On Friday January 18th, the first 2020 Shelby GT500 (VIN – 001) was sold at Barrett Jackson’s Scottsdale auction. The car received a jaw-dropping winning bid of $1.1 million by Barrett Jackson’s CEO and Chairman – Craig Jackson.
All proceeds of the sale are going to JDRF – Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – who fight Type I Diabetes in children.
The 2020 Shelby GT500 made a dazzling debut at the Detroit Auto Show at the start of the week (January 14th). With more than 700 horsepower, Ford claims it’s the most powerful Mustang to ever leave the production line.
There is little doubt that under the giant hood vent sits a real powerhouse. The 5.2-liter V8 may be smaller than previous editions of the car, but size is not everything when it comes to engines. With a massive 2.6-liter supercharger and the latest Ford Performance tech, the new GT500 will go up to 60 mph in 3-something seconds.
However, whether this is the ultimate GT500 or not depends on how well it takes on the competition. Since Ford released just vague performance statistics, there is a healthy amount of speculation. Will the vehicle par with the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and Chevrolet Corvette ZR1?
There’s a good six months before we find out.
We expect the 2020 Shelby GT500 to go into dealerships sometime in fall this year. Ford will use all the available time to fine tune the engine and extract all the torque it’s capable of producing.
One thing is for certain though. This particular Shelby will go down in history. With a $1.1 million price tag, it’s the second most expensive Mustang in the world.
It replaced the 1967 Shelby GT500 Eleanor sold in 2013 for $1 million. The Gone in 60 Seconds star car still takes a respectable 3rd place.
First place in the Mustang most-wanted list goes to 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake. The only Super Snake ever built was recently sold for $2.2 million at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction in Florida.
