Last December, Ford unveiled the 2015 Mustang to the world at launch events around the planet. I was present at the Dearborn, Michigan event and was one of the first people to peep the completely redesigned Ford Mustang. Recently, I was in Detroit for the Ford Trends conference and Mustangs are roaming everywhere around the Ford Motor Company campus and test track. If you were a normal person driving through Dearborn, you’d think the car is already on sale. But there’s one thing we’ve heard very little about, and that’s the 2015 Mustang Shelby GT500. Where is it?
“But, we’ve seen spy videos of test mules,” I hear you cry (especially if you just watched the above video). Yes, yes we have. Some speculation says it’s a big V8 and others say it’s the modern SVO with a 4-cylinder engine. One of the last camouflaged Mustangs we saw that was supposed to be the next big thing turned out just to be the 50 Year Anniversary Edition Mustang. Seriously, this rollout is starting to remind me of the big wait for the redesigned Chevrolet Camaro!
Okay, that’s a bit harsh. But one thing I do know for certain is that Dodge unveiled the 2015 Challenger and SRT Hellcat to the public after the announcement of the Mustang, and it will be driven by journalists and probably in showrooms before the next Mustang hits. Also, who thought it would be a good idea to launch a sports car in the weeks leading up to the winter snowfall? But I digress.
A Shelby variant of the Mustang is coming. How do I know this? Because they’d be stupid to not do one, just like they’d be stupid to not make a new SVT Raptor because they sell every one they build. But why haven’t we seen anything about the Shelby? Dodge is getting all the attention right now, deflating the air out of the Mustang balloon.
Another reason why I know there will be a Shelby variant is that the same source that told me about the Mustang EcoBoost and its horsepower also told me to expect the Shelby. I wasn’t surprised, for obvious reasons, but this person did tell me that the car will be interesting and might surprise me. Does that mean it’s not going to have the insane 662 hp engine? I don’t know. Rumors have suggested for awhile that we wouldn’t see a GT500 but rather a Shelby GT350 Mustang based on the Voodoo power plant. I don’t believe the new Mustang needs to win the horsepower wars. I’m okay with handling and canyon carving ability over brute straight line speed.
The next big auto show is Los Angeles in November. NOVEMBER! While the New York show is a place where Ford SVT makes their announcements, this year’s show was overshadowed by the 50th Anniversary Mustang. Ford has shown, with the initial Mustang unveiling, that they don’t need an auto show to announce a car.
READ: 2015 Mustang Information Page
Please Ford, make this madness stop. Send me a sign! I’m not the only one eagerly awaiting the details on this car. Mustang is the top searched for car on Google. Announcing a high-powered Mustang could literally break the Internet! Let’s find out! Give us the details!
Chad Kirchner is a freelance automotive journalist with a sincere passion for the industry and helping people. He’s a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association and the Texas Auto Writers Association. When not writing about the latest automotive news or vehicles, you can catch him at car shows around the country. Be sure to check him out on social media, including Google+ and Twitter.
