Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
1967–1970, 2007–2014, 2020–2022
The Shelby GT500 is the big-block, big-power flagship of the Shelby Mustang line. It debuted for 1967 as Carroll Shelby's larger, more luxurious companion to the small-block GT350 — the first Mustang with a 428 under the hood — and after the original Shelby era ended in 1970, the name returned twice as a Ford in-house performance halo: the supercharged SVT-built S197 cars of 2007–2014, and the most powerful of them all, the 760-hp Predator-engined S550 of 2020–2022. Across every era the GT500 has played the same role: the Mustang you buy when the GT and GT350 aren't enough. Horsepower for the 1967–1970 cars is SAE gross; the modern cars are SAE net and are not directly comparable.
1967–1970, 2007–2014, 2020–2022
Overview
The Shelby GT500 is the big-block, big-power flagship of the Shelby Mustang line. It debuted for 1967 as Carroll Shelby's larger, more luxurious companion to the small-block GT350 — the first Mustang with a 428 under the hood — and after the original Shelby era ended in 1970, the name returned twice as a Ford in-house performance halo: the supercharged SVT-built S197 cars of 2007–2014, and the most powerful of them all, the 760-hp Predator-engined S550 of 2020–2022. Across every era the GT500 has played the same role: the Mustang you buy when the GT and GT350 aren't enough. Horsepower for the 1967–1970 cars is SAE gross; the modern cars are SAE net and are not directly comparable.
Collectibility
Original 1967–1970 GT500s — especially the 1967 dual-quad cars and the 1968 GT500KR — are top-tier vintage Mustang collectibles, with originality, documentation, and matching numbers driving everything. Among the modern cars, the 760-hp 2020–2022 Predator GT500 is the most exclusive by volume (~14,130 vs roughly 48,000 for the larger 2007–2014 S197 run) and the 662-hp 2013–2014 Trinity is the standout of that earlier era. Values are qualitative here by design; verify era-correct hardware before paying a premium.
Every production run
Years & eras
| Years | Engine | HP | Production | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 428 "Police Interceptor" FE V8 (dual quads) | 355 | ~2,048 built | — |
| 1968 | 428 FE V8 (GT500); 428 Cobra Jet (GT500KR, mid-year) | 335 | GT500KR ~1,571 built; GT500 produced alongside it |
|
| 1969–1970 | 428 Cobra Jet FE V8 | 335 | — |
|
| 2007–2009 | 5.4 supercharged DOHC V8 (iron block) | 500 | — |
|
| 2010 | 5.4 supercharged DOHC V8 (iron block) | 540 | — | — |
| 2011–2012 | 5.4 supercharged aluminum-block DOHC V8 | 550 | — | — |
| 2013–2014 | 5.8 "Trinity" supercharged DOHC V8 | 662 | — |
|
| 2020–2022 | 5.2 supercharged "Predator" V8 | 760 | ~14,130 total (2020–2022 combined) |
|
1967
The first GT500 — Shelby's answer to buyers who wanted more than the small-block GT350. It used a 428 "Police Interceptor" FE V8 with dual quad carburetors and was the most powerful Shelby Mustang yet, with a more upscale, GT-flavored character than the raw early GT350s.
1968
For 1968 the Shelby Mustangs moved to Ford's A.O. Smith assembly and gained fiberglass nose and tail restyling. Mid-year the GT500 was joined by the GT500KR — "King of the Road" — which swapped in the 428 Cobra Jet, the hottest factory big-block of the moment, built only during the last three months of the model year.
1969–1970
The last of the original Shelby Mustangs, and the most stylistically distinct — a longer fiberglass nose, five hood scoops, and quad exhaust on the largest first-generation body. The GT500 ran the 428 Cobra Jet. Sales had cooled, and unsold 1969 cars were re-titled and sold as 1970 models, so the two model years share VINs.
2007–2009
The first modern GT500 and the first factory Shelby Mustang since 1970, built by Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) on the retro S197. A supercharged-and-intercooled 5.4 DOHC V8 made 500 hp and 480 lb-ft, with a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual — putting the Mustang back into supercar-baiting territory.
2010
The mid-cycle "S197 II" facelift sharpened the GT500. The supercharged 5.4 climbed to 540 hp, and the car gained track-focused options as the SVT program matured.
2011–2012
A major hardware step: the GT500's 5.4 switched to an aluminum block, making 550 hp while shedding over 100 lb off the nose — a meaningfully better-balanced car than the iron-block predecessors.
2013–2014
The S197 power peak. The GT500 received the new 5.8 "Trinity" supercharged V8 — 662 hp and 631 lb-ft, the most powerful factory Mustang ever to that point, with a 200-plus-mph top speed. It carried over essentially unchanged for 2014, the last year of the S197 before the independent-rear-suspension S550.
2020–2022
The final and most extreme GT500 to date. Built on the S550, it used the 5.2 supercharged "Predator" V8 making 760 hp — the most powerful street-legal Mustang Ford had ever built — backed exclusively by a 7-speed Tremec dual-clutch transmission (no manual offered). 2022 was its last year before the GT500 was discontinued.
Worth knowing
Notable
- The GT500 is the only Mustang nameplate to anchor both the original Carroll Shelby era (1967–1970) and two separate modern revivals.
- It introduced the 428 to the Mustang in 1967 and crowned the line again with the 760-hp Predator in 2020.
- The 1968 GT500KR ("King of the Road") and the original 1967 dual-quad cars are the blue-chip vintage GT500s.
- The 662-hp 2013–2014 Trinity and the 760-hp 2020–2022 Predator are the modern high-water marks.
Model years featuring the Shelby GT500
Sources
- Wikipedia — "Shelby Mustang"
- Wikipedia — "Ford Mustang (first generation)"
- Classic Pony Cars — Shelby production figures
- Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) production records
- Hagerty