Carroll Shelby never dwelled on the past. He always looked ahead. “My favorite car is the next one,” he once said. Now, Shelby American is continuing to build on that legacy into the 7th generation of the Ford Mustang. The American tuner has just released teaser images of a mysterious Mustang model. With a caption that simply reads: “The Next One” the car is being prepared for a reveal at the upcoming Monterey Car Week.
Monterey is where some of the world’s most elite automobiles gather, from coachbuilt Bugattis to the latest from the world of track-bred hypercars. Shelby launching something here means it’s got to be truly extraordinary. Ironically, AC Cars is the official Sponsor of the Pebble Beach Concours this year.
So far, details are scarce, but there’s still plenty that we can unpack from the teaser image. A broad shoulder haunch, the tri-bar taillights that are unmistakably S650 Mustang, and a swan-neck hint at a potential car, designed to do track work. The bodywork looks wider than any standard S650, likely to accommodate broader wheels and a track-ready stance.
Now, what exactly Shelby will stuff under the hood is anyone’s guess, but historically, Shelby American has long favored Whipple superchargers strapped to Ford’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8. Expect output to exceed 800 horsepower.
By contrast, the stock Mustang Dark Horse makes 500 horsepower from its naturally aspirated setup. What all this could mean is that this new Shelby Mustang will need serious chassis reinforcements: upgraded suspension, massive brakes, and sticky tires. Possibly even lightweight carbon fiber components.
This also marks Shelby’s second high-profile swing at the S650 platform. Back in January, Shelby American unveiled its GT350 variant of the S650 with familiar tricks: a Whipple supercharger, Borla exhaust, and suspension tweaks.
But this new teaser suggests something far more radical, and appears to be more of a spiritual successor to the old GT500. Could it be even a street-legal homage to Ford’s $300,000 Mustang GTD? We don’t know yet. Larry Chen, the renowned automotive photographer, has already seen and shot the car, but he’s staying tight-lipped for now.
But in the end, what’s missing from this equation, curiously, is Ford itself. Unlike past collaborations on the GT350 and GT500, this new Shelby seems to be an independent effort. The Blue Oval has remained silent on any new co-developed Shelbys, instead pushing its own six-figure Mustang GTD and the track-focused Dark Horse model and even a new fox-body inspired variant. Exactly what Shelby has in store will be revealed on August 13. Watch this space.
Image Source: Shelby American