In a move that would undoubtedly meet with the approval of recently departed Carroll Shelby, Ford Motor Co. has announced that it is to fit launch control to the latest version of the Shelby GT500 Mustang.
The cars that bear the name of the legendary maker are always at the upper echelons of Ford's line-up and the 2012 GT500 is no exception. In fact with 671hp and 855Nm from the supercharged 5.8-litre engine the Mustang sports (Ford says) the most powerful production V8 in the world - and probably needs the traction control to put the power down.
The system, developed by Ford's Special Vehicles Team (SVT), has two settings making it suitable for new and experienced racers alike. With launch control in its default setting, the driver just has to press the accelerator pedal to the floor and release the clutch leaving the electronics to sort out how much of the V8's power to send to the tarmac. The more advanced setting allows the driver to modulate at what revs the system launches to take account of differing road surfaces.
"We developed this system to enable 90 per cent of drivers to be able to achieve very fast, smooth and consistent starts with the Shelby GT500 regardless of their skill level," said Eddie Khan, SVT Engineering supervisor. "Experienced drag racers may be able to get away slightly quicker, but chances are they won't be as consistent."
Somewhere Carroll is doing a nine-second quarter mile.