Shelby still King of the Road

[rshelby]

Saturday, January 12, 2008
Shelby still King of the Road
Custom Mustang delivers 540 hp
Scott Burgess / The Detroit News
detnews.com

Friday marked the birth of two legends. One arrived 85 years ago, the other just showed up for the party.

Carroll Shelby celebrated his 85th birthday the same day his company, Shelby Automobiles, began production of the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 King of the Road in Las Vegas. Only 1,000 vehicles will roll into dealerships later this spring.

The limited-production Mustang will top the scales in power and prestige for Mustang, just as Shelby insisted, said Jamal Hameedi, Ford's Special Vehicle Team chief engineer.

"The guy's amazing," Hameedi said of Shelby. "He's 85 years old and he's still pushing us to more, more, more. Better handling, more power."

Which is precisely what Shelby and Ford created with the King of the Road. The muscle car bulks up to 540-horsepower with the supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 engine -- 40-horses more than the GT500.

In fact, Hameedi points out the multitude of differences between the regular GT500, assembled in Flat Rock, and the Shelby version of the muscle car.

Lighter materials, such as carbon fiber and aluminum, were used to shed speed-limiting weight. The suspension was reworked to handle fast-track cornering, and Goodyear developed a special tire to carry this pony. The GT500KR has an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

Shelby downplays his role in the development of the King of the Road.

"At 85, I'm having a lot of fun," he said earlier this week. "Some people say I still have that fire in my belly," he said with a chuckle.

The racing legend, who helped transform the original Mustang from a secretary hauler to iconic pony car, added, "These cars create this aura in some people's mind. I'm not sure where it comes from. But it's not the regular Mustang."

Indeed, none of the special-edition Mustangs Shelby has helped create is typical. The GT500KR is the fourth limited-edition Mustang since 2001 to come from Ford's collaboration with Shelby Automobiles.

"I'm lucky to be working with Ford at this time in my life," Shelby said.

And Ford's lucky to be working with him.

"Demand is far exceeding what we'll be able to produce," said Robert Parker, Ford's car marketing manager. "Mustang is pretty universal. It does well with all kinds of markets. It really breaks through the clutter. People see it, and know it; you never have to explain what you're driving."

You can reach Scott Burgess at (313) 223-3217 or sburgess@detnews.com.

[DeLa1Rob]

A photo of the prototype

robin

[vernonestes]

Great article!
Thanks for posting randall.
Love that pic to....will be a classic image when all is said and done.
BEst Regards,
Vern

[snakeman]

Snakeman hopes to have that kind of energy when he reaches 85

[snakeman]

Excuse snakeman's manners slithering off like; I just wanted to say Hi to Rshelby,Veronestes,Dela1rob,Tesgt350and Slither ,sorry it has been a while since I posted .WAY!!! Too much going on ,I have also been out of town quit a while .You were some of the first I talked to when I first joined, just wanted to speak to all of you. SNAKEMAN sssssssolong.