Ford's Mustang much more than a muscle car

Ford is looking to energize sales of the Mustang by introducing the most powerful one ever.

The 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500's supercharged V8 pumps out 760 horsepower. That's more than any Ford in history, even the $450,000 GT.

The $73,995 coupe targets Ford superfans who have been waiting six years for a new GT500, which is traditionally the top of the line Mustang. With options, including a limited run of hand-painted racing stripes that cost $10,000, the GT500’s price can reach nearly $110,000.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
F FORD MOTOR CO. 13.04 0.00 0.00%

But it's about more than selling them just one sports car. Ford says Shelby owners often have several of the brand's models in their garages, especially trucks that they use to tow their GT500s to the track.

In the past, that was likely to be a drag strip, where the new GT500 can cover a quarter-mile in under 11 seconds, but this one was designed to go around curves quickly, too.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

Along with a set of wide high-performance tires and a computer-controlled suspension, the GT500 features a racing-inspired wing and bodywork that create over five hundred pounds of downforce at high speeds to help keep it stuck to the pavement on a curvy road course.

The highly anticipated GT500 arrives at dealers this fall and not a moment too soon.

The Mustang has been the best-selling American muscle car since 2015 but was outsold in the third quarter of this year by the Dodge Challenger, which is available in 717 to 797 horsepower Hellcat models that have brought it the sort of attention Ford is hoping the Mustang will get from the GT500.

Gary Gastelu is the FoxNews.com automotive editor. Follow him @garygastelu.