By Bryan Redeker

We got back from our Raptor test drive, and head back inside of SVT. Patrick presents Brandon and I with some paperwork to sign, and a set of keys. We sign our life away, grab the keys, and head back outside. Sitting in the parking lot is a brand new 2010 Mustang GT500 coupe. The GT500 looks menacing in dark grey with silver leMans stripes over the top. Dark forged aluminum wheels, the first using a 5-axis CNC milling operation for a production car, and massive sticky shoes beg us to take the car for a drive. Walking around the back of the GT500, the exhaust tips are dark gold, a sign that this one works for a living. It is not easy to get the exhaust hot enough to turn gold on a street car, so this one has spent some time at the track.

Brandon climbs into the passenger side, and I open the driver’s door. The seats are black with silver inserts to match the stripes. Sticking up from the center console is the short throw shifter with classic white ball on the top. Gears 1-6 and the shift pattern are printed on the top, with the leMans stripes going down the center. Adjust the seat, put on the seat belt, insert key, and push in the clutch. A quick turn of the key and the massive V8 shakes the ground. I think people in Windsor can hear this thing start. Staring me in the face is the tachometer, and a slight blip of my right foot sends the needle racing. I grab the shift knob and move it to first gear. Wow, there is only a few inches of travel with this shifter, something that is lacking on the Fiesta. Bring up the revs, let out the hydraulic clutch to find the pressure point, and the GT500 starts to move forward. Having gobs of power under your right foot is something that is slightly addicting.

I take the GT500 for a test drive around Greenfield Village and neighboring streets. Once in traffic, I realize that the GT500 is very civil. The car is not harsh on the Michigan roads, the exhaust note is not too loud, the brakes are not overly aggressive, and the clutch doesn’t require He-Man strength to push it in. You could actually use this car for daily transportation, as well as taking it to the track. Again, this car is a trademark of SVT. Instantly, I fell in love with the shifter with its very short throws, precise placement of the gates, and just the right amount of effort. I like to know that I am really moving mechanical parts when I shift, and you get that feeling with the GT500. There is no disconnect between you and the car. The only bad part about the car was that we were on city streets and not a race track. There is no place for fun on the street, and I wasn’t going to fool around with this car. I did get a chance for a quick take-off from a stop light, but you get the speed limit in seconds! I was able to test out the handling while coming up quickly on a turn. I did a 3-2 downshift, utilized the well placed pedals for a nice heel-n-toe shift, turned into the corner, and got on the gas coming out. Right away, you can tell this car handles far better than any other factory Mustang. Even for a live axle car, the back end stays well planted on the bumpy roads while putting the power down.

Brandon and I switch spots in the car, and he gets to take it back to SVT. We were both very impressed with how well the GT500 is as a package. The suspension is much better than the Ford Racing sourced components on our dad’s Shelby GT. The new GT500 looks like it wants to go road racing, rather than drag racing. The new car is much more refined than its predecessor. Even the look of the car is much improved. If Sara would let me have one, and I lived in a place with no snow, I could easily drive a GT500 every day. Since it is a tad out of my price range, and I need something that goes well in the snow, I will stick with getting a Fiesta. Before we headed home, we had a chance to meet Jost Capito. For Brandon and me, he is our version of a Hollywood star. Jost is the Director of Global Performance Vehicles, as well as the father of the Focus RS. Brandon and I were honored to meet Jost and spend time talking with him about performance cars. He really is the perfect person to run the performance vehicle division of Ford. Not since John Colleti have I talked to somebody at Ford’s management that speaks my language.

Overall, we had a great time going to Ford and SVT. The things we saw and did helped renew my faith in the blue oval. Motorsports and safety are a big part of Ford. Technology is what they use to accomplish the task of integrating safety and motorsports into the cars we buy.