In the midst of global economic uncertainty and further clampdowns by governments, automotive brands all of the world are looking for cheaper and more energy efficient fuels to replace oil, but thankfully the internal combustion engine is set to stay for at least the foreseeable future.

Why do we say this you ask? Well, if Mustang Daily is to be believed, the Shelby GT500 will live on in the next-generation Ford Mustang said to be previewed next year before hitting the market as a 2014 model.

The current GT500 is the most powerful one ever produced and with it delivering no less than 650 horsepower, it really has reached the upper echelons of the muscle car market, and is edging ever closer to sports car domination. No additional details have been released about the next GT500 however; it’s unlikely to hit the market until 2015 or 2016 once the facelifted model has been in showrooms for at least 18 months.

Shelby America president John Luft reportedly released the news to Mustang Daily and said that further collaborations between Ford and Shelby are assured beyond 2015 due to the recent signing of a contract extension.

It’s more than likely that the next GT500 would feature a host of improvements to further reduce fuel consumption and the simplest way to do so would be to reduce the car’s overall weight. And with carbon fiber becoming cheaper and more accessible, Shelby could very well look down that exotic path if it really wants to create a muscle car to not only destroy competitors but to also compete with far more expensive supercars from Europe.

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