During development of the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 last year, engineers from Ford’s SVT division took some time out to test the car at the famous Nardo ring in southern Italy.

There, they regularly ran the car at up to 200 mph on the ring's banked surface and also tested the car's ability to come to a stop from those speeds.

With 662 horsepower and 631 pound-feet of torque available from its supercharged 5.8-liter V-8 engine, it’s clear to see why the new Shelby GT500 has no problems reaching supercar speeds.

What’s most impressive, however, is the stability of the car and its controllability at high speeds, testament to talent of Ford’s SVT team as well as the ever-evolving Mustang platform.

As we found out in our own first drive of the car, it's so easy, so drama-free, and so simple to drive, in part because of its advanced stability control system. In short, the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is an immensely impressive, capable, and outright fast car.

On a final not, it was good that Ford took it to Nardo when it did. With Porsche recently taking control of the Italian facility, it will be interesting to see if rival firms will be allowed to conduct future tests there.