Models
Sometimes, all it takes is one little nudge to get someone to follow through on that big purchase they’ve been dreaming about, which means a full-throttle V-8-shove-in-the-back should be even more effective. Shelby has recently announced its “Try Before You Buy” track experience program, which gives prospective owners the chance to unwind the company’s high-performance muscle cars in a proper environment without some nagging sales rep complaining about “cording the tires” or “tripling the speed limit.”
“There’s simply no better way to experience the exhilaration of genuine Shelby performance than on the track,” said Joe Conway, co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International and CEO of Shelby American, in a press release.
Each event is limited to 20 participants and includes personal driving instruction from Ford factory drivers Gary Patterson and Vince LaViolette. On hand will be a base 2015 Mustang GT, a 2015 Shelby GT and a 2014 Shelby GT500. The cost is $2,500 per participant, which can be applied to the purchase of a Shelby vehicle.
Each participant also gets a gift bag containing a Shelby shirt, backpack and GoPro camera. Lunch and refreshments are also included.
The first event will be held May 9th at the Spring Mountain Motor Resort & Country Club in Pahrump, Nevada. Future events are slated for June 6th and early fall 2015.
“Driving our cars in a track environment gives enthusiasts the opportunity to evaluate the Shelbys properly,” said Gary Patterson, Vice President of International and Strategic Sales, in a press release. “We’ll not keep lap times or score guests for speed. This is a rare chance to legally and safely explore the capabilities of these vehicles with test drivers who have dialed in their dynamics.”
Continue reading to learn more about Shelby’s new "Try Before You Buy" program.
Introduced in late 2014 and put on sale in January 2015, the 50th Anniversary Cobra 427 meant that Shelby enthusiasts can purchase a limited-edition, classic-looking Cobra without having to pay the million-dollar sticker the original 427s fetch at auctions. A few months later, and the anniversary roadster could spell trouble for Shelby American, in the form of a lawsuit for alleged acts of unfair competition and breach of its dealer agreement.
In a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Stephen Becker Automotive Group, a Georgia-based authorized Shelby dealer known as Planet Shelby Cobra (Planet Shelby), the manufacturer is accused of violating Plaintiff’s dealer agreement as well as California and Nevada statutes against unfair competition. Specifically, Stephen Becker Automotive Group claims Shelby American engaged in direct sales of vehicles to members of the general public and stopped referring customers to Planet Shelby, as required by the dealer agreement.
The complainant went on to add that Shelby American refused to provide a VIN number for a 50th Anniversary Cobra 427 it had ordered for one of its customers. Later on, Shelby informed dealerships it had already sold a "significant" number of the Anniversary roadsters directly to the public and gathered dealers, including Planet Shelby, to participate in a lottery to determine which would be able to order the cars. The lottery was contrary to the "first come first serve" basis promised initially, the dealership added.
Continue reading to learn more about the new lawsuit against Shelby.
The late-1960s Shelby G.T.500 was one of the most desirable cars available in its era and has now become one of the rarest mustangs. The rarest G.T.500 of them all is a 1967 convertible model, due to the fact that there was only one example ever made. This example went straight to Carroll Shelby himself and no other examples ever existed.
Well, the folks over at Classic Recreations, who are known for their classic Ford Mustang projects, are now making it possible for you to own a drop top 1967 G.T.500 at a fraction of the price that Shelby’s model would fetch.
Granted, this model is no true G.T.500, but it’ll certainly turn heads, especially once you lay into it and let its engine do the talking. There are two models of this G.T.500 available, the tamer 545 model and the wild 900S model.
So what does this recreation of the single-most rare Shelby Mustang G.T.500 have to offer you, and is it a fair bargain?
Click past the jump to read our full review and see what’s in store with this recreated G.T.500.
When Ford unveiled the 2013 GT500 at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, they announced that the car’s new 5.8-liter supercharged V8 engine would deliver about 650 HP, an impressive increase over the previous 550 HP. Well, hold on to your coffee, folks, because the news just got even better. Ford has confirmed that the GT500 has been officially SAE-certified as the most powerful series production V8 in the world with peak output of 662 HP and 631 lb-ft of torque. Take that, Chevrolet and your baby 550 HP ZL1!
This new V8 engine is backed by a chassis that has also been tuned to absorb the road imperfections that can cause instability at high speeds. These changes assist the GT500 in achieving speeds of 200 mph and beyond. The 2013 GT500 also offers an improved fuel consumption with an EPA-estimated 15 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 18 mpg combined with no gas guzzler tax.
As an extra bonus, we have a series of "spy shots" for you showing the car in action at the Nurburgring. Enjoy!
