First Impression: Shelby GT500

Carroll Shelby tuned first-generation Mustangs from 1965 to 1970. One of the Shelby-tuned Mustangs was the Shelby GT500. He claims that the Mustangs after 1970 were too heavy. In 2006, Shelby started tuning Mustangs again and brought back the Shelby GT500 Mustang.

I frequently see the Shelby GT500 on the Houston roads as well as at Houston Cars and Coffee events. It looks just like a regular Mustang except with two racing strips, The GT 500 decal on the sides the signature Shelby Cobra badge on the grill, sides and back of the car, "S H E L B Y" on the rear where it normally says "F O R D."

The Shelby GT500 is powered by a supercharged 5.4L V8, paired with a six-speed manual transmission, that produces 550 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 179 mph. The Shelby GT500 does not get hit with a gas guzzler tax since it gets 23 mph highway. Prices start at $48,645 for the Shelby GT500. The Shelby GT500 is one of the more powerful, quickest, fastest Mustang variants.

The Shelby GT500 has been featured on Top Gear during Series 9, Episode 6 where it was reviewed by Richard Hammond. The current Shelby GT500 is playable in Flatout 2, Project Gotham Racing 3, Flatout: Head On, Flatout: Ultimate Carnage, Split/Second, Need For Speed: Carbon, Need For Speed: Pro Shift, Ford Street Racing XR Edition, Highway Madness, Blur, GT Racing: Motor Academy, Ford Street Racing, Forza Motorsport 2, Forza Motorsport 3, Speed Racing, Twisted Metal, Need For Speed: Nitro, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Need For Speed: Shift, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, Real Racing 2, Shift 2: Unleashed, Car Town, Driver: San Francisco, and Nitto 1320 Legends.

Final Thoughts: The Shelby GT500 is a very fast, quick Mustang variant. However, it does not like to corner. Carroll Shelby put a lot into the engine, but he did not put modern suspension on the car. The rear live axle is outdated. This causes the GT500 to have horrible handling. It is only good for going in a straight line. The GT500 is great for Drag Strip Racing, but not for race tracks that have corners.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a digital camera

First Impression: Shelby Series 1

Carroll Shelby is known for taking Mustangs and British cars and putting big engines in them. Shelby took an AC Ace body and put a small block Ford V8 into the car and called it the Shelby AC Cobra. Shelby also tunes Ford Mustangs, calling them the Shelby GT500 and Shelby GT350, depending on what performance package goes into the Shelby tuned Mustangs. Shelby was also responsible for the two most successful American race cars, the Shelby Daytona Coupe and the Ford GT40.  In 1998, his company, Carroll Shelby International, built the only car produced by Shelby that was built from the ground up. What Shelby created was a high performing roadster called the Shelby Series 1.

I saw the Shelby Series 1 at the January 2011 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. This car attracted a crowd. It is a rare car, only 249 Series 1 were originally made, so it attracted a crowd. The Series 1 looks fast and fun to drive. It has a stunning appearance.

The Shelby Series 1 is powered by 4.0L V8 that could per optionally supercharged, paired with a six-speed manual transmission, that produces 320 hp and 290 lb-ft of torque. The car weighs 2,650 lb. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 170 mph. Prices for the Shelby Series start at $181,824. That is a hefty price to pay for American Muscle. The Shelby Series 1 is fast, but not fast enough to be called a supercar.

The Shelby Series 1 has been seen on TV while it was being sold at various autions. It has not been featured on Top Gear or Jay Leno's Garage. The Series 1 is playable in Gran Turismo 2, Gran Turismo 4, Test Drive 5, Test Drive 6, Forza Motorsport games, Manhattan Chase, Speed Busters: American Highways, and TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed.

Final Thoughts: This is a great American muscle car. It is fast, quick, stunning, but expensive. The Shelby Series 1 is the only car built from scratch by Carroll Shelby. All other Shelbys are either re-engineered models produced by other car companies and modified by Shelby. The Shelby Series 1 has a higher top speed than the famous Shelby AC Cobra. Only 249 were originally built. In 2000, component car versions of the Shelby Series 1 were built without an engine or transmission. Those who got one of the 249 original cars were lucky to get one.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a camera phone

Shelby Gone Wild: 2012MY GT500 Super Snake with 800HP to be Unleashed at New York Auto Show

Renowned Ford specialist Shelby announced plans to unleash the latest iteration of its venomous pony car at the upcoming 2011 New York International Auto Show. The 2012 model year Super Snake package will add a mouth-watering 800-horsepower under the hood of the Mustang thanks to a heavily modified 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine.

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Ford Mustang Shelby GT 640 Golden Snake by GeigerCars

V8 / 5.409 cc / 640 PS / 582 ft/lb (789 )@ 4.500 / supercharger / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 3,7 s / Vmax: 183 mph (295 km/h)

(click images for a larger view)

Barnfind Shelby AC Cobra, and a one owner, less than 7.4 thou miles '62 Benz 300SL roadster getting auctioned by Gooding Jan 21st

Said to be the only unrestored Cobra in blue and red livery, the '64 AAC Cobra spent 33 years in "storage" yet comes off as surprisingly lustworthy in spite of that. It began life as Carroll Shelby's promo car at SoCal racing venues, was pulled from the deeep barn sleep to do the 2010 Pebble Beach

from http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/15/gooding-unloads-its-time-capsule-cars-for-its-2011-scottsdale/

Home built Shelby Cobra Daytona was made when Shelby sold chassis CSX2130 to an independant racer. I wonder if it was the only one

learned about this at http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5870067&postcount=13861

but the story is at http://www.imca-slotracing.com/1964-Le%20Mans%2024-5.htm

September 26, 1964 - The annual Autosport Three Hours, at the Snetterton track is the tenth and last round of the British Championship and the fifth time that Ford and Cobra stay eye into eye.
Eventually there are only two Cobras (a Willment Coupe and the HEM-6) at the start and two Ferraris - two LMs: Maranello's for Graham Hill and Piper's.

At the start, with Graham Hill on the pole, it's raining the proverbial cats and dogs.

As the track becomes less like a lake, Jack Sears is able to use some of the power of his Willment Cobra Roadster, passing Roger Mac and taking the lead.

The Willment Cobra Daytona Coupe places 1st

October 21, 1964 - This is the third year that British drivers show at the Daily Rand Nine Hours of Kyalami. Willment Cobra Daytona Coupe places 5th

Hear that screaming? Hear the cry of outrage? Yup, they just looked at this GT500 Shelby Mustang Cobra on a junkyard heap of junk cars. The point is

that this should get us fired up, like when Car Craft once had a photo of a Camaro that was being eaten by the jungle slowly... and the submission was accompanied by the phrase "we lost one, but let it be remembered by saving others" (Adam Rosenbaum, Portland Maine)

from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=561

it reminded me of

that I posted a couple years ago http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/12/no-one-will-likely-ever-know-what.html

SSC Ultimate Aero II

V8 / 6.800 cc / 1.369 PS / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 2,8 s / Vmax: 275 mph (443 km/h)

(click images for a larger view)