Noooooooooooo. Ford’s 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 won’t have a manual transmission
Another one bites the dust: A leaked spec sheet suggests the upcoming Mustang GT500 will only have two pedals
According to a leaked spec sheet, the only transmission available on the Ford‘s 2020 Mustang GT500 will be a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic, made by Tremec and called the TR-9007 DCT.
As the push for milliseconds becomes more important to armchair racers, and folks who stack up cars against each other on a sheet without regard for driving pleasure, the comparatively slow manual transmission is quickly dying off in the upper echelon of performance vehicles. The 2019 GT350 is still offered with a six-speed Tremec manual, which means that all hope is not lost for the enthusiast who prefers to row their own gears.
If you’re spending the money on a serious track-focused car like the GT500, tenths of a second matter to you. The development of a manual transmission that can handle the 720 horsepower coming from the 5.2L engine will only add to the final cost. While competitors from GM and Dodge are still offering manual transmissions for their 700+ horsepower sports cars, it seems likely that Ford has gone down this route to save cost, not because of any reliability issues with the six-speed that has been used in the past.
Another argument for the exclusion of the manual transmission is the current political climate occurring in the U.S. in regards to Ford’s Mexico production and tariffs imposed upon them. Production of the Focus and the Fusion has already been slated to end by 2020, signalling the start of cost-cutting measures that will likely continue across the lineup. |
