The 2010 GT500 is a “Zebra” no
more. Ford finally showed off the production look of the
up-and-coming Shelby GT500. They took off the ridiculous
zebra/leopard strips that were hiding the true look of the car. I saw
a prototype/masked car going down the highway once....chased it down
just to find out it was some Hybrid Toyota.... complete waste of
time. I am glad Ford finally decided to show this car off. I love the
look of this 2010 model. It completely blew the GT/V6 out of the
water. Ford added all the new features seen in my previous 2010
Mustang blogs plus a lot of new performance additions to the GT500. A
lot of the parts and research are stolen from the KR special edition
Ford did in the last year.
Motor, Tranny, Suspension & Rearend
Changes:
The motor is still the 5.4 steel block
DOHC supercharged engine. Horsepower has been increased to 540HP and
torque increased to 510ft pounds. Most of this power comes from newly
designed intake and exhausted. Ford/SVT is using the Shelby KR
conical style intake filter and box. The box is redesigned to pull
air from the outside through the grille. You will notice that the
cobra “snake” in the grille has been moved to the opposite side
to account for the new functional cold air intake. Ford also said
they better optimized the exhaust system for improved flow and sound.
The transmission has been re-geared
along with standard 3:55:1 rear end gears. The gearing is set to give
better gas mileage (estimate of 2 mpg better on the highway) while
not sacrificing early gear acceleration. For the first time ever the
transmission will use a dual friction clutch for better clamping
power. Not only they using dual clutch disk the disk size has been
increased from 215mm to 250mm. SVT also threw in a stronger short
shift shifter.
The suspension gets a full revamp with
larger sway bars and better shocks and struts. The brakes will style
remain with the Brembo 4 pistons on the front ( I still want these
for my 08 GT ). According to SVT the body roll has greatly been
reduced all while reducing suspension and road noise ( lets you enjoy
that supercharger whine).
Exterior:
Of course the new body style has the
new hood, bumpers (front and rear), lights (headlights and
taillights), badges and body panels. I think this GT500 looks very
aggressive. They gave it a nice tough look. The wheels are a new
design and 19”. They look great. The 19” wheel is not to big and
not to small. Just the right size for the S197. The body panels had
extensive aerodynamics and drag testing done on them. SVT set out to
reduce drag while reducing noise on the inside.
Interior:
As with all SVT Cobras, the interior
gets some nice interior upgrades. New Suede wrapped steering wheel
and new upholstery. The shifter knob is a nice addition to the car.
Other additions include My Color sill plates and new instrument
cluster.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I like the look of this car
much better than the V6/GT model. With the new additions and power
this will be a great car to own. The 2010 redesign has a lot of great
features that will make the car a easy fun car to drive. Hopefully
one day I will get to drive one :)
Pictures
The old zebra look!!
