Spied! Possible Shelby GT500 Mustang Shows Off Supercharged V-8

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is about to get some supercharged competition from Ford if this exclusive spy shot is any indication. Sent in by a well-placed source, the photo shows a Shelby Mustang with a supercharged engine under the hood.

In the lone image we can see a supercharged V-8 installed in what appears to be a Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang body. Our source tells us it’s a supercharged version of the GT350’s 5.2-liter flat-plane-crank Voodoo V-8. The supercharger install is very clean, and the blower and associated parts look very similar to those included in a Ford Performance supercharger kit for the Mustang GT. That kit is estimated by Ford to make 670 hp when mounted to a 5.0-liter V-8, so there’s huge potential for the 5.2-liter Voodoo, which makes 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque in naturally aspirated form. That’s good news considering the last GT500 made 662 hp and the current ZL1 makes 650 hp.

So is this the GT500? We can’t say for sure, but the claim of a flat-plane-crank V-8 does jibe with what we heard when we spotted a Shelby Mustang prototype testing with a Camaro ZL1 a couple weeks back. When asked about the photo, a Ford spokesman said the company doesn’t comment on speculation. It’s possible Ford is testing an OEM supercharger kit for the GT350, which would also be cool. But we prefer to believe this is a mule for the GT500 and we’ll soon see Ford’s answer to the ZL1. The Shelby GT500 celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, so we could see a new model debut this year.

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