Meet the 200mph Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

New MY2013 GT500 should kick Camaro ZL1 into the weeds with 650hp V8

This is the new '2013' (read 'on sale in 2012') Ford Shelby GT500. And this time around Ford is offering it with 650hp and a 200+mph top speed.

We found out a few weeks back that the new Shelby Mustang was to have an enlarged 5.8-litre motor at its heart, but we didn't know that the supercharged mill would become what Ford is calling (cue superhero cartoon narrator) 'the most powerful production V8 in the world'.

Indeed, the 650hp and 600lb ft makes the forthcoming 580hp Camaro ZL1 look rather asthmatic in comparison. In order to get such monumental power outputs, the GT500 has, as well as the extra swept capacity, a larger, more efficient supercharger, a new cross-drilled block and heads, updated camshaft profiles, a carbon fibre driveshaft. There's also an updated clutch, transmission and axle (albeit still a live one), with the final drive ratio lengthened to 3.31:1 to help cope with the huge torque on offer.

In order to help keep all that power under control, Ford has also announced a 'Performance Pack', which includes SVT-designed Bilstein adjustable dampers and a Torsen LSD. There's also an optional 'Track Package', which adds an external engine oil cooler, rear differential cooler and transmission cooler.

Sounds sensible to us. Especially considering that the previous GT500 hardly felt under-endowed, despite pushing out 'just' 540hp...

You can read the full GT500 press release here.