These things are big, bad, and mean looking. The GT500 was the first I stumbled onto. It’s electric blue with big fat rubber. Everything about it says FAST (in all capital letters). The color is not only spot on, but the Ford Display itself is very pretty. LED lighting, a big show for the Fusion (snoooozzzzeeeee), and a real engine dyno.
Artsy GT500 Shot
2013 GT500
You just read that last line in disbelief. Yes! They did have an engine dyno, with a real GT500 hooked up to it, then ran. The sound of that big supercharged V8 drew huge crowds. The 4th gear pull was insane. 570+ rwhp. #bonkers.
Ford Engine Dyno Display
The only downside we saw to this monster is two-fold. The interior remains quite similar to the normal Mustang, which is great for $25k, but not for $70k. We could care less about that one. The biggest concern we’d have is the insane belts on the front of the engine, plus there is very little clearance to service them. The engine bay in these cars has become remarkably tight!
Got Belts?
One thing we were really surprised about is the SIZE of this motor. The new overhead cam sizing is much bigger than the previous 5.0L overhead valve iterations. It is actually the reason the hoods got a significant height increase in the newer models. The sound of it is worth the size increase though. Pure evil.
2013 Mustang GT Convertible
Nice shifter!
We also got some seat time in a new Mustang GT ‘Vert. We liked it. The rear seats are pretty tight, but overall, not bad. We’ve included some pics here. The new seats are very nicely styled and had really nice feeling leather, the dash was okay, and the shift knob was a good thing. Overall, for the buy price, this has become a very capable and comfortable car. If the driving dynamics are even close to as good as the coupe, this will be a winner.
2013 Mustang GT Convertible Rear Seat
Ford had a great NAIAS. The new Boss Edition looked great, the engine dyno was a smash hit, and they had a lot of good news. We still think the Fusion is boring, but the refresh actually looks pretty classy.
Mustang Motoring.
I’ve been reading along for a while now. I just wanted to drop you a comment to say keep up the good work.
Thanks. We’ll be putting up a few more NAIAS reviews tonight. We’ve got Mini, Mazda, Subaru/Scion, and a few others left to go. Cheers!