The 2020 Shelby GT500 is the most powerful street-legal Ford ever offered to consumers. Expected to arrive this fall, this hand built supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine under the hood produces more than 700 horsepower. Ford has not confirmed the exact horsepower yet. For the first time in the history of the GT500, it will only be available with an automatic transmission, but it is a transmission built specifically for this car. In a segment-first, the GT500 is fitted with a dual-clutch TREMEC 7 speed automatic transmission that will launch the car from 0-60 mph in mid-three-seconds. Specific acceleration times have not been released yet. The GT500 is fitted with the largest brakes of any domestic sports coupe thanks to the technology transfer from the Ford GT and Mustang GT4 racing programs. The naturally aspirated Shelby GT350 will continue to be offered.

“With its supercar-level powertrain, the all-new Shelby GT500 takes the sixth-generation Mustang to a performance level once reserved only for exotics,” said Hermann Salenbauch, global director, Ford Performance vehicle programs. “As a Mustang, it has to be attainable and punch above its weight. To that end, we’ve set a new standard among American performance cars with our most powerful street-legal V8 engine to date, plus the quickest-shifting transmission ever in a Mustang for all-out precision and speed.”

Two handling packages are available, one of which includes adjustable strut top mounts and a spoiler with a Gurney flap. For the truly hardcore, an available Carbon Fiber Track Package, as seen on the car on display at the AutoShow, features ultra-exotic looking exposed 20-inch carbon fiber wheels with 0.5-inch-wider rear wheels (11.5-inch), custom Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, adjustable exposed carbon fiber GT4 track wing and splitter wickers with integrated dive plane. The rear seat is deleted to reduce weight. New colors for 2020 include Red Hot, Twister Orange and Iconic Silver. Painted stripes are also available.

It is hard to believe but Dodge obviously didn’t feel that 700 horsepower was enough. They decided to release their 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye with a whopping 797 horsepower. This muscle car is now rolling off the assembly line at the FCA Brampton Assembly Plant.

All of that power is being generated by a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI high-output V-8 engine, derived from the record-setting 2018 Challenger SRT Demon. It is rated at 797 horsepower and 707 lb.-ft. of torque, making the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye their most powerful, quickest and fastest muscle car. Sending all of that power to the two rear wheels is a TorqueFlite 8HP90 8-speed automatic transmission. Internal changes to the transmission include an upgraded torque converter that delivers an 18 percent increase in torque multiplication compared with the standard Challenger SRT Hellcat. 0-60 mph sprints take just in 3.4 seconds. Top speed is 326 km/h and quarter-mile elapsed times are just 10.8 seconds.

The new Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye receives new badging, including a red eye featured on the Hellcat fender badges, instrument panel, key fobs, supercharger housing, a new 220-mph red speedometer and Redeye logo splash screen.

“We designed the SRT Hellcat Challenger’s new dual-snorkel hood to focus on another key historical Mopar design element and pay homage to our past with a modern interpretation that looks even more sinister,” said Mark Trostle, the Head of Performance, Passenger and Utility Vehicle Exterior Design, FCA US. “Whenever we design a new exterior element, we work hand-in-hand with the SRT engineering team to ensure that everything we create resonates with SRT DNA, is functional and meets their performance goals.”

In racing, the old adage is, how fast do you want to go? How much money to you want to spend? That applies to the Challenger too. The base 2019 Dodge Challenger SXT has a 3.6 litre Pentastar V6 engine which generates 305 hp, 268 lb.-ft. of torque and a base MSRP of just over $35,000. The SRT Hellcat Redeye has a base price of $97,680. The car on display at the AutoShow has options that bring the price to $121,630 including freight, A/C charge and green levy. The option we like the most is the $8,000 Widebody Package which features 20×11-inch Devil’s Rim aluminum wheels, 305/35ZR20 All-Season Performance tires, Widebody fender flares and Widebody competition suspension. That is how fast you can go, if you want to spend the dough.