2011 Shelby GT500 Sets New Track Record

Ford's tire-shredding 2011 Shelby GT500 drops its Virginia International Raceway lap time nine seconds in this video after dropping 120 pounds with a new aluminum block on its 550-hp supercharged V8.

The latest iteration of Ford's muscle car is lighter, more powerful and more nimble thanks to the track-day SVT Performance Package, which includes lighter wheels, stiffer springs, and a higher rear axle ratio. Listen as the GT500 uses every molecule of the special Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar G:2 tires.

This setup was intended to reduce track time by an average of 3 seconds on a 2.3-mile track, but here drops the time from 3:07.4 on the 4.1-mile Grand West course with the 2010 GT500 to 2:58.5 with the fully kitted-out 2011 GT500.

God Bless overachievers.