About ShelbyCarroll Shelby was not the first car builder to take an American V8 and stuff it into a small English car chassis. But among the small group of builders that did so, he was the most successful. His Ford-powered AC Cobra became an American Icon and a racing legend, going so far as to even beat Ferrari on the track at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.Shelby American was founded in 1962 to build high performance parts and cars. And of those cars, the most well-known is the Cobra. In 1961, Shelby contacted AC Cars in England and asked them to provide him an AC Ace modified to accept a V8 engine. Ford, looking for a car to compete with Chevrolet's Corvette, signed on to provide a 260-ci V8 engine for the project, and the prototype was born. And while a lightweight race car was the predominant force behind the build, Shelby also needed to build street cars to pay the bills and keep the race shop doors open, so a street... View more version was also completed. Cobras were soon fitted with Ford's 289-ci V8, as well as the monster 427-ci side-oiler, resulting in extreme performance that was more than a match for nearly all sports racers of the 1960s. They were built in limited numbers only and were extremely successful on the track. Originals are very rare and collectible today. And thanks to the success of the Cobra, Ford again turned to Shelby in 1965 when it needed a high-performance image for its recently launched Mustang. The GT350 was the result, consisting of a fastback Mustang with a 306-hp 289-ci V8. Built by Ford and completed by Shelby, each featured a unique Shelby paint scheme, optional hood stripes, and suspension modifications that made them more track-worthy than basic Mustangs. A GT350 H edition, built for Hertz as high-performance rentals, were also built, most of which finished in black with gold stripes. GT350 R models are worth the most, with prices climbing as high as $900k, depending on history. The GT500 debuted in 1967, fitted with a 428-ci big-block Ford engine. 1968 saw the introduction of the GT500 KR model, with KR standing for "King of the Road". Each featured the same 428-ci V8 of the standard GT500, with a 335-hp rating. A total of 6,847 GT350s and 6,938 GT500s were built from 1965 through 1970. Recently, Ford has teamed up with Shelby again to build Shelby Mustangs, starting with the new GT-H in 2006. The GT500 returned in 2007, with a 500-hp supercharged 5.4L V8, 6-speed manual, special suspension, and 18-inch wheels. The KR also returned in 2008, with a 540-hp version of the 5.4L V8 and special high-performance calibrations. For 2011, the GT350 returns to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the original, with a supercharged 5.0L V8 among the performance modifications included in the package. Customers can ship their new Mustangs direct to Shelby, which will convert them with a host of performance products, including an optional supercharger and special tuning to make 624 horsepower. And although that level of performance voids the factory warranty, it also makes it the fastest Shelby Mustang in history, with a reported 0-60 time of just 3.7 seconds. View less | |||
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