The 2011 Mustang GT doesn't just bring back the 5.0-liter V8, it's also the first Ford to pace the Daytona 500 in 40 years. Hmm... Camaro at Indy and Mustang at Daytona? Let the Muscle Pace Car Wars begin!
These first shots are renders of what the car will look like — as the only info we have on it comes from Barrett Jackson, who will auction the car off after it runs:
For the first time in 40 years, a Ford Motor Company product will be pacing the Daytona 500. Pacing the Great American Race will be the new 2011 Mustang GT Glass Roof Coupe with the all new 5.0L V-8. Ford Motor Company offers for sale the Pace Car for the 2010 Daytona 500. All proceeds over MSRP will go to help cure childhood diabetes through a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. This vehicle is not a replica, it is the actual pace car that will pace the race on February 14, 2010. This vehicle is one of one, with a special Daytona 500 paint scheme, a Ford Racing suspension, strut tower brace and mufflers, unique painted wheels and special interior treatment, including lit sill plates. In addition this vehicle is an early VIN and will be among the first 2011 Mustang GT 5.0L V-8's made available for sale to the public. This all-new high-tech 32-valve V-8 with Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing generates 412 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque while delivering a class-leading 25 mpg on the highway. This vehicle represents a unique opportunity for one lucky bidder to own the actual pace car of the 2010 Daytona 500 prior to the race. You will see your car pacing a field of 43 of America's finest drivers on February 14, 2010.