Hummingbird Heartbeat

Ford Performance details the 526hp Shelby GT350 engine

By Steve Turner
Photos by SID297, Tob, and courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Until now Ford has engaged in a lengthy performance burlesque with the upcoming 2015 Shelby GT350 and its R-model variant. From revealing its look to teasing its exhaust note, this months-long Shelby seduction held our interest. However, the information that kept us hanging on every online whisper is the revelation of the next-level S550â€™s performance specifications. Well, that day has arrived and the numbers are impressive.

The wait is over. We now know the 2015 Shelby GT350 produces 526 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. — The wait is over. We now know the 2015 Shelby GT350 produces 526 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 429 lb-ft of torque at 4,750 rpm.

â€œThe Shelby GT350 program began with a clear objective â€“ create the most balanced, nimble and exhilarating production Mustang yet,â€ Jamal Hameedi, Ford Performance chief engineer, said. â€œEvery change we made to this car was driven by the functional requirements of a powerful, responsive powerplant. The high-revving, naturally aspirated 5.2-liter flat-plane V8 delivers on every target we setâ€”high horsepower, broad torque curve, aggressive throttle response and light weight.â€

See the cars put that balance to good use on the road course right here…

High horsepower is an understatement. The 5.2-liter Voodoo V-8 peaks at 526 horsepower and delivers a whopping 102 horsepower per liter. Thanks to a flat-plane crankshaft designed using computing horsepower, it is also the highest-revving V8 engine in Ford history. The tach needle will swing all the way around to 8,250 rpm before the PCM cuts off fuel.

With an oversquare bore and stroke of 94x93mm, the 5.2-liter engine actually displaces 5,163 cubic centimeters. Atop the engine is an intake manifold said to outflow the Boss 302 intake and it wears the largest single-bore throttle body ever fitted to a Ford. It measures 87mm.

In fact, to hit the high-revving targets set by Ford Performance, the engineers are said to have optimized the engineâ€™s design with millions of cam and exhaust configurations before finding the optimum combo.

Not only does the FPC 5.2-liter sounds great, it helps the engine rev and create a broad power band. Power peaks at 526 ponies way up at 7,500 rpm and torque tops out at 429 at 4,750, but the powerband is wide and fat. Ninety percent of its peak torque is at your disposal from 3,450 rpm to 7,000 rpm. And, there is a 3,000-rpm spread between the torque and power peaks, which keeps the GT350 in its happy place on the road course.

Weight was obviously a concern. The cylinder heads were put on a diet that has them 6-percent lighter than Coyote heads. Meanwhile the new aluminum block uses Fordâ€™s familiar, patented plasma-transferred-wire-arc cylinder liners, which are much lighter than traditional sleeves. Likewise the crankshaft is gun-drilled for reduced weight, and the oil pan is lightweight composite. It features built-in baffling to keep the engine lubed during hard cornering.

â€œA new Mustang as exceptional as the Shelby GT350 deserves an equally extraordinary engine,â€ Dave Pericak, director, Ford Performance, said. â€œThe all-new naturally aspirated 5.2- liter V8 perfectly fits the balanced dynamics of the Shelby GT350, and we believe this new engine will become a performance legend.â€

For more on the Shelby GT350 powertrain, you can check out the live coverage of today’s media event on our forum.