[Bad@ssCamaro]

From Motor Authority :

In short, the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is an immensely impressive, capable, and outright fast car.

But there's something missing. The mojo. The infectious, addictive character that makes it impossible to step out of the driver's seat on a track day. The sense of anticipation that wakes you up early on a Saturday morning, keys in hand.

It's hard to explain how a really well-executed, high-power, blazingly quick car can come up just a bit short on the fun factor, but the GT500 somehow does. It pains me a bit to admit it, but it's true.

Not that it's not fun--it is--it's just not nearly as fun as you might expect. It doesn't have the magic some cars have. Having driven each of the previous years' GT500s back through 2009, nearly every year bringing significant advances in performance, power, or both, the 2013 GT500 certainly delivers on paper. It even delivers on the track, be it a road course or the drag strip. But it just doesn't deliver a noticeable upgrade in giddiness.

There are a few other areas where the mega-GT500 leaves a bit to be desired, too: the still-just-a-Mustang interior (though at this price point, we don't count it as a fault; it's just reality); the braking at high speeds lacks some initial bite, likely as a compromise for that easy around-town nature, but we'd really like a bit more whoa when applying the stoppers above 130 mph; and the sound, while very throaty and aggressive, can be a bit too much, a bit too loud, unless you're just loping along in high gear; and speaking of gears, the gearing is just too tall.

If you're making regular 200-mph runs, it's probably just right. Likewise, it's very well matched to the drag strip, requiring just two shifts to get to third gear and trap speeds above 120 mph. But between the GT500's stout 3,852-pound curb weight (or 3,970 for the convertible), and the tall gears, acceleration just isn't the Hammer Of Thor experience you expect. Sixty miles per hour comes in just 3.7 seconds--all in first gear--and 100 mph takes just 7.9 seconds, but the numbers don't relate the experience behind the wheel.

After a couple of days thrashing the 2013 Shelby GT500 on the street, the course at Road Atlanta, and at the drag strip, I came away incredibly impressed at the technical and technological prowess SVT and Shelby have managed to pack into what began life as a Mustang, for a price on par with an upper-mid-range sports car. I even came away with a smile. But I didn't come away wanting to buy one.