The Legend of Ford and Carroll Shelby, Changing the Course of Automotive History In the early 1960s, the advent of the American muscle car era would mean high-power V8 engines, quicker-shifting four-on-the-floor transmissions, bigger tires and improved suspensions for faster elapsed times as drag strips popped up across the country. This fierce competition for bragging rights on the weekends would lead to an increase in vehicle sales on showroom floors come Monday. With Henry Ford II determined his company could compete with the best and fastest in the world, a boisterous young man from Texas with a reputation for building winning race chassis powered by Ford engines came to the attention of executives in Dearborn. Soon a collaboration formed between Carroll Shelby and his Shelby America and Ford Motor Company – one that would change the course of automotive history. 1965 Shelby GT350 Shelby GT350, the first high-performance Mustang While Ford engineers worked in secret to develop the revolutionary Mustang pony car, Shelby was already hard at work building Ford-powered cars to take on the world at Le Mans. As the very first 1965 Mustangs came off the line, several were quietly shipped to Shelby America in California for engineering of the first high-performance Mustang – the Shelby GT350. Less than a year after Mustang began production, Ford and Shelby pounced with the first high- performance model, Shelby GT350. Powered by a Shelby-modified Ford 289 high-performance V8 churning out 306 horsepower, the 1965 Mustang Shelby GT350 competition models were built and homologated for SCCA competition, quickly winning the first race on February 14, 1965. The Shelby GT350 won the SCCA Production B championship that year, garnering a reputation as powerful and nimble competitors. The following year, Henry Ford II and Carroll Shelby would sweep the podium at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Ford GT40. Shelby GT500, pinnacle of Mustang performance Riding on its success with Shelby, Ford continued to improve upon the original Mustang Shelby GT350 track car, and as competition from cross-town rivals heated up, Ford and Shelby decided there needed to be an even more powerful version. And so the Shelby GT500 was born – the fastest, baddest, most powerful Mustang to date. 1967 Shelby GT500 Ford unveiled a 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 powered by a massive 428-cubic-inch big-block engine with twin 600-cubic-feet-per-minute Holley carburetors mounted to a Shelby America-designed mid-rise aluminum manifold. The Mustang carried over K-code performance specs from the Shelby GT350 – tri-headers, high-performance brakes, nine-inch rear axle and performance wheels – and the unmistakable Cobra badge. It featured a more aggressive fiberglass hood and front body panels, more aggressive front end with center-mounted driving lamps in the grille and side-body air scoops. The Mustang Shelby GT500 went on to become one of the most beloved performance cars in history. A year after its introduction, Ford debuted the legendary Mustang 428 Cobra Jet, designed for NHRA drag strip supremacy. With 335 horsepower and 440 lb.-ft. of torque, that engine was offered in a special Shelby GT500KR. Today, these King of the Road editions reign as the highest-valued Mustangs among collectors. The original Mustang Shelby GT500 was built through the 1970 model year, at which point the Boss 302 and rising gasoline prices began to chip away at sales. The top-dog Shelby GT500 nameplate would remain a memory for decades to follow. Carroll Shelby returns to supercharge Mustang performance Over the years, Carroll Shelby would continue to build performance cars and experiment with superchargers as a way to boost power and performance. In 2005, Ford and Carroll Shelby shared the stage at the New York International Auto Show to unveil the all-new 2007 Mustang Shelby GT500. Created in collaboration with Ford’s Special Vehicle Team, it featured a 5.4-liter V8 engine producing 500 horsepower and 480 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to a TREMEC® 6-speed transmission. Similar to the first models, it featured custom aerodynamic bodywork, high-performance chassis upgrades and iconic Cobra grille badge. Ford followed up a year later with a Shelby GT500KR edition that boosted output to 540 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque thanks to a new cold-air intake and revised engine calibrations. This was the first Mustang to see lightweight carbon fiber used extensively on its hood, front splitter, brake cooling ducts and mirror caps. Technical knowledge from Ford motorsports programs carried over with race- tuned tires, suspension tuning and strut tower brace. A total of 1,571 Mustang Shelby GT500KR editions were produced between the 2008 and 2009 model years, matching production of the original 1968 models. 2008 GT500KR The evolution continues with high-tech wizardry In 2013, with a new double-overhead-cam 5.8-liter supercharged V8 with four valves per cylinder, Ford elevated Mustang performance with a new Shelby GT500. It boasted best-ever Mustang power and performance with 662 horsepower and 631 lb.-ft. of torque delivered via a short-throw TREMEC 6-speed manual transmission and carbon fiber driveshaft. This 2013-14 Mustang Shelby GT500 leaned more into performance aerodynamics and thermal management with a more open grille, larger hood venting and three-row intercooler. Increased front and rear spring rates and revised sway bars, plus the introduction of launch control and four-mode electronic stability control was gleaned from Ford motorsports programs. 2013-14 Shelby GT5002 Ford Performance and the Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R When the sixth-generation Mustang hit the streets for 2015, America’s favorite pony car gained a whole new perspective on performance with the first independent rear suspension, a lowered center of gravity and wider stance. A newly created Ford Performance team took it further with a hand-built 5.2-liter naturally aspirated flat-plane-crank aluminum V8 with 526 horsepower and 429 lb.-ft. of torque. Advanced aerodynamics derived from Ford Racing migrated to the Mustang Shelby GT350. Tuning of the front splitter and a high-efficiency rear wing improved downforce and lift balance – ideal for high- speed track work. 2015 Shelby GT350R Benchmarked against leading track cars from around the world, the Shelby GT350R came ready for track duty with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires on standard carbon fiber rims. It featured revised spring rates and antiroll bars, a lower ride height, unique track-tuned alignment settings, revised bushings and jounce bumpers, cross-axis ball joints in the front suspension and revised calibration controlling MagneRide™ dampers. All-new 2020 Shelby GT500 is the ultimate Mustang for street, track or drag strip Just like the teams that built the Shelby GT350 and GT500 from the first-generation Mustang, Ford Performance knew it could get even more performance out of the sixth-generation Shelby GT350 to create a new pinnacle. The all-new Shelby GT500 features more than 700 horsepower, plus the quickest acceleration and most racing technology ever available in a Mustang. 2020 Shelby GT500 Arriving for 2020, Shelby GT500 is engineered to attack on all fronts. On the drag strip, it will produce 700-plus horsepower via its first-in-class dual-clutch transmission that is capable of shifts in under 100 milliseconds – markedly faster than any manual gearbox. On the track, performance further improves thanks to its race-bred chassis, custom Michelin tires and the largest front brake rotors available on a production coupe. And on the street, its menacing aerodynamic design and Ford Performance driver control technologies make every drive better. Two handling packages with increasing levels of capability are offered on the all-new Mustang Shelby GT500. An available Handling Package includes adjustable strut top mounts and spoiler with Gurney flap. For the truly hardcore, an available Carbon Fiber Track Package features 20-inch exposed carbon fiber wheels with 0.5-inch-wider rear wheels (11.5-inch), custom Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, adjustable exposed carbon fiber GT4 track wing and splitter wickers with integrated dive plane. The rear seat has been deleted to reduce weight..