Ford Mustang: Go-fast Shelby name goes in favour of Cobra

The Ford Mustang pictured here at the Nurburgring in Germany is said to be the go-faster SVT Cobra

model, badged to replace the famous Shelby Mustang at the top of the Pony car line-up.

Photographic agency Automedia said the buzz around the Nurburgring is that Ford will revive the SVT Cobra moniker for its premium model and leave the late Carroll Shelby’s go-faster shop, Shelby American, to develop its own range of new Mustangs. Ford’s long-time partnership with the Shelby name ended with his death in 2012. Shelby was aged 89. Since then Ford’s SVT (Special Vehicle Team) division has been preparing to play a greater role in the development of future high-performance Fords. The last Mustang to use the SVT Cobra name was the fourth-generation model. The camouflaged SVT coupe on this page reportedly had larger wheels and brakes, restyled front and rear ends, and was running a more powerful version of the 351kW/570Nm supercharged 5.0-litre V8 that will next year go into Ford Australia’s final Falcon GT-F.

Word around the Nurburgring, says Automedia, was that the same capacity engine in the SVT was delivering close to 400kW. The most powerful current Mustang is the SVT-built Shelby GT500, whose supercharged 5.8-litre V8 engine develops just under 500kW and around 850Nm. But the GT500 is based on the outgoing 2014 model and its live rear axle, made even livelier by the beefier engine. The 2015 Mustang is now a global player with new fully independent rear suspension, larger brakes, a limited-slip differential and a torque vectoring system to make it sharper through corners. US analysts are saying, now that the Shelby link is only on paper, that an SVT Cobra Mustang with 400kW under the bonnet would open up a new world performance market for Ford.

The first of the sixth-generation Mustang variants will land in New Zealand later next year in two body styles – coupe and convertible – and with the choice of two engines. The top-range GT model will weigh around 1680kg and get a 5.0-litre V8 delivering 324kW/542Nm. It’s pretty much the naturally aspirated version of the boosted Falcon GT-F engine. The entry-level Mustang will weigh in at just under 1600kg and get a four-cylinder 2.3-litre Ecoboost unit, generating 231kW/433Nm. Both engines will drive the Mustang’s rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox or automatic with paddle shifts. Mustang Mustang SVT… said to be running a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 around the Nurburgring