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It's pretty clear that Ford Motor Company is very proud of the 2010 refresh of the Ford Mustang - even though the Mustang has not yet received the "big motor news".  Since launching the 2010 Mustang at the LA Auto Show last year, Ford has been showing off their proud new baby like any good doting parent and the 2009 SEMA Show was virtually an alter to the fabled pony car.

 

This is nothing new, as the gigantic Ford display at SEMA is never without a nice spread of modified Mustangs, and models like the new Cobra Jet and the RTR-C Mustang fit the SEMA mold nicely.  However, this year featured the first for Ford as they debuted the first ever Ford Mustang stock car for NASCAR along with a pair of beautiful Shelby Mustangs being raffled off to help with veterans charities.  Also, Ford offered up a handful of production 2010 Mustangs showing off the latest and greatest 'aftermarket' additions available from Ford Racing.

 

Joining the market this past spring, the Ford Shelby 2010 GT500 benefited from lessons learned when the ultra high-performance 2008-2009 Ford GT500KR came out. The next GT500 also improved inside thanks to interior developments applied to the updated base models.

Exterior
The 2010 Mustang is more of a refresh than it is a new Mustang, and while the 2010 Ford Mustang GT and the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 both clearly reflect those changes, the GT 500 adds an aspect of functionality to the aggressive new look.  The most obvious difference between these two Mustangs is the front fascia.  The 2010 Mustang GT has a front end design similar to the previous generation, with two massive driving lights mounted in the flat black grille, flanking the running pony that was also redesigned for 2010.  Along the bottom of the 2010 Mustang Shelby GT 500's front fascia, there is a large cooling opening also finished in flat black, and that trim wraps around to the wheel openings.  The 2010 Mustang Shelby GT 500 puts function before form, making sure that the 540 horsepower engine is kept as cool as possible. 

The Mustang Shelby GT 500's driving lights have been moved to the lower fascia area directly below the headlights, and in their absence the upper grille area features a shape that helps to funnel cool air into the engine bay.  The only obstruction on the grille of the Ford Mustang GT500 is the silver Cobra badge, as the Shelby model doesn't feature the running pony.  The lower fascia area also has a design to help funnel air through the Mustang GT 500's large front mounted intercooler, and the unique GT 500 hood contains large vents to help channel the hot air out of the engine bay.  Along with channeling the air, the upper grille design offers better aerodynamics than the 2010 Mustang GT, as the Ford Shelby GT 500 grille comes to the top of the front fascia and the hood meets the back of the fascia, where the Mustang GT hood hangs out over the sunken-in grille and driving lights.

The 2010 Ford Mustang debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2008 showing off a new, sleek exterior, and Ford unveiled the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 at the Detroit Auto Show a few months later.  The 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 received similar changes in styling as the Mustang GT, but Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) took the refresh a step further but inside and out.  The 2010 Mustang GT is expected to have an MSRP around $33,000 and the Shelby GT500 will likely cost around $45,000, so what differences account for that price gap?





Drivetrain
The Mustang faithful hoped for a big jump in power from the 2010 Mustang GT to accompany the aggressive new look, but with only 315 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque the 4.6L V8 received only a minor improvement.  The 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, like the previous GT500 models, boasts of being the most powerful production Mustang ever made.  That claim is backed up by the 540 horsepower supercharged 5.4L V8, using tuning improvements from the 2008 Ford Mustang GT500 King of the Road.  The 2010 Mustang GT offers a five-speed manual or automatic transmission, while the Mustang Shelby GT500 returns an improved 6-speed manual transmission.  Although there are optional differential choices, a 3.31 rear-end is standard in the Mustang GT.  The 2007 Mustang GT500 offered the same 3.31 ratio, but thanks to the improved transmission, the 2010 Mustang GT500 now has a 3.55 gear, giving the car better low end acceleration without hurting fuel economy.

1967-1968

Another big year for the Ford Mustang, 1967 marked the first redesign of the model. The body lines were slightly changed, with a new grille layout and new non-functional body colored side scoops in front of the rear wheels. Also, the rear roofline of the fastback was extended all the way to the back of the car, giving it a full fastback look. While this redesign helps to set the 1967 apart from the previous models, it was fairly subtle and was actually not the big news that year.  The Big News was the introduction of the new high performance Ford Mustang GT 500 and, with it, the introduction of big block engines options: the 390 cubic inch and 428 cubic inch V8s.