Hennessey Shelby GT500 Gets Up to 1,200 HP!
As the phrase goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But in the case of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Texas-based tuner “Hennessey” didn’t necessarily see anything broke; rather, he saw an opportunity. And that was to take something already really, really well made, and improve upon it. And improve upon it they did.
First, a quick review of the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 features a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 that produces 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque. Paired up to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the company says the GT500 will be able to hit 60 mph in less than three seconds and turn a quarter-mile in less than eleven seconds. For those in need of more power, though, Hennessey has just the answer.
Photo courtesy of Hennessey
Introducing the Hennessey base Venom 850 kit
To be honest, this is probably the one package that is the least worth getting excited over. That’s because the total turnout of power is not much more than what Ford is rolling off the factory line with here. What you get with the 850 kits is 850 horsepower and 725 pound-feet of torque. Hennessey achieved this minor bump in power with a supercharger pulley and belt upgrade, long-tube headers with high-flow cats, and free-breathing air intake.
Photo courtesy of Hennessey
>>Join the conversation about the Hennessey Shelby GT500 Mustang packages right here in the Mustang Source Forum!
The drool-inducing 1200 kit
And here, now, is where Hennessey makes its money – with tune upgrades like this one here. The Venom 1200 kit completely does away with the Shelby GT 500’s supercharger system and is replaced with turbochargers instead. The engine’s innards also receive a series of updates to improve the car’s performance as well. While the aforementioned 850 and 1000 kits run on 93-octane gasoline, the 1200 kit needs E85 or 109-octane race fuel to hit 1200 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque.
Photo courtesy of Hennessey
>>Join the conversation about the Hennessey Shelby GT500 Mustang packages right here in the Mustang Source Forum!
All Venom kits get some nice final touches
As if the added power is not enough, Hennessey makes sure that all of its specially upgraded Shelby GT500s roll out of their shop with some nice added touches to it. For one, all models feature interior and exterior treatments, including Hennessey badges and embroidery. The American tuner also installs under-the-hood and dash-mounted serial number plaques too. Pricing has not been released yet, though Ford has announced the Shelby GT 500 will be sold for as low as $71,395 for the base model and north of $100k for specialty models. For the Venom version, you can probably expect to spend six figures.
Photo courtesy of Hennessey
>>Join the conversation about the Hennessey Shelby GT500 Mustang packages right here in the Mustang Source Forum!
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