A mysterious online post has the Ford Mustang world revved up about the possibility of a new Shelby GT500 coming next year.
The entry to the Mustang7G forum includes a screenshot of what is purported to be a message from someone from the UAW Local 600 at Ford’s Dearborn Engine Plant, where the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 used in the Ford F-150 Raptor R is built.
The note discusses increased staffing at the plant, which primarily manufactures the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine featured in the Bronco Sport and Maverick.
“The additional shifts are for increased production for the Bronco Sport and Maverick. I also anticipate an afternoon shift being added towards the end of 2025 on the Niche assembly line. This volume increase is for the 2026 Mustang Shelby GT 500. I can’t wait until we start building engines for such an iconic vehicle with an engine that will be named Legend.”
The 760 hp supercharged 5.2-liter V8 that launched with the 2020 Shelby GT500 was nicknamed the Predator and the 720 hp version in the F-150 Raptor R is known as the Carnivore. The upcoming Mustang GTD will also use a variant rated at 815 hp.
Ford hasn’t made any official announcements about a new Mustang Shelby GT 500 and its arrival in 2026 actually seems sooner than expected. The seventh-generation Mustang just launched in 2024 and Shelby GT500 models are usually added closer to the end of a generation’s life. For instance, the sixth-generation Mustang went on sale in 2015 and the Shelby GT500 model didn’t arrive until 2020.
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Along with the GTD, Ford will have at least one new Mustang model on sale before the Shelby GT500 arrives. The Mustang RTR designed in collaboration with Vaughn Gittin Jr. will be launching sometime this year with a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder.
As for what to expect from the next Shelby GT500, it’s unlikely it will be less powerful than the last one, but whether or not Ford deems it worthy to be more powerful than the $325,000 Mustang GTD is yet to be seen.
In the meantime, Ford Performance sells a $9,995 supercharger kit for the 5.0-liter V8 in the Mustang GT and Mustang Dark Horse that cranks up the power to 810 hp.