Mention the name Carroll Shelby to anyone who knows about cars and the first word that would come out of their mouths is ’legend’ - and for good reason. As the man behind the iconic Shelby line of Mustangs, Carroll Shelby has given us some of the most priceless and sought-after Mustang models in history.
But as is the case with any successful story, an ending will eventually come. Rumors are circulating that Shelby’s latest project, the 2011 Mustang GT 350, just may be his final one, too.
At 87 years old, nobody’s going to hold it against him if he decides to finally retire from building cars, but according to the man himself, age has nothing to do with the decision to stop car production. Rather, the departure eventually boiled down to Shelby believing his performance parts development and sales are becoming a more profitable option than his customized Mustangs.
"I want to build fewer cars and sell more parts," Shelby said to the Dallas News. "It’s hard to make any money on a car, but our parts business is growing 15 to 20 percent a year."
While we may still see parts of Carroll Shelby’s legacy in the performance parts that he plans to continue building, the fact that this American muscle car icon is walking away from building his patented bad boys marks a sad day for the specialized market, one that will probably have a lasting effect in the near and far future.
Thanks in large part to its place in automotive lore, the 1965 Shelby Daytona has long been regarded as one of the most sought-after cars in the history of the world. So it should come as no surprise to any of us to find out that Shelby Distribution USA’s latest incarnation of the Shelby Daytona is still a smoking hot item for car enthusiasts of all ages.
The CSX 9000 Series Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe Mk2 proudly follows the lineage of the 1965 masterpiece with a following that is sure to gain steam thanks in large part to a variety of upgrades over its predecessors.
For starters, the Shelby CSX 9000’s upgrades include a sturdier chassis, stiffened front and rear suspension, all-new 18-inch alloy wheels, and the addition of external door handles, something that previous Shelby models surprisingly lacked. The car’s interior has also been upgraded, including a much larger cabin space to give extra room for passengers, as well as sports seats and, not surprisingly, air conditioning.
Continued after the jump.
Although the Shelby GT500KR is no ordinary car, Ford decided to update the car for 2008 with a new carbon fiber hood. The hood represents a premiere for the producion vehicles manufactured by Ford or Shelby. With the new hood the car looks mean but according to Ford :“It’s there purely for performance. It brings important aerodynamic and weight-reduction benefits that translate into enhanced performance for our new King of the Road”.
With the new hood the Shelby has almost 40 hp more comparing to the standard GT500. The carbon fiber hood also helps improving the aerodynamics of the car due to the fact that it creates two pressure regions by scooping fresh air into the intake and sucking hot air out of the back. In this way the engine’s temperature helps the intercooler work more efficiently and obtain better performances.
No later than this weekend Long Beach, California will host the 34th Annual Toyota GP, a show during which we can assist the debut of 2 new electric vehicles. Although the idea of an electric Mustang or electric Shelby Cobra is not very well seen, HST International together with the design company Tjaarda developed a pair of new zero emissions models also named Tjaarda EVX Mustang and HST Shelby Cobra EVX.
Their electric motors use lithium iron phosphate battery packs which are developed by K2 Energy Solution. With 1,355NM of torque at zero and an output of 300hp, both cars can reach 60mph in less than four seconds and can be driven over 100 miles on a single charge. Charging the batteries takes about eight hours with 110 volt outlet and just over three hours with a 220 volt plug.
The cars have been tested and as a result the Tjaards EVX Mustang can reach 60mph in 3.9 seconds being capable of a top speed of 120mph while the HST Shelby Cobra EVX does a little better, reaching 60mph in just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 150mphwith a range of 120 miles. Prices start from $80,000 for the Mustang and from $125,000 for the Cobra.
The liquidation of the Texan company, Unique Performance, brought nothing but trouble to Carroll Shelby, because he is now being sued by the former clients of the shady car customizer. Although his only involvement in the Unique Performance was to give the license for the use of the Shelby brand for some models the plaintiffs sustain that he is in fact guilty for their loss.
There are around 140 people with claims who paid for the desired car but never got to see it. More than sixty-one cars were seized the moment Unique Performance was raided in November 2007. Some of the former customers, actual plaintiffs, claim that they would have never bought the cars if it wasn’t for the Shelby’ s brand endorsement.
It was only six months ago that AutoWeek exposed Carroll Shelby’s charities as non-givers, as an entity that spent over 90% of its receipts for overhead and gave almost nothing to the intended charity beneficiaries.
At the time, Shelby said his charities were just building up an “endowment” so they could do more, later.
Then, there’s been the recurring nightmare of his cars.
Remember the one that was supposed to have an Oldsmobile engine?
Well, yes, it has been that long that he’s been (...)