Shelby GT 500
The Ford Shelby Mustang GT 500 is a high performance version of the classic Mustang. In recent years Ford has been trying to deal with some serious financial issues that were the result of declining sales and one of their strategies has been to look to the past. Ford has reintroduced several classic names to their vehicle lineup in an attempt to win back customers and the Shelby GT500 is part of the this plan. The original Shelby Mustang was available in late 1960's when Carol Shelby was at the height of his fame. A revival in interest in Shelby Mustang by classic car collectors has helped to make the name well known again and Ford are hoping to take advantage.
Carol Shelby is a legend in American motor sport, the cars he designed and built dominated sports car racing in the 1960's. In order to capitalize on the Shelby name and his design expertise Ford and Shelby worked together to develop a high performance version of the classic Mustang. The Shelby Mustang was available from 1965 until 1970 and during that time it was the ultimate word in muscle car. Available in limited numbers the Shelby Mustang has since become a very popular collector car, and Ford hoping to capitalize on the new found popularity of the Shelby reintroduced it as the Shelby GT500 in 2007.
The Shelby Mustang GT 500 (and The Shelby GT350) is slightly different from the standard Mustang in terms of exterior design with unique front and rear fascias. The Shelby also has a rear spoiler which not only differentiates the car from the standard version but is actually functional and helps to improve performance. The Shelby Mustang is also available with unique paint jobs that are not available on the standard Mustang and the exterior stripes can also be included on the seats if the customer wishes. These exterior design elements are to make sure that people can distinguish the Shelby from the regular Mustang but the real difference is in performance.
The Shelby Mustang comes with a 5.4 litre engine that produces 550 horsepower. The new engine on the 2011 model is made out of aluminium in order to save weight and is 102 pounds lighter than the engine used in previous models. Not only does this improve performance but it also helps the Shelby to get better fuel mileage. The 2011 Shelby is no longer subject to the gas guzzler tax in the U.S. for cars that get poor fuel mileage. One of the most unique new features, which is available on all new Mustang models is the electric power assist steering. In most cars the power steering system uses belts that divert power from the drive train in order to help with the steering, the Mustang doesn't do that. The Mustang's power steering is electronic which means no power is lost in driving the power steering, the system also gives more precise steering and reduces the effort required in low speed manoeuvres.