Good news, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 fans in Australia. The fastest Mustang ever built will be coming to the Land Down Under! Bad news, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 fans in Australia. The fastest Mustang ever built will carry a price tag that’s going to beat your bank accounts senseless!
That’s the predicament our mates now face. On the one hand, the possibility of owning a Shelby GT500 has never been this close to reality, at least if a new law passes allowing variants of the Mustang not sold in Australia to be imported and sold locally. On the other hand, these converted-for-Australia GT500 models could set would-be owners back as much as AUD300,000 to AUD400,000. That converts to around $202,000 to $270,000 based on current exchange rates.
Depending on what the price ends up being, our friends in Australia would have to pay at least three times as much as U.S. customers for a chance to own and drive the fastest Mustang ever built. Is the thrill of owning a Shelby GT500 worth the price — literally — of a Lamborghini Huracan? That’s a question only those who are really interested in a converted Mustang Shelby GT500 can answer.
I don’t know if I’m going to be happy for my friends in Australia or if I’m going to feel sad for them. I suppose I should be happy. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 rarely makes it to Australia. Even if a model or two end up there, it’s usually done through backstreet channels and the costs that come with it are absurdly high, maybe even higher than the projected price of the GT500 if it does become legal to import, convert, and sell the muscle car in the country. So even if the GT500 costs about the same as a Lamborghini Huracan, the trade-off becomes a net positive if a lot of people end up buying the car. That’s why I’m happy.
On the other hand, it is a bit sad that people would have to pay such a premium for the Shelby GT500, especially when you know that, here in the U.S., the muscle car’s price tag starts at just under $74,000. The projected costs attached to the Shelby GT500 in Australia will force a lot of prospective buyers to rethink their options, not because they can’t afford one, but because they’re going to have to pay more — a lot more — than they otherwise would have for the car. It’s a tough decision, folks. Either way, the Mustang Shelby GT500 has never gotten this close to reaching the Australian market. That’s why it’s a big deal for a lot of our friends Down Under.
Granted, nothing is set in stone yet, so all of this could be for naught. According to CarsGuide, Mustang Motorsport, a custom tuner based in Victoria, Australia that specializes in building Shelby variants from Australian-issued Ford Mustangs, is the driving force behind the move to import 2020 Shelby GT500 models to Australia.
The company’s goal is to bring the muscle cars over and convert them for Australian roads, provided that a new law that’s currently in the oven passes. Should this proposed law get approval from the government, variants of cars not sold in Australia can be imported and sold locally to citizens.
The volume of models that can be imported is another sticking point. That, according to Mustang Motorsport, would depend on the number of orders it ends up taking from customers who are prepared to spend that kind of money on owning a Shelby GT500.
Regardless of all that, the arrival of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a big deal in Australia. The Mustang nameplate has a huge following in the country, and if it ends up going there, it sets up for a compelling rivalry with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which is available in Australia as a right-hand drive model courtesy of Holden Special Vehicles. It would be very fascinating to see both converted muscle cars line up against one another to see which of the two can lay claim to being the better-converted muscle car.
The 2020 Shelby GT500 makes a compelling case, thanks in large part to the 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine that produces a monstrous 760 horsepower and 625 pound-feet of torque. A seven-speed Tremec dual-clutch automatic transmission sends power to the two rear wheels and helps the muscle car to sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 180 mph.
The 2020 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the other hand, is powered by the angriest version of Chevrolet’s 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine. This powertrain produces 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, and all that power gets transferred to the rear wheels courtesy of a six-speed manual transmission or an optional 10-speed automatic transmission. Like the Shelby GT500, the Camaro ZL1 lays down stupidly crazy performance numbers, including a 0-to-60-mph time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of almost 200 mph.
If that’s the case, the Shelby GT500 will be in a disadvantageous position should the current price estimates stick. That’s because Holden Special Vehicles has priced the Camaro ZL1 at just AUD159,990, plus on-road costs. The 10-speed auto adds AUD2,200 and metallic paint adds AUD850, but ultimately, it will still be the far more affordable option than the Shelby GT500. That’s something Mustang Motorsport will have to contend with before it releases the 2020 Shelby GT500 in the country.
Further reading
First 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 sells for $1.1 million
Read our full review on the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 vs. 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye
2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 vs. 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera