New GT500 Steals the Show at Atlanta’s Caffeine and Octane

The first Sunday of every month, The Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, transforms into the scene for one of the biggest car shows in the country. Caffeine and Octane regularly draws, on average, 2,000 cars each month, and features everything from classics to exotics and literally everything in between. While this January’s edition of the event had no shortage of exotics and plenty of Jeeps, the spotlight vehicle of the month, it was an American-made muscle car that really stole the show: a brand-new 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang.

Just as the sun broke into the downtown Atlanta sky, this brand-new GT500 made its way though all the Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches to park quietly down toward the end of one of the rows. It did not take long for a crowd to quickly gather around the new Mustang, still wearing its paper tag, fresh from the dealership. Once a few dozen people had surrounded the car, the owner jumped back in and fired up the 5.2-liter Ford V8 engine for the crowd to hear. After a few quick revs, he hopped out and quickly disappeared into the crowd, letting the car be the star of the show. Believe us, the Shelby had no issues speaking for itself!

The new 2020 Shelby GT500 does not disappoint in person. A front end that features wicked lines and a sinister grill, huge Brembo brakes, a no-nonsense rear end - One look around this Mustang and it is pretty obvious that this is something special.

Car clubs from all over the area stage pre-meets in the early hours of the morning to roll into the event together so they can get premium club parking. We saw a few online posts for clubs meeting as early as 4 am! That's three hours before the official start of the event! Above, a Ford Focus group and a Mustang S550 club line up early, both bringing enough cars to take up an entire row by themselves in the Perimeter Mall parking lot.

The event brought out its fair share of cool Ford trucks too - so many that we could not pick just one to share! Here are our three favorites! Above, a cool Raptor in "lifeguard mode" and a sweet early to mid-'90s F-150 with a killer custom paint job, slammed to the ground. Below, a classic Ford F100 with a Paxton NOVI supercharger.

While the new Shelby might have stolen the show, there was still a nice mix of Fords in the classic lot. At each Caffeine and Octane, there are separate lots for various vehicles, including the classics. Our favorite was this pristine blue 1970 Boss 302!

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About the author

Jeff Southard

Growing up with a dad who loved Corvettes, I was destined to be a gearhead from day one. Beyond that, my dad owned an auto parts business for over 25 years. There, I learned the automotive basics as a child, then began my professional career working there after high school. From Corvettes and Superbirds to Hemis and Cobra Jets, my dad has owned a little of everything over the years, so I've had my chance to get some quality seat time behind the wheel of some rare, unique, and sometimes, just odd automobiles. I have owned my share of toys, including over 20 Mustangs. I guess to make a long story short, if you look up "car crazy" you will probably find my photo listed pretty close to it!
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