Three SEMA Shelby Mustang GT500's

[565]

"With the successful launch of the Shelby GT behind it and retiree GT-H Hertz rental Mustangs selling as high as $90,000 at auction, the Shelby leviathan continues to chug forward and spew forth special edition Mustangs. In New York, Shelby launches the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR, a special edition GT500 commemorating the 40th anniversary of the original ?King of the Road.?

In 1967, the New York auto show played host to the launch of the original GT500KR, a version of the Shelby Mustang powered by a 428-cubic-inch ?Cobra Jet? V-8 rated at 335 hp. With the ?08 model?s supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 underhood wearing a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack (revised ignition timing and throttle calibration, plus a cold air intake), the 2008 KR outdoes its predecessor by 205 hp?a margin greater than the entire output of some V-8 Mustangs of the 1980s?with 540. That herd travels rearward through a six-speed manual with a short-throw shifter to a shorter 3.73:1 rear-end (stock is 3.31:1) for quicker giddy-up, while snorts and whinnies get an extra edge from a revised exhaust system.

The King knows that some of its subjects wind and dip, so the GT500KR also gets a unique suspension tune. ?The production Shelby GT500 was maximized to deliver the perfect balance between ride and handling,? said Jamal Hameedi, chief nameplate engineer, Ford SVT. ?In that same ride versus handling continuum, the KR will lean heavier towards all-out handling while still making it drivable on the street.?

Beyond the yawning hood vents and racing stripes already in place on lesser GT500s, the GT500KR gets a hood reminiscent of the original KR, with two forward-looking mail slots at the leading edge of the hood feeding the blown 5.4?s appetite for air and twist-down hood pins for a more secure racer flair. The stick-through pins on the Shelby GT we tested recently actually vibrated out of their posts on rough roads. The Cobra badges in the grille and on the fenders add wings proclaiming them as the badges of not just any Shelby Mustang, but the 40th anniversary GT500KR. Rocker stripes on the Shelby mimic those on the original car right down to the font used for the lettering.

Ford will begin selling the new Mustang in the spring of 2008, and will only build 1000 examples. We figure the S-word on the hood and the slight power bump below should be good for about a $12,000 premium, putting the King of the Road solidly into the mid-$50,000 arena. Prepare your checkbooks now, Shelby enthusiasts, or gird them for a bigger hit later, for all things Shelby appreciate."


Does this mean dealers are gonna stop those ridiculous markups on GT500's and start marking up this new thing instead? 

[SVT666]

Alright, I thought that was the FR500GT from Ford. Are they all from Ford or are the other two from aftermarket manufacturers. The white one is hot, I would buy it if the price was lower than the GT500 but thats unlikely.

All three are Ford cars.

[SVT666]

"With the successful launch of the Shelby GT behind it and retiree GT-H Hertz rental Mustangs selling as high as $90,000 at auction, the Shelby leviathan continues to chug forward and spew forth special edition Mustangs. In New York, Shelby launches the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR, a special edition GT500 commemorating the 40th anniversary of the original ?King of the Road.?

In 1967, the New York auto show played host to the launch of the original GT500KR, a version of the Shelby Mustang powered by a 428-cubic-inch ?Cobra Jet? V-8 rated at 335 hp. With the ?08 model?s supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 underhood wearing a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack (revised ignition timing and throttle calibration, plus a cold air intake), the 2008 KR outdoes its predecessor by 205 hp?a margin greater than the entire output of some V-8 Mustangs of the 1980s?with 540. That herd travels rearward through a six-speed manual with a short-throw shifter to a shorter 3.73:1 rear-end (stock is 3.31:1) for quicker giddy-up, while snorts and whinnies get an extra edge from a revised exhaust system.

The King knows that some of its subjects wind and dip, so the GT500KR also gets a unique suspension tune. ?The production Shelby GT500 was maximized to deliver the perfect balance between ride and handling,? said Jamal Hameedi, chief nameplate engineer, Ford SVT. ?In that same ride versus handling continuum, the KR will lean heavier towards all-out handling while still making it drivable on the street.?

Beyond the yawning hood vents and racing stripes already in place on lesser GT500s, the GT500KR gets a hood reminiscent of the original KR, with two forward-looking mail slots at the leading edge of the hood feeding the blown 5.4?s appetite for air and twist-down hood pins for a more secure racer flair. The stick-through pins on the Shelby GT we tested recently actually vibrated out of their posts on rough roads. The Cobra badges in the grille and on the fenders add wings proclaiming them as the badges of not just any Shelby Mustang, but the 40th anniversary GT500KR. Rocker stripes on the Shelby mimic those on the original car right down to the font used for the lettering.

You can't see or hear me right now, but I'm grinning and giggling like a little school girl.

Ford will begin selling the new Mustang in the spring of 2008, and will only build 1000 examples. We figure the S-word on the hood and the slight power bump below should be good for about a $12,000 premium, putting the King of the Road solidly into the mid-$50,000 arena. Prepare your checkbooks now, Shelby enthusiasts, or gird them for a bigger hit later, for all things Shelby appreciate."

That part just ruined my day.

Does this mean dealers are gonna stop those ridiculous markups on GT500's and start marking up this new thing instead??

Not with only 1000 of these being built.  Not every dealer will even get one.