For good or ill, the Ford Mustang is traditionally seen as a rather old school approach to going fast. After all, the Blue Oval just gave its most famous muscle car an independent rear suspension back in 2014, a full fifty years after the model first hit the production line. Indeed, the times they are a’changing, and now, it’s looking like the Mustang might change even more with the addition of a new DCT gearbox.

Continue reading for the full story.

The Full Story

The rumor that the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 could come with a new dual-clutch transmission springs from a recent video post by YouTube user Mustang6G (also associated with the enthusiast forum of the same name), which shows a camo-clad Mustang Shelby GT500 test mule rolling around rainy public surface streets, stopping and going at several intersections. Check it out above.

While the burbling exhaust note is most definitely a delightful thing to hear, the extremely quick low-rev gear changes seem to suggest that the go-faster pony car could be equipped with a new dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Another possibility is a traditional automatic with a normal ‘ole torque converter, or, alternatively, the driver could just be insanely smooth and quick with the shifts. However, gauging by the sound of the engine, a manual seems extremely unlikely in this case.

If what we’re hearing is indeed a traditional automatic, it’s likely the same 10-speed unit Ford shares with GM and the Camaro ZL1 track toy.

Still, rumor has it Ford has been testing out a fresh seven-speed DCT similar to what’s used with the Ford GT. So really, it’s all just speculation at this point.

The powertrain, however, is almost definitely gonna include a supercharged flat-plane 5.2-liter V-8, the same engine plucked out of the GT350. Equipped in the GT500, the blown ‘eight should dole out as much as 700 horses. That’s a significant upgrade over the previous GT500, which came with 662 ponies from a supercharged 5.8-liter V-8.

Outside, look for the GT500 to come with some new carbon fiber aesthetic components and new wheels, plus some impressive aero to match. There should be some new trim pieces inside the cabin as well.

Mated with beefier handling pieces and the new-gen’s independent rear suspension platform, the GT500 should be an absolute beast of a vehicle, regardless of the transmission used.

Look for a debut sometime next year, with sales commencing shortly thereafter for the 2020 model year.

References

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

Read our full review on the 2018 Ford Mustang.

Read more Ford news.