As most pony car fans are well aware by now, the S550-generation Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 bowed out after the 2022 model year, and won’t be returning with the launch of the all-new S650-gen 2024 model this summer, either. However, as Ford Authority was the first to report last September, the S650 Mustang Shelby GT500 is expected to arrive in 2025 for the 2026 model year following a short hiatus – and it may be joined by a Mustang Raptor, interestingly enough. Recently, Ford Authority spotted what is believed to be an S650 Mustang GT500 mule in convertible form, but as we explain in the video below, there are reasons to be skeptical that this is, in fact, an early version of that forthcoming model.
There are certainly some things about this particular vehicle that suggest it could be a GT500 mule – including its wide track, S550 GT500-derived carbon fiber wheels, dive planes, quad-tip exhaust, big brakes, and Michelin tires. Additionally, the S550 GT500 started life as a GT-based mule, which is also the case here.
On the flip side, the hood on this mule is not raised to make room for the supercharger on the Ford 5.2L V8 Predator engine, which would be a notable omission, as it’s expected to power the next-gen model. Additionally, the front end doesn’t have any additional air intake space that would be needed to provide the cooling for that powerplant. However, since this is a mule and not an integrated prototype, these things aren’t necessarily unusual by any means, as Ford could simply be testing parts of the new GT500 – not the entire package.
Instead, it could be a chassis mule designed to test the car’s suspension, brakes, and other elements, though not the Predator powerplant. Thus, it’s somewhat unclear what, exactly, we’re looking at here – whether it be the new GT500, Mach 1, Boss 302, or something else entirely – but one thing is for certain – we’ll be seeing more production-ready versions of this model in the near future, as well as a gradual shedding of camouflage, so stay tuned for future sightings!
We’ll have more on the Shelby GT500 soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Mustang news, Mustang Shelby GT500 news, and non-stop Ford news coverage.
Comments
Now that I think about it, it kinda makes sense, the previous GT500 did have a bulge to accommodate the supercharger and it had a bigger opening in the front, let’s assume this is not the next gen GT500, this might be a more powerful Mustang but slightly under the GT500, or maybe a test mule for the street legal GT3 since the CEO did ask on Twitter “should we make the GT3 street legal” there are also rumors of the Cobra name coming back,
This guy has the right idea. No new GT500, the next big mustang is a dark horse.
I am wondering why this mule has the big export mirrors and the slightly different export rearlights (you can see the seperated lower quarter of the rear lights which are the export turn signals)
I wish they’d just bring back the “Cobra” name for the top dog.