2013 Shelby GT500 spied on the Nürburgring
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:13 am
http://mustangsdaily.com/blog/2011/06/1 ... rburgring/
Ford and the SVT team are hard at work on the 2013 Shelby GT500, as evidenced by this latest batch of spy photos taken by BridgeToGantry.com. The pictures were taken at the famous Nürburgring racetrack where Ford was participating in a two-week long industry test session.
The photos raise quite a few questions about what will be in store for the 2013 Shelby GT500. First, it’s notable that Ford is testing the car there at all. The Nürburgring is usually a famous proving ground for companies like Porsche, and the investment in bringing a car and crew over to Europe signifies that SVT is doubling down on their effort to develop the GT500 into a world-class handling sports car.
One of the more noticeable features of the test car is the winglets fitted to the front bumper. It could very well be that Ford is experimenting with the aerodynamics of the car, but another possibility is that a track-focused version of the GT500 could be under development. Interestingly, the car has a graphic of the track map on the back. Could a Nürburgring special edition be in the works?
Finally, a large intercooler can be seen through the GT500′s lower grille. That could mean more output from the supercharged V8, as earlier speculated, or as the photographer ventures, a twin-turbocharger setup. “After listening to the car rumble muffledly past on an open throttle, I suspect the beast is turbocharged and that’s an intercooler,” he states on the web site.
Whatever Ford has in store for the next GT500, we can’t imagine that we’ll be disappointed. Expect official details on the car to come later this year, perhaps at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.
Ford and the SVT team are hard at work on the 2013 Shelby GT500, as evidenced by this latest batch of spy photos taken by BridgeToGantry.com. The pictures were taken at the famous Nürburgring racetrack where Ford was participating in a two-week long industry test session.
The photos raise quite a few questions about what will be in store for the 2013 Shelby GT500. First, it’s notable that Ford is testing the car there at all. The Nürburgring is usually a famous proving ground for companies like Porsche, and the investment in bringing a car and crew over to Europe signifies that SVT is doubling down on their effort to develop the GT500 into a world-class handling sports car.
One of the more noticeable features of the test car is the winglets fitted to the front bumper. It could very well be that Ford is experimenting with the aerodynamics of the car, but another possibility is that a track-focused version of the GT500 could be under development. Interestingly, the car has a graphic of the track map on the back. Could a Nürburgring special edition be in the works?
Finally, a large intercooler can be seen through the GT500′s lower grille. That could mean more output from the supercharged V8, as earlier speculated, or as the photographer ventures, a twin-turbocharger setup. “After listening to the car rumble muffledly past on an open throttle, I suspect the beast is turbocharged and that’s an intercooler,” he states on the web site.
Whatever Ford has in store for the next GT500, we can’t imagine that we’ll be disappointed. Expect official details on the car to come later this year, perhaps at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.
Nice to see they are finally taking handling seriously (although the last few stang's have definitely been better!)