Some suspected it would happen here at the 2018 LA Auto Show. Others figured the big reveal will be near its hometown in Detroit, Michigan in a couple of months. Well, Ford has just officially confirmed on Facebook that the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 will debut in the Motor City this January. A new teaser image shows the GT500's V8 with the caption stating "We have 500 reasons why you should love the GT500. Here's the first one."

Look closely and you'll notice a date stamped there as well: 01.14.19. Expect January 14, 2019 to be the official premiere day. Chances are, this is only the start of the teaser campaign and we'll likely learn some more details between now and January.

Last month, a leaked image of the new Mustang Shelby GT500 made its way online but it was fairly blurry, making it difficult to get a good look at some details. However, also earlier this year we managed to get a sneak peek at the beastly muscle car's spec sheet and learned it will come powered by a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 with an estimated 720 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. However, new information has just come in claiming the output will deliver over 650 hp. Regardless of the differing figures, this will be the highest horsepower rating of any Ford production car in its entire history. But will the final output be higher than a certain Dodge Challenger variant?

Power will, very obviously, be directed to the rear wheels through an expected seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Unfortunately, it does not appear that a manual transmission will be offered, but again, nothing is confirmed just yet. Now that Ford has decided to essentially kill off its entire car lineup in the US, the Mustang will remain its sole non-truck, SUV, or crossover (aside from the GT supercar). The 2020 Shelby GT500 will thus serve as the Blue Oval's next ultimate pony car.