Citing unnamed sources, Ford Inside News has stated that the 2013 Shelby GT500 will pack a whopping 650 horsepower under the hood when it hits the pavement. Long on speculation and short on fact, the site indicates the new mill will be turbocharged, but cannot confirm a displacement for the engine.
Much of the current discussion about the next SVT Snake is driven by recent spy photos from Germany where two Shelby-based mules have been seen testing. Both photo and video evidence strongly suggest that these cars are not supercharged, but are fitted for extra cooling regardless.
Ford itself has yet to officially weigh in on the current horsepower poker game between the GT500 and the range-topping Camaro ZL1. Sporting an intercooled Eaton supercharger on top of its all-aluminum 6.2-liter V8 engine, the ZL1 will have more than 550 horsepower on tap, as recently indicated by the Camaro’s chief engineer, Al Oppenheiser. How much more? Oppenheiser was not saying.
Topping the 556hp found in the Cadillac V-series cars should be a trivial exercise and we’ve a feeling that Chevrolet is looking to a notably higher number. While the Corvette’s supercharged LS9 engine churns out 638 hp in ZR1 form, sales of the $110K sports car could be compromised if the Camaro gets too close to that power level.
Still, rumor content floating around since March of this year has suggested that, for the next Shelby GT500, 600+ horsepower is not out of the question. So, it may be that the only question is: How much more?