Shelby GT500 History
History
The GT500 arrived for 1967 as the big-engined flagship above the GT350, using Ford's 428 'Police Interceptor' V8 (the famous '427' figure refers to the FE engine family, but production cars used the 428). For 1968 the Shelby Mustangs were marketed under the Cobra name, and the 1968 GT500KR — 'King of the Road' — added the 428 Cobra Jet. A single 1967 prototype with a race 427, the legendary one-off 'Super Snake', remains the most valuable Mustang in existence.
After the classic run ended in 1970, Ford revived the GT500 for the 2007 model year with a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 (500 hp), climbing to the 662-hp 5.8-liter 'Trinity' supercharged V8 in the 2013–2014 cars — the most powerful factory Mustang of its day.
The final, most extreme factory GT500 launched for 2020 with a hand-built supercharged 5.2-liter 'Predator' V8 producing 760 hp — the most powerful street-legal Ford ever — paired exclusively with a dual-clutch transmission. This generation ran through the 2022 model year.
Generations
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Original GT500 · First-generation Mustang big-block
The classic 428-powered flagship, including the 1968 'King of the Road' (GT500KR) and the one-off 427 'Super Snake' prototype.
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Modern GT500 (S197) · Supercharged 5.4/5.8
Photo: “2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.jpg” by Ssu / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Ford's revival: a supercharged 5.4L V8 (500 hp) rising to the 662-hp 5.8L 'Trinity' supercharged V8 in 2013–2014.
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2007 Photo: “2007 Ford Shelby GT500 (52045151477).jpg” by Mustang Joe / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0
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2008 Photo: “2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (15696404113).jpg” by Jeremy from Sydney, Australia / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0
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2009 Photo: “2009 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 4.0
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2013 Photo: “2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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2014 Photo: “2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.jpg” by hugh llewelyn / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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Modern GT500 (S550) · Predator
Photo: “2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
The 760-hp supercharged 5.2L 'Predator' V8 with a dual-clutch transmission — the most powerful street-legal Ford ever.
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2022 Photo: “2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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Body styles
- Fastback
- Coupe
- Convertible
Notable special editions & performance variants
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GT500KR ('King of the Road')
The 1968 flagship powered by the 428 Cobra Jet V8; the original 'KR' name. A modern GT500KR followed in 2008.
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Super Snake (original)
A one-off 1967 GT500 fitted with a 427 GT40 race engine (around 650 hp), built as a demonstrator; the single car later sold for over $2 million.
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GT500 Super Snake (Shelby American)
Post-purchase Shelby American conversion of customers' GT500s with increased supercharger boost and higher power output, sold across multiple Mustang generations.
Related models