Ultimate Mustang Let Loose

Feast your eyes on the most powerful factory-built Ford Mustang ever. This is the Cobra GT500, developed as a successor to the Sixties' car of the same name by the firm's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) and legendary racer Carroll Shelby.

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By Richard Yarrow

30th March 2005

Producing more than 450bhp from its supercharged 5.4-litre V8, power is fed to the road via a six-speed manual gearbox. All its underpinnings have been modified from the standard Mustang.

Externally, the front has a new air splitter, revised headlamps and bonnet slots. At the rear, a boot spoiler aids high-speed downforce, and the famous silver snake badge sits between the lights.

The car is finished in bright red with the traditional Shelby white stripes. This model is no flight of fancy; the GT500 is production-ready and will go on sale in the US next year as the Mustang range-topper.

It's expected to cost just under ,000 (΂£21,000). The car was unveiled at the New York Motor Show, but it wasn't alone on the Ford stand. Also debuting was the Sport Trac Adrenalin pick-up. The vehicle mixes perform-ance with practicality and is powered by a 390bhp supercharged V8. It aims to build on the success of Ford's other hot truck, the F-150 Lightning.