This is how far the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 has come in 52 years.
There are lots of things that are better on the 2020 Ford Mustang GT500 than on a classic one from 1967. Air conditioning is one thing. Bluetooth connectivity and wifi is another. Better seats, airbags, and an 8-inch infotainment screen are others.
But perhaps the biggest and most noticeable difference is power. Back in 1967, the Ford Shelby Fastback Mustang GT500 had about 350 horsepower from an enormous 7.0-L naturally aspirated V8 engine. Today, the GT500 gets more than double that: 760 horsepower from a 5.2-L supercharged V8.
Whereas the 1967 Mustang had a 3-speed automatic transmission (or a 4-speed manual, but this particular example is the 3-speed), the 2020 Mustang has a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with vastly faster gear swaps.
The modern 'Stang is also just larger. It weighs 4,400 lbs compared to the older model's 2,600 lbs. Will that make up for the 2020 GT500’s enormous power advantage? Probably not. Especially since we’re at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the strip is actually going slightly downhill.
We have TheFastLaneCar to thank for this comparison vid. They were invited down to Las Vegas by Ford and managed to snag a 1967 GT500 from Hagerty for a bit of a comparison. While they wouldn’t let a novice drive the 1967 version to do a true driver comparison, they did at least let an experienced driver take the old Shelby down the strip for another run.
The difference between the two cars is stark, to say the least. Where the new 2020 GT500 can reach into the 10-second range with the right driver, the 1967 model struggles to break into the 14-second range. For TFLCar, the difference between the two was actually a full 5 seconds, which is an eternity in a drag race.
Of course, the newer GT500 also has launch control, line lock, and thicker tires for better grip. The list of improvements just goes on and on. Still, the older Mustang has an air to it that’s just hard to replicate with horsepower alone. That might explain why 1967 models still sell in the hundreds of thousands today.