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How Niche Line Build The Ford 2020 Shelby GT500 760HP Predator
By Dave Ashton
The Ford 2020 Shelby GT500 is going to be one hot topic when it hits the showrooms, especially with an impressive 760HP. The car will have plenty of features to appeal to not just the pony/muscle car world, but also performance fans in general. But, what are the newfangled upgrades that are going into the latest engine and how is it built?
Before getting into the usual description of the ‘bits’ and why they are so much better than before, one of the standout features of this engine is that it will be built by a single builder, with support from other assistants and computerization on a special assembly line called the Niche Line.
The Niche Line is where the best of the companies performance power plants are put together that has been on-going since 1996 to build the Four Valve 4.6L V8 for the Mustang Cobra. This is essentially a boutique line which is responsible for the supercharged 5.2-liter engine going into the Shelby GT500 and the engine plants for all the top Fords. A very personal way of working for such a large entity of a company.
As for the specifics of the new engine, it will be a supercharged 5.2L cross-plane crank V8 making 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque, mated to a a TREMEC seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission from the Ford GT and claim to do a quarter-mile in under 11.0 seconds, 0-to-60-mph in the mid-3-second range and a top speed which will be governed at 180 mph, redlining at 7,500 RPM the.
Each engine that goes into the 2020 Shelby GT500 will get its own personal plaque with a signature from the engine builder and dubbed, ‘“Hand-Built with Pride.’ Shelby fan or not, this video is worth watching to see how one of these modern V8’s is put together in a hands-on method, counter to what we usually expect from such a large car manufacturer.
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