Shelby Should Get Busy With the S650 Mustang
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The S650 Ford Mustang replaced the facelifted S550 in time for the 2024 model year. However, one thing the Blue Oval didn’t announce is a Shelby Mustang for the latest lineup. Still, even without a Shelby variant in the S650 Mustang repertoire for 2024, the iconic American outfit should get to work on the next-gen ‘Stang soon. After all, we all want to see the next generation of Shelby GT500.
What is an S650 Mustang?
The “S650” represents the seventh generation of the Ford Mustang. It replaced the sixth-gen pony car, the S550 model. While the S650 got a facelift inside and out, it did carry over a few of the same trims and engines as its predecessor.
It’s good news for fans who like the pleasantly potent EcoBoost four-cylinder and the Coyote-powered GT. Better yet, the EcoBoost and the GT outmuscle the previous versions. In fact, the GT will produce 486 horsepower with the optional performance exhaust system, making it the most potent factory GT in the model’s history. However, even with the robust range-topping Dark Horse, the lineup lacks a Shelby badge.
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse is the closest thing to a factory Shelby Mustang in 2024
While fans might be on the edge of their seat in anticipation of an S650 Shelby Mustang, the Dark Horse doesn’t disappoint. With 500 horsepower on tap, the Dark Horse is the most powerful factory Coyote-powered Mustang ever. Better yet, the noir pony works in some of the components that made the S550 Shelby GT350 a track-day weapon.
For instance, the Dark Horse gets the same six-speed TREMEC TR-3160 manual transmission as the now-discontinued Shelby GT350 and Mach 1. However, even at the tippy top of the pony car pyramid for 2024, the Dark Horse goes devoid of a supercharger or the magical flat-plane Voodoo engine in the GT350. As a result, fans who bleed Blue Oval patiently await the arrival of a supercharged S650 Shelby Mustang with horsepower figures closer to the 760 ponies of the now-extinct GT500.
What is the most powerful 2024 Mustang?
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse, an all-new badge in the book of Mustang, is the most powerful car in the 2024 lineup. However, a Shelby variant will undoubtedly outmuscle the Dark Horse in the coming years.
| 2024 Mustang model | Engine size | Horsepower | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| EcoBoost | Turbo 2.3L I4 | 315 HP | 350 lb-ft |
| GT | N/A 5.0L V8 | 486 HP | 418 lb-ft |
| Dark Horse | N/A 5.0L V8 | 500 HP | 418 lb-ft |
A Shelby S650 Mustang will undoubtedly bring forced induction to the lineup
Within the S550 lineup, Shelby and Ford produced the naturally aspirated GT350 and the supercharged GT500. In addition to the factory Fords, Shelby American will turn a stock Mustang GT, GT350, or GT500 into a Shelby-massaged build, all the way up to the limited-release GT500 CODE RED.
However, as of right now, there isn’t a Shelby badge on any of the S650 Ford Mustangs. Still, considering that the GT500s from the S197 and S550 generations packed supercharged V8s, it stands to reason that the next-gen Shelby will as well. Of course, we’d all love to see the return of a flat-plane Mustang like the GT350.
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