Ford Product Officer: ‘No Bandwidth’ for Shelby GT500 ‘Vert
As the S650 Mustang approaches the spotlight, Ford’s Hau Thai-Tang says Shelby GT500 never got a drop-top due to already maxed-out abilities.
One of the glaring aspects not found on the Shelby GT500 is the ability to drop its top. After all, who wouldn’t want to experience all 760 horses charging across their scalps into the maelstrom? Sure, it might need a roll bar lest things go upside-down, but at least you could praise the sun all the way to Valhalla, right?
Alas, there won’t be a convertible Shelby GT500 on the S550 platform. Muscle Cars and Trucks learned as much while speaking with Ford product officer Hau Thai-Tang.
“When we designed the [S550 platform Mustang] we really looked at the high end and projected what we’ve historically been able to do,” said Thai-Tang. “The GT500 I think we projected for. It’s towards the top end of the capabilities of [S550]… one of the things we didn’t do was a convertible variant for that reason. You have to find the bandwidth of the architecture.”
In short: the Shelby GT500’s abilities were maxed-out as a fixed-roof dominator. Thus, a drop-top GT500 wasn’t going to be in the cards. This leaves the GT Convertible and its 460 horses as the fastest way to let the sunshine in. Perhaps this might change with the upcoming S650 platform, though.
According to Motor1, the S650 Mustang is expected to arrive in late 2022 as a 2023 model, with all-wheel drive as a possible option. Muscle Cars and Trucks adds the platform stops short of being completely new, as the mechanicals will carry-over from the S550 platform. The new horse, though, will likely be the last to be exclusively powered by gasoline.
“You could make the case that the Mach-E is keeping the Mustang going,” said Thai-Tang. “We have to meet a corporate average CO2 requirement, and if we didn’t have products like Mach-E to offset products like Mustang, the Mustang would be short-lived.”
According to Ford’s plans, the Mustang line after the S650 Era will include electrification beginning 2028. Until then, let’s cross our fingers for a convertible Shelby GT500 for the mid-2020s.
Photos: Ford
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