Whammer

How far down the road though?
This present battle is only for the 13 and 14 MY. The 15 MY will bring a completely redesigned Mustang and it's anyone's guess as to what that car might offer or be capable of.

Mustang_Man

I think the "power game" is going to reach an apex at some point. Getting the power to the ground safely is becoming a much larger issue IMO. Also, how about a little weight reduction so the majority of the power isn't provided just to overcome the car's massive inertia?

Pinoy361

Thats where carbon fiber, aluminum, and a plethora of other lightweight materials come in adding cost. Prices will jump substantially once they really start incorporating those materials into each car. As much as id love to see that, along with the next gen gt500 going toe-to-toe with the z06, theres a point where many simply wouldnt pay the price because its "just a mustang"

eric n

The new Camaro is clearly a beast. I have no doubt that it has raised the performance bar, which will result in Ford raising it HIGHER!!! Each improves the other..... for which fans of either brand can be very thankful.

I can't wait to see how the new Shelby performs in comparison. Either way, I'm pretty much a life long mustang guy. I will enjoy my 5.0 and be a fan of all serious AMERICAN MUSCLE CARS.

kcoTiger

At 650 hp, the gt500 is reaching the limits of what is reasonably doable in a vehicle not categorized as a 'supercar.' Any more power and the Sprint Cup cars are going to be a lot closer to "stock" than they've been in decades. So how do you improve on the performance of a 650 hp car? Make it lighter? Expensive, as someone already mentioned the materials necessary to shave significant weight off the vehicle. Make it a two-seater? Blasphemy. I don't know what they'll do ultimately, but I know the guys at Ford are being paid a lot of money to figure that stuff out. I'm interested to see where this goes. Also, as much as I hate to admit it, the economy will play some part as will the "green" movement. It wouldn't surprise me if the 2020 Mustang is a hybrid, or if it's one before that point. I'm going to be interested to see where everyone goes. I also expect Dodge to bring the Challenger SRT up to speed eventually. The next few years are going to be interesting for muscle cars.

jouster

[QUOTE=kcoTiger;6231592]At 650 hp, the gt500 is reaching the limits of what is reasonably doable in a vehicle not categorized as a 'supercar.' Any more power and the Sprint Cup cars are going to be a lot closer to "stock" than they've been in decades. So how do you improve on the performance of a 650 hp car?

How do you improve performance on a 650 hp car?
A $30 pulley change-out on the supercharger comes to mind,...
Why one would need more than 650 hp is entirely another matter,....
Cheers,

2 Go Snake

We will just have to see how 650 horsepower feels in a GT500. We just may want 800 horsepower. 800 is a nice sounding number.

CCTking

I can definitely see ecoboost coming back. SVO return??
And of cpurse carbon fiber, beefier brakes and more advanced suspension, lightweight materials to make the car, the list goes on..

944withnos

A pulley would give you more boost/power but the 2013 car is supposed to be boosted more already (from 9psi in the 2011 to 15psi I think for the 2013)

speedrx

Yes, lots of options to reduce weight, go faster, it will all come down to price, demand, and how much the government stays out of it.

CCTking

Well considering the gov was gonna put sopa and pipa into action theyre gonna be in everylittle situation they can squeeze theyre grimmy lil noses into. Heck they took down one torrent site an they have all the ip addresses of everyone who downloaded there. They have the option to oress charges and sentence certain to jail

kcoTiger

Isn't that what a super snake is for?

Of course, the same could be said about the '13 Shelby...

I just hope, like was mentioned above, that cars made specifically for the enjoyment of driving them doesn't go the way of our gun ownership and end up requiring govt licensing and registration for a "fun tax." off topic, but the Feds seriously need to take a long walk off a short pier.

2 Go Snake

Super Snakes are nice, but I would rather buy a new GT500 from a Ford dealer with the same power as a current Super Snake. Shelby could bump the horsepower up to 900 for the next generation Super Snake.

kcoTiger

You have a point sir.

Overboost

Larry, you like your smilies, don't ya?

I'm interested to see what SA does for the new Super Snake. To be honest, I think I'd be content with a GT500 and a few bolt ons. There isn't going to be much that touches you on the street south of $80k that you'll need to worry about.

kcoTiger

That will probably be the case without any mods for the '13 anyway. It's why I'm so pleased with this car, and why I'm taking the plunge this year.

jazmartinn

American muscle car fans will contend that nothing beats sitting behind the wheel of a Mustang. BMW purists, meanwhile, will tout the blazing speeds and smooth rides of an M3 Coupe. For years, Ford's signature car couldn't compete with its European rival. But now, with a complete redesign to the Mustang line, MotorTrend felt it was time to take a 2011 Mustang GT to the track and test it against the BMW M3 Coupe.

Fenderaddict2

I've owned both. And driven many more comparable cars as well. And as much as I live my Boss for the raw thrill I still find a BMW more of the ultimate driving machine because it's chassis development and transient responses give the driver confidence. My Boss is faster, but it took me much longer, with much more bravery to play with its limits. And even saying that, I suspect they are still beyond where I am comfortable. Still, when all is said and done... This is the most fun car I have driven in a long time. Nothing like a little bit of fear to make a track day that much memorable.