Lucas Bell 
If there was ever a car that was destined to have racing stripes, it is the new 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Like the famous blue and white examples of the 1960’s, these ponies just look better with the added flair brought by the stripe package. While orders for the new muscle car have been open since June, we are just now getting information about how much the stripes are going to cost, and it is shocking.
Like, $10,000 shocking.
Ford has confirmed that for the first time they are going to offer a painted stripe on the new Shelby GT500 after order guide leaks emerged. However, these are not your typical racing stripes.
This extra paintwork will be outsourced to Penske at their state-of-the-art paint facility due to production limitations at Ford for such a package. The stripes will applied under a layer of clear coat, though we aren’t sure if this is in addition to the coat over the standard paint. The price tag certainly seems high at first glance, but shipping a car over to another facility to do extensive paint work is never cheap. You would likely spend more money out of pocket to have the stripes painted on after the fact, without factory quality assurance.
Ford will also offer the typical vinyl stripes for the Shelby Mustang GT500 as well, which are stuck onto the car after it has been painted. The vinyl racing stripes are only a $1,000 option, but they do leave small gaps on the edges of the body panels that paint simply does not. Painted stripes are also far more durable and long-lasting than the vinyl ones, but the vinyl can also be replaced if they ever start looking too discolored or tattered.
In person, the finishing details on the new GT500 appear rather impressive, and each and every color has a vibrancy to it that is uncommon, even among supercars.
Despite the $10,000 price tag, the painted on stripes aren’t even the most expensive option that GT500 owners will be able to spec their car with. The Carbon Fiber Track Package that includes upgrades like 20-inch carbon fiber wheels, sporty Recaro front seats, rear seat delete and an adjustable carbon rear wing costs a whopping $18,500.
From the start the GT500 has been a car all about the numbers. The range-topping muscle car makes a monstrous 760 horsepower and 635 pound feet of torque from its supercharged 5.2L V8, and it is also the heaviest Mustang yet. The potential $73,995 list price would also make it the most expensive on sale today, even before adding five figures worth of stripes. Based on the prices of the options we’ve seen so far, it is going to be possible to turn the Shelby GT500 into a near-$100,000 Mustang. In a world with $60,000 mid-engine Corvettes, we’re left wondering if this pricing strategy will work.
Hi Lucas, great post. I know that it painted cost more due to the specialized nature of the process, but, does it have year specific to get it re-painted or how long the $10,000 paint stripes would last? Thank you!