2013 Ford Shelby GT 500

This car may have been built almost 50 years after the original Shelby was released, but it still looks like a Mustang. Brutally fast, capable of storming from 0-to-60 in 3.5 seconds, this Pony Car has earned the right to wear the Shelby name. The quarter mile is devoured in 11.8 seconds and the car will reach 200 miles per hour.

The push to achieve the Mustang’s ferocious performance comes from an all-aluminum 5.8-liter 32-valve DOHC engine. Boost is provided by a huge Eaton Supercharger. According to Car and Driver, it “takes more horsepower to operate than is produced by the current [2013] Ford Fiesta.” To keep it cool, the car is intercooled and has twin oil pumps to properly distribute that precious oil.

Power reaches the live rear axle by way of a beefed-up Tremec six-speed manual transmission. That power is countered by larger Brembo brakes with six piston calipers. The front suspension received a larger anti-roll bar and stiffer coil springs, while Bilstein monotube shocks are fitted all around. Meanwhile, in an effort to keep the rubber on the road, the car was fitted with 19-inch front wheels and 20-inchers in the rear.

This GT500 is eye-watering and neck-snapping fast. With so much power on tap, traction control could be the difference between spinning or winning. While steering and brakes may be power assisted, the clutch takes a lot of effort, and the manual transmission is a bit notchy. Although the car benefits from lots of new technology, it is still a true driver’s car, of which you’ll be reminded every time you depress the clutch pedal or shift gears.