Cobra Stays Supercharged

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 (Courtesy of Brenda Priddy & Company)

It looks like the Cobra will remain supercharged after all. In recent rumors and reports, the big, bad GT500 will hold on to its Supercharger. But, with that intercooler also under the bonnet, expect this car to produce as much horsepower than the already menacing Camaro ZL1, which could receive 570 horsepower from its 6.2-liter LSA Supercharged V8. The current snake produces 550 horsepower, and in recent reports, the car will come with somewhat of a 20 horsepower power bump in 2014. In that same year though, a new Mustang will come forth as a 2015 model. Specifics are unclear as for now, but when I get something, I'll make sure you'll hear it from me first.

Twin-Turbo Cobra?

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 (Courtesy of AutoBlog)

It's possible! Why? Take a look at the intercooler hiding behind the grille. The only cars I know that have such an instrument would have an engine that's been turbocharged. And seeing that this is the GT500, I'm thinkin' two turbos would fit the bill. Don't panic Supercharger lovers. There are also rumors that an even bigger supercharger will be housed under the bonnet of the Cobra which will push the power from 550 to 620 horsepower. As for me, I'm just glad to see it hugging corners on the Nürburgring. That course is racing heaven. In order to master it, you'll need a fantastic car as well as fantastic driving skills. Since the GT500 came back in 2006, it's been praised for being a powerful car, but mocked for having stick-like handling. Now that it's on the Ring, this will give Ford the chance to make the car more grippy, less stick-like, and more refined. Hopefully, this car will beat the M3 GTS to the punch.

King Cobra

2010 Shelby GT500 Super Snake

Shelby and the Ford Mustang are like two peas in a pod, always hanging around each other. Ever since the 60's, Shelby has always been tuning the pony car with superchargers and other stuff to make it the most powerful muscle car on earth. In 2010, they came back to produce the Super Snake, their most powerful Mustang yet with a 5.4-liter Supercharged V8 engine producing 750 horsepower. Carroll Shelby himself said that car will do over 200 MPH with a 0 to 60 time of 3.7 seconds. Well, word has gone out that for 2012, Shelby will be recreating the Super Snake. This time, it will have, get this, 800 horsepower. It will also come with other upgrades like BAER Six-Piston brakes, Borla Exhaust System, Sport-tuned suspension, and Alcoa 20-inch rims. But, out of all honesty, if the Mustang wasn't so heavy, the Super Snake would easily do 220 MPH. But, Shelby loves to go all out while maintaining their "safety" motto with their cars. Anyway, the 800 horsepower King Cobra will be on display this month at the New York International Auto Show, so you better believe that I'll have pictures of it.

King Cobra

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (Courtesy of WorldCarFans)

It seems like Ford was rather displeased by the unveiling of the Chevy Camaro ZL1. So, after that car made its world debut, they decided to even the odds. And by evening the odds, I mean making their pony car the fastest and most powerful on the planet, in their terms at least. So, welcome everyone, to the all new King Cobra, the Shelby GT500 for 2013. No real changes in body work. Ford just wanted this Cobra to be more powerful. So what did they do? They took out the old 5.4-liter 550 horsepower supercharged V8 engine and put in an all new 5.8-liter 620 horsepower supercharged V8 engine. The new supercharger provides all the beans in this car. Our current GT500 uses one from Eaton Performance. This new one will use a TVS blower for more power and torque. No calculations yet on how fast the new Cobra can go, but Ford promises that this car will do 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds and a over 190 MPH. I hope they can achieve this. The Camaro ZL1 will do 0 to 60 in about 3.8 seconds and up to 200 MPH. Ford has a lot of work to do if they want to catch up.

[Source: WorldCarFans]