A New Year’s Day introduction of the new 540-horsepower 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 means forget the Rose Parade, forget the bowl game and regret the hangover. The 2010 SnakeStang is the most powerful Ford SVT-tuned ever—and it’s even a smidge greener, the SVT team reducing highway fuel consumption by two miles per gallon of high test compared to the previous GT500.

The bump to 540 horses means the standard—if that phrase can be applied to any Ford Shelby Mustand—GT500 matches the output of the 2008 Shelby GT500KR, the 1000-unit limited edition given extra tweaks by Ford’s SVT performance products division. Said racing and performance car legend Carroll Shelby, “We are proud of the many enhancements that were developed jointly by the Ford and Shelby Automobiles team last year that we’ve now incorporated into the new 2010 Shelby GT500.“

Ford’s Special Vehicles Team matched the extra power of the supercharged and intercooled 5.4-liter dual overhead cam V-8, which is also rated at 510 lbs-ft of torque, with enhancements to the drivetrain, including a revised dual-plate clutch.

The exterior of the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 draws design cues from the original design cues of the Shelby Cobras of the Sixties while making history of its own with the most aerodynamic body ever on a Mustang. Ford engineers worked to keep the flow of air through the engine compartment to the minimum necessary while also reducing the amount of air under the body. According to Kerry Baldori, the 2010 Shelby GT500 has “…increased downforce, reduced drag and improved the overall efficiency…” with a “flush” hood and a rear spoiler with a “Gurney flap” to improve downforce while keeping aerodynamic drag to a minimum.

The interior is a modified as the exterior. Building on the contours of the new 2010 uses real aluminum trim plus leather-plus-Alcantera seating combined with special classic Shelby-specific touches to clearly differentiate the GT500 from lesser Mustangs. Even the cupholder door received attention. Said Douglas Gaffka, chief designer for the Shelby GT500, “You’ll definitely know you’re in a Shelby.”

Ford also made standard a number of features typically optional on other Ford models, including SYNC, 911 Assist, MyColor and VHR—Vehicle Health Report—that will gather operating data from the vehicle, send it to Ford via SYNC and be available as a diagnostic report via an automatically dialed 800 number using the customer’s paired and operable mobile phone. Voice-activated navigation with Sirius Travel Link will be optional.

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