivable.
My $0.02 from the other side of the Atlantic.
I drove the 5.0 and apart from the rear end hopping about mid corner I loved it, oh and leaving the airport and hoofing it, then trying to change gear with my left hand
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