Ford just pulled back the curtain on the seventh-generation Mustang last week, and we’re already learning about upcoming performance variants. Ford Authority reported that the current Mustang Shelby GT500 will depart after 2022, only to return in 2025 as an all-new 2026 model.
The 2022 GT500 sports a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 that delivers 760 horsepower. Ford said the 2024 Mustang GT would get the highest-horsepower 5.0-liter engine it’s ever offered for the car, so expectations for the new GT500 are high. Other upgrades will likely include revised suspension, new drivetrain tech, and loads of carbon fiber components.
Ford seems to be taking the S650 Mustang as an opportunity to bring incremental improvements that keep the car relevant as its rivals are expected to go electric. Initial rumors pointed to a hybrid variant with electric motor-driven all-wheel drive, but that didn’t materialize in Ford’s reveal. What we did get is a refinement of the formula we’ve known for decades, with more power and a massively improved interior.
The Blue Oval will also push the new pony car into motorsports venues it hasn’t seen before. Ford confirmed that it would send a crew of Mustang GT3 cars to Le Mans, and the upcoming Mustang Dark Horse will be available in track-only configurations. Multimatic will build GT3 and GT4 cars for Ford, and early details show a modified Coyote-based 5.4-liter V8 powers the GT3 variant.
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News 2023 Ford Mustang Gets Short Run, No Shelby GT500
2023 Ford Mustang might be an extra-rare ride
No Shelby for at least a few years after 2022
2023 Ford Mustang could be a rare pony
Looking for the 2023 Ford Mustang and not the new one that Ford showed off this week? Better act fast, and if you’re looking for a Shelby GT500 you might already have missed your chance.
It’s common for a short model year run leading up to the early launch of a new model, and the Ford Mustang won’t be any different there. News of the short 2023 run was first reported on by Muscle Cars and Trucks and confirmed by Motor Authority.
It’s not clear exactly when the 2023 model year will finish and the 2024 [and the new Mustang] will start, but we’re expecting the new cars sometime next summer.
We also now know that there won’t be a Shelby GT500 for the 2023 model year. There probably also won’t be one for 2024, since Ford normally waits at least a year or two after a new model for the special ones [including the Shelbys] to make their appearance.
That leaves Mach 1 as the top Ford Mustang for 2023. It’s the 470hp version of the car, rather than 760 hp of the GT500.
One thing is making the 2023 model run even shorter. Ford is behind on 2022 Mustang production due to closures of the Flat Rock plant where the cars are built. Ford lost nine weeks of production, following 13 weeks behind in 2021. Catching up on those 2022 cars will lead to the 2023 model year starting later than normal.