LMR got their hands on a new 2018, ten speed auto, GT, and did a fake news dyno run on it. The video is on their site and they also just added a short video of how the new adjustable exhaust option sounds. In any case, I said fake news since LMR uses 93 octane and some say additional octane boosters, when they test. They also allege that the car shut down in its 1:1, 7th gear, due to its speed restriction governor, and they did not bother to share any results of a gear change that would allow a full pull to the 7500 RPM redline. Still, the torque figures should compare. The comparison I chose was to the 2015 GT that they tested with the Ford Racing Stage 2, fully CARB and warranty friendly (if installed by a Ford dealer) upgrade, which, runs right about $1000, installed, which is the amount that Ford raised the GT Performace Package on the 2018's by. The torque curves are similar, as are the power curves, up to 6600 RPM. But, one would have to think that Ford did not raise the limiter to 7500 without some reason, so there may be more useful power above 6600 RPM. The Stage 2 raised the limiter from 6700 to 7200, and the word on the street is to rev as close to 7200 as possible for max performance, so it is sort of tricky to determine if power goes up substantially for the 2018. If it does, it will have a definite flat spot in its power curve from 5500 RPM 6600 RPM. Also note is the fact that the new 10 speed auto is 1:1 in 7th gear, which means that the 10 speed auto has two more gears to use in the 1/4, which, combined with the claimed lightning shifts of the auto in drag mode, is a giant advantage, even for a heavier car. I expect that the advantages of an auto when drag racing, along with more gears, will make the new GT a stout performer, so, a good road test of a 6 speed manual would be interesting to see at some point.
Not that any of that is of any interest to me at this point, as I am fully retired from drag racing. But, it is still true that torque rules in ordinary driving as it is uncommon for high performance machines to hit their redlines, in everyday street use, but, torque is used all the time. This is one reason that smaller turbo engines have gained so much ground, as they generate lots of useful torque for their displacement, and most have humble redlines.
But, I still like the sound and feel of that big inch V8 effortless torque that a good old naturally aspirated American V8 delivers, and, Mustang is still offering that, albeit at elevated prices, if you want all the performance goodies.
Here is the comparison:
The new tranny is failing? I missed those reports. IYH, IH... 
