First look: GT500 wows New York

FORD presented its most powerful factory Mustang ever at last week's New York motor show, where the 335kW-plus Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 show car debuted as a teaser to next year’s production version.

Co-developed by US performance car legend Carroll Shelby and Ford SVT, GT500 combines the look of a 1960s Shelby Mustang with modern Ford big-block V8 performance, the latter offerign no less than 500 horsepower.

Set to join Ford’s SVT Mustang Cobra range in 2006 and based on the all-new 2005 Mustang, GT500 features a further development of the supercharged 5.4-litre 32-valve DOHC V8 that first appeared in the limited-edition 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R, mated to a T-56 six-speed manual gearbox and 19-inch wheels.