You Can Buy A 500 Horsepower Supercharged Shelby GT500 Mustang For The Price Of A New Civic

As a rule of thumb, many heavily depreciated performance cars are probably a bad idea to rely on. The German ones often require heaps of maintenance and the Japanese ones can occasionally suffer from aggravating parts support, but the American ones are usually remarkably solid, offering huge bang for the buck and relative simplicity. So, what do you buy secondhand if you want some serious straight-line fun without breaking the bank? Well, the 2007 to 2009 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a worthy contender in that arena.

We’re talking about a live-axle pony car with a thumping 500-horsepower supercharged V8, a retro icon that immediately became a poster car for 17-year-olds and 70-year-olds across the land. For 2007, one of the greatest Mustang nameplates of all time was back, and it had no real immediate competition.

These days, a Mustang Dark Horse cranks out 500 horsepower without the need for a supercharger, and even a new rental-spec Ecoboost Mustang comes with a more sophisticated independent rear suspension underneath its bodyshell. However, there’s a certain appeal to the halo Mustang of the late-aughts, and it’s a halo car you can pick up for the price of a new Honda Civic.

What Are We Looking At?

Back in the ’60s, the original Shelby GT500 used the number 500 in its name simply because it was bigger than just about anything else on the market. This time around, though, the number after the GT designation meant something. Under the hood, an iron block 5.4-liter Modular V8 with four valves per cylinder gained an Eaton M122H supercharger and an intercooler to crank out 500 horsepower. Fitting. Of course, 500 horsepower and 480 lb.-ft. of torque is a lot to handle, so SVT and Shelby specced a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual transmission, a relatively long 3.31:1 axle ratio, and 285-section rear tires.

Was the 2007 Shelby GT500 refined? Only to a point. After all, it was very clearly five figures of go-fast stuff bolted onto a relatively inexpensive live-axle car. Plus, with a curb weight eclipsing the 3,800-pound mark, it’s a bit porky. However, that’s the recipe for a muscle car, and the GT500 had the brawn to put some solid numbers on the board. We’re talking zero-to-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 112 mph during Car And Driver instrumented testing.

If you’ve kept track of your Mustang history, you’d know that’s about the straight-line pace of a 2015 Mustang GT, a car that’ll outhandle the 2007 GT500 and offer greater refinement. That might be true, but there are two other things to consider. The first is presence: The reborn GT500 just looks mean, and it’ll forever exist in the hall of top-dog Mustangs. The second is that the GT500 is already supercharged, which means it’s not hard or expensive to turn up the wick. A 2.6-inch supercharger pulley, cold air intake, and a tune should be good for a gain of around 100 wheel horsepower, and at that point, you’re just getting started.

How Much Are We Talking?

While the S197-1 Shelby GT500 might’ve been one of the most expensive Mustangs of its time, it certainly hasn’t been immune to depreciation. In fact, you can pick one up for sensible car money. A 2025 Honda Civic Sport Hybrid sedan starts at $29,845 including freight, and it’s not hard to find a 2007 to 2009 Shelby GT500 for well less than that. In fact, this 2007 model recently hammered on Cars & Bids for $22,250, and it seems like a pretty solid deal. Sure, it might have 85,700 miles on the clock and the passenger door panel trim might be detaching, but it’s spent its life well outside the rust belt, boasts a clean Carfax, and generally looks ready to drive.

Willing to live with a few obvious mods for a better price? Well, then something like this 2008 Shelby GT500 might be your cup of tea. It hammered on Bring A Trailer back in September for $20,500, and while it does have black wheels, aftermarket taillights, and some dubious Super Snake badges, it also features some tweaks you might actually want, like Eibach springs, a J&M panhard bar, a short shifter, and a MacLeod RXT clutch. With 66,000 miles on the clock and a clean Carfax, this is one to drive like you stole it.

Don’t want to pay auction fees? No worries, the more conventional side of the market for these 2007 to 2009 Shelby GT500 pony cars seems to track fairly well with what we’re seeing from online auctions. For instance, this 2008 Shelby GT500 is listed for sale in Texas for $26,491, and although it has a very minor entry on the Carfax from 2022, it looks near-stock and has 70,190 miles on the clock. Not a bad way of spending that sort of coin.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong On A 2007 Shelby GT500?

Thankfully, the 2007 to 2009 Shelby GT500 is pretty reliable as far as 500-horsepower cars go, but there are a few things to watch out for. The only really big issue happens exclusively to 2007 models, and only when you’re chasing big power. The harmonic balancer on the 2007 cars is heavy and is known to cause excess stress on the crankshaft when you start chasing dyno numbers, especially with an upgraded supercharger. Thankfully, a lighter replacement isn’t hideously expensive — an ATI SFI-rated harmonic balancer weighing less than 10 pounds lists for $513.82 at Summit Racing, and replacement is pretty simple. The other common mechanical issue is the clutch lifespan isn’t particularly long, and you’ll want to replace the flywheel when you do the clutch.

Otherwise, most of the issues you may experience from a 2007 Shelby GT500 are really just old car issues. Like any S197 Mustang, the interiors aren’t exactly built to the highest quality, and clogged cowl drains can cause rainwater to meet the junction box, leading to some lighting shenanigans. That being said, most of these cars aren’t daily drivers, so expect them to be in nicer condition than your typical 17-year-old Mustang.

Should You Buy A Shelby GT500?

Absolutely. Look, it’ll drink its weight in fuel, insurance probably won’t be cheap, and tire life depends entirely on how heavy your right foot is, but that’s the charm of a Shelby GT500. It is wild. It is insane. It is a bit loutish. That’s why we love them. The fact that they’re unproblematic enough to actually work as a reasonably hassle-free car is just icing on the cake. If you ever had a picture of the 2007 Shelby GT500 as your desktop wallpaper or on a poster in your childhood bedroom, go out there and make your dreams a reality. There’s plenty of time left to buy sensible transportation, but this? This is something rare.

(Photo credits: Cars & Bids, Bring A Trailer, Autotrader seller)

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