Sure looks like the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 was just leaked
An Instagram user by the name of “sinister_lifestyle” posted an image of what he claims to be the not-yet-unveiled Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. And it definitely looks like the real deal.
How the photos ended up online is still a bit of a mystery. The Instagram user stated the photos were sent to him via direct message from a person attending a dealer event. Regardless, the leaked images seem to line up with the overall features of the teaser images Ford already published on its media site. Unless we’re missing something, this beast is the Hellcat- and ZL1-fighting dynamo we’ve all been eagerly awaiting.
The front end looks like it has a more open grille shape than the GT350, although the blackout treatment makes it hard to tell. The rear spoiler appears to be different than what we’ve seen on the track-slaying GT350R, and the stripe package is also unique. The blue body color appears similar to the Liquid Blue Ford has used previously on new performance cars.
Ford has hinted at north of 700 horsepower, and the late-model GT500 linage is traditionally supercharged. Rather than a tall-deck V-8 as we’ve seen from the previous GT500, rumors indicate the 5.2-liter V-8 from the GT350 will be the starting point. Just don’t expect a flat-plane crank.
For the time being, Ford has yet to respond to the flurry of excitement around the leaked snapshots. This could mean people at Ford are scrambling to get something released officially, opting for complete radio silence while privately fuming, or it could mean we are all chasing a red herring. We will know for sure at the North American International Auto Show in January 2019.
