Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 features new composite parts

Carbon fiber front splitter component for Mustang Shelby GT500 in place of the standard ASA component. All photo credit: Ford

The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 features a hand-built, supercharged, 5.2-liter aluminum alloy V8 that is mated to a TREMEC seven-speed dual clutch transmission that then channels the power and torque (760 horsepower, 625 pound-foot) to the rear wheels with a carbon fiber driveshaft. Everything about this car is engineered for performance.

And to that end, Ford Performance Parts (Dearborn, Mich., U.S.) has developed four new aftermarket carbon fiber components for the GT500 that are separate from the components making up the Shelby GT500 Carbon Fiber Track Package.

According to Mark Wilson, Ford North America vehicle personalization, planning and operations manager, “Beyond leveraging this high-performance material to reduce weight, we track-tested and validated its durability at Ford Performance Racing School in North Carolina.”

But the weight savings are key.

So what are the available carbon fiber parts — and what materials do they replace?

Hood vent and rain tray kit. Standard component: high-temp ABS.
Front splitter with belly pan. Standard component: injection-molded ASA.
Front bumper insert between the upper and lower grille intakes. Standard component: TPO.
Rear decklid trim panel. Standard component: PC-ABS.

The composite hood vent and rain tray kit cuts the weight from eight pounds to four. The front splitter and belly pan weighs four pounds, the front bumper insert one pound and the decklid trim panel is two pounds. All in, there is a nine-pound weight reduction compared to the stock parts.