The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 has been one of the most awesome factory sports cars ever produced; certainly the most high-profile Mustang available to anyone with enough zeroes in their checkbook. The results that some of the country’s finest tuners have seen from these cars is nothing short of amazing.

When the factory announced that the 2013 version of Ford’s most impressive pony car model would be delivered with 662 horsepower and be the base for the most powerful production V8 engine in the world, heads spun ’round, bobbed up and down, and drool started to filter from the mouths of the Mustang buying public.

Ditto when the numbers 200 miles per hour and and 600 ft./lbs. of torque were thrown about. Even the older models of GT500 are well over 500 horsepower  – making these factory-supercharged cars prime bait for modifications. In 2006, the GT500 was released to the public with a 5.4-liter supercharged engine, and that powerplant continued on until the end of the 2012 model year. In 2013, Ford upped the ante and poked the engine out to 5.8 liters – our famous 351 designation is back!

Kooks Custom Headers, based in Statesville, North Carolina, has released a complete exhaust system that will fit all GT500 models from 2006-2013. As supercharged applications like this one require deep breathing to get the exhaust out of the engine, it makes sense to install a set of larger pipes to pick up the easy horsepower gain. 

According to the video, the long-tube headers and x-pipe combination [PN 6025CX] is good for over 50 horsepower to the rear tires. The headers feature 1 3/4″ primary tubes exiting into 3-inch collectors, then back through a 3″ catalytic-converter-equipped x-pipe assembly that will mate with your factory exhaust, or bolt right up to Kooks’ complete catback system that is available for these cars.

In addition, a non-catted version [PN 6025OX] is also available for those of you who don’t have emissions to worry about. Each header is TIG-welded and The headers feature T-304 stainless material and 3/8-inch thick flanges and are shipped with oxygen sensor extensions. While changing the complete exhaust in a GT500 isn’t a two-hour job, the time and money invested is well worth the gains you’ll receive.

For more information, log on to kookscustomheaders.com.