The no-nonsense interior is significantly upgraded from the standard Mustang, with better materials and aluminum trim as well as a full load of standard equipment. The Shaker audio system is very impressive. The optional Recaro front seats hold tight with great support.

Despite the middling complaints, the Shelby GT500 stands as a remarkably big bang for relatively few bucks, with a base price under $55,000. That about 83 bucks per horsepower, by my reckoning.

The sporty interior features aluminum trim and a full measure of standard features. (Photo: Ford)

A pair of critical options on the tester were the $3,500 SVT Performance Package and the related $2,500 Track Package, which provide such competition-ready extras as driver-adjustable suspension and steering effort, a Torsen limited-slip rear differential with a nose-mounted differential cooler, a transmission cooler, and an air-to-oil engine-oil cooler. All of this is designed to make your track-day experience all the more beneficial, while the adjustments allow you to drive in reasonable comfort – and safety – to the track.

With a navigation package, the leather Recaro seats and shipping, the bottom line came out to $65,420, which is still a performance bargain. You can go ahead and figure out the bucks-per-horsepower ratio.

This is quite a heady time for all-out Detroit muscle, what with the new Camaro ZL1 back on the road, the all-new SRT Viper starting to roll off the assembly line and a seventh-generation Corvette unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show.

The new Shelby GT500 has been getting plenty of attention, though, offering a surprisingly level of solid performance that upholds the heritage of Carroll Shelby with appropriate gusto.

It’s a fitting sendoff for the classic Mustang configuration before the major new-generation overhaul that’s coming soon from Ford.

Details

Vehicle type: Four-passenger, two-door coupe, rear-wheel drive.
Engine: 5.8-liter supercharged V8, 662 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, 631 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm.
Transmission: Six-speed manual.
Wheelbase: 107.1 inches.
Overall length: 188.2 inches.
Curb weight: 3,852 pounds.
EPA mileage rating: 15 city, 24 highway, 18 overall.

Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at