With the release of the most powerful production Mustang in history, the Shelby GT500, Ford Racing had to up the ante in the world of factory supported race cars. Ford released the FR500C Boy Racer when the redesigned Mustang GT came out in 2005 with great success. For a relatively low cost, a driver could race a full season and be successful with the cars. Now Ford Racing has done it again, this time with more power and better parts. The FR500GT has the same goal in mind. A successful and competitive racer with a low cost to buy and maintain.

The FR500GT stands out at the race track from its predecessor, the FR500. The GT model has more aggressive body panels, such as a large adjustable rear wing and a fully adjustable front splitter. Both are made from carbon fiber to keep the added weight down. Both keep the tires planted as the FR500GT reaches its top speed of 172 miles per hour.

The powerplant of the car is of course what wins races. A Roush/Yates built engine produces over 550 hp and features a redline of 7200 rpm, which approaches quickly on the back stretches of the track. The transmission is a fully sequential Hollinger product, which needs no clutch actuation for an upshift. Every component on this automobile has been strengthened in some way. The power allows the car to pull to redline in each gear, and is absolutely brutal.

Dan Davis, head of the project, which has been deemed Man Racer, says that "anything that might be fragile, that's where we spent the money: the rear end, the bearings, the full-floating rear axles, the spindles, extra cooling. The idea is that once you buy this car, unless you wad it up, you should be able to get through a racing season with very low maintenance costs."

Extra large 18 inch BBS wheels wrapped in Pirelli racing slicks put the power to the pavement. The oversized brakes come from AP Racing and Sparco seats and harnesses lock you in when you apply the larger binders.

Davis says the cars should last racers an entire season without rebuild, while a refresher on the cars shouldn't cost more than $20,000. The initial cost is a mere $225,000 for a full fledged race car. Davis also spoke of a possible rebirth of the Trans Am series as soon as the new Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger are released.

Stay tuned to Planet Mustang and RPM Planets for more information on this amazing factory racer, as well as more information on the possible Trans Am series races.