New Mustang Shelby GT500 Might Pack 772 Horsepower

2018 Mustang gauge cluster image could hold clues to GT500’s horsepower and torque ratings.

We should start this piece by pointing out that this is purely speculation and until Ford Motor Company releases official figures, we are merely guessing at the power ratings for the new Shelby GT500 Mustang. However, based on past clues being embedded into official company images, we have to wonder if the automaker has announced the power numbers of the supercharged pony car without actually announcing anything.

2018 Mustang Brochure Clues

Ford has an online brochure for the refreshed 2018 Mustang that details all of the key features of the new muscle car. Within that brochure is a page that focuses on the new digital gauge cluster and as you can see in the image here, the gauge cluster is displaying 7^th gear, 72 miles per hour and 74.3 miles. Those numbers could be completely random, but a great many people around the auto industry believe that this is Ford’s way of secretly announcing the horsepower and torque ratings of the new Shelby GT500. Those optimistic Ford fans believe that the gear selector and the speedometer are hinting to 772 horsepower while the odometer mileage is stating 743 lb-ft of torque.

When Ford issued the first teaser video for the new Shelby GT500 Mustang, the automaker promised at least 700 horsepower. 772 horsepower is obviously well beyond 700 horsepower, but that is really the only hint connecting these two numbers. However, Ford has set precedent in the past by offering power hints in a gauge cluster image.

2018 Mustang GT Power Teased

When Ford introduced the refreshed 2018 Mustang GT back in January 2017, the automaker included a picture of the new instrument cluster. A short time after that image was released, Ford Communications head Mike Levine Tweeted the image, asking if people found the Easter Eggs in the gauge cluster. In that image, the gear selector was in 4^th gear and the speedometer was at 55 miles per hour.

We later learned that the Motor Company was shooting for 455 horsepower in the 2018 Mustang GT, and while the official rating ended up being 460 horsepower, we know now that Ford was teasing us by hiding the power rating in plain sight.

There have been no similar Tweets with the new image with 7^th gear and 72 miles per hour, but with Ford hiding a power number in an image like this in the past – the promise of at least 700 horsepower coupled with this image has a great many people expecting the new Shelby GT500 Mustang to deliver 772 horsepower and 743 lb-ft of torque.

Those numbers would make this Mustang the second-most powerful muscle car ever, trailing only the 840-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. However, in terms of full-production models (unlike the limited edition Demon), a 772-horsepower GT500 would be the most powerful American production car ever.

Join The Mustang Source forums now — FREE!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

Facebook   Twitter