Over the past week or so several journalists, bloggers and writers got their hands on Ford's most powerful Mustang to date, the 540 horsepower 2010 Shelby GT500 for a little seat time to test out the new beast. Since we seemed to have misplaced our invite to review the new Shelby GT500 I thought why not post up what everybody else is saying about their first drive. What I will be doing is providing you with the publication source, link to review/first drive and also a quote from said writer so you can see a snippet of what each person had to say about their experience. For starters if you have not seen the burnout video already, check out our previous post on the first Shelby GT500 burnout from Garage419, it's pretty sweet.
I will start you off with The Car Connection's own Rex Roy who got to spend a few days with the new Shelby GT500.
TheCarConnection.com - GT500 First Drive: Rex Roy gives his assessment of the GT500 suspension, "Suspension components are tuned to deal with the 2010 Shelby GT500's power. Changes at every corner and a thinner front anti-sway bar makes the Shelby handle better than the 2007-09 edition (less understeer). Driving on all manner of roads, the suspension is stiff but not punishing. It can soak up bumps and broken pavement better than you might expect knowing that this is the last of the pony cars to use a live rear axle."
Edmunds.com/insideline - Road Test Review: Chris Walton discusses the interior appointments. "The seat upholstery is real leather and the inserts are suede. The rim of the steering wheel is suede. The silver trim for the dash is real aluminum, and it has a zippy dimpled finish. Soft-touch plastic is used and the gauges are specific to the GT500. When you fire up the car, the Shelby Cobra logo appears on the navigation screen."
CarandDriver.com - Road Test Review: Aaron Robinson talks about the Shelby GT500's new body, " All 2010 Mustangs get new, curvier sheetmetal over bigger shoulder pads. Shelby GT500 gets mostly those same panels, plus a distinct face and an aluminum hood that has been gouged with a single, large heat vent. A trapezoidal grille cap finishes off the nose with the look of one big flaring nostril."
MotorTrend.com - First Drive: Frank Markus gives us his take on the steering of the GT500, "Turn the wheel and the whole car rotates eagerly without any sense of swinging the nose toward an apex. The heft and effort seem appropriate, but with all that weight burdening those wide front tires, little information about what's happening down at the pavement reaches the steering-wheel rim. Body motions are more tightly controlled than in the old GT500, but the ride is far suppler than the coal-cart KR's"
Jalopnik.com - First Drive: Wes Siler's take on the Shelby GT500's live rear axle, "While the live rear axle still does define the Mustang's unique character, it doesn't appear to provide much limitation now that the rest of the package is so refined. You can see it jumping up and down underneath the rear when the GT500 runs the 1/4 mile and you can feel it spinning away back there in corners, but you'll be more focused on using the excellent steering feel and adjustable chassis to care."
