2011 Ford Mustang GT to offer 412-horsepower 5.0-liter V8

Thanks to a loose-lipped Facebookian that couldn’t help sharing insider information and a quick follow-up post from Inside Line, we can now confirm the return of the iconic 5.0-liter Mustang GT for 2011. Even better news is the fact that the Mustang GT’s new mill will crank out an impressive 412 horsepower.

By way of comparison, the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS has a 6.2-liter V8 with as much as 422 horses when mated to a six-speed manual and the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 has a 6.1-liter Hemi that offers 425 ponies. And remember, both of those rivals are considerably heavier than the Mustang.

As much as we’d like to unload more goods on the 2011 Mustang, you’ll just have to wait until Ford’s good and ready. Or someone blows another embargo, whichever comes first.

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With the economic downturn, recession, depression, or whatever you want to call it, we already know that new car sales are taking a long vacation from existence. And cars like the Ferraris and Alfa 8Cs of the world shouldn’t have too much trouble selling, since there are still millions of millionaires. But how about the muscle cars? By and large, the boom in muscle car prices was the result of nostalgic shoppers, laying out significant – but not exorbitant – sums for the dreamcars of their youths. We’re talking about people that had been buying and selling drivable muscle cars in the $20k to $50k range, not just the Barret-Jackson shopping insanity. With financial “gurus” like Jim Cramer telling punters to cash-out all their investments, we can expect a glut of reasonable condition cars on the market, as folks look to pick up more money before the storm. And then consider that in the context of a hugely reduced buyers’ market: how many people are looking for five-figure toys these days? I’m far from an expert, but I’d guess we will see something on the order of a 60 percent drop in the market values of cars like Camaros, Mustangs, Chevelles, and Pontiacs. The rarer and collectible models will no doubt fare better, as these tend to go to buyers that do more polishing and less driving (if ever). While some sellers may decide to hang on to their cars because there are so few buyers, there will still be plenty of cars on the market. It’s a buyer’s opportunity, no doubt about that. If, like me, you’ve ever just wanted an AMC AMX in the driveway, the next few years might be the time, should you be employed.

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of visiting the head office of Ford Canada this past weekend. There were over 470 Mustangs gathered there, many of which belonged to the Mustang Club of America.

It was quite a sight to take in, as there were Mustangs represented from the mid 60’s to ‘07 models. An ‘07 Shelby GT 500 SuperSnake caught my eye. I’ve seen about 4-5 real Shelby’s attend the event. Altho it had fairly good turnout, I felt it was not very well marketed locally. The major of Oakville was present, as was quite a few people of importance, whom I do not remember.

The cars were clean, and well prepared for the show. It is quote an accomplishment, considering some of them traveled hundreds of miles to be there. I’ve seen a Stang from as far as New Brunswick on the Canadian side, and Wisconsin from the U.S. side.

This event was something branded Mustangs without Borders. A new style, which in it’s first year provided great entertainment and a lot of nice machinery to be present in Oakville.

Hopefully the event will be repeated again, next year, without the rain.

If you’d like to see pictures of the event, click below.

1st set of pics

2nd set of pics

3rd set of pics

4th set of pics