2013 Ford Shelby GT500: A Tribute to Carroll Shelby

(photo courtesy:  Ford.com)

From Ford.com:

Friends of Carroll Shelby, including Ford Motor Company, Shelby American, Ford Racing and many others have built a unique 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra as a tribute to the late Carroll Shelby.

 

Ford is also announcing a renamed road at its Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich., as a tribute to Shelby as well. Cobra has been the consistent performance label as Shelby worked with Ford for most of the last 60 years, and Shelby was instrumental in the creation of Ford performance vehicles including Cobras, the GT40 and Mustangs since the mid-1960s.

 

2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra

The unique tribute car was unveiled by Ford Motor Company board member Edsel Ford II, Ford’s group vice president for sales and marketing Jim Farley, and Shelby American president John Luft at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion where Cobra is the marque of show for 2012.

 

“Even at 89 years of age, Carroll was an inspiration to us all,” says Farley. “This year marks the 50th anniversary of the original Shelby Cobra. The one-off car we have created represents the very idea he had about making the 2013 Shelby GT500 into a true Cobra.”

 

Using the 662-horsepower 2013 Shelby GT500 as a foundation, “Friends of Carroll” created the one-of-a-kind 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra wide-body Mustang that now generates more than 850 horsepower with the help of a Ford Racing 4.0-liter Whipple supercharger.

 

Putting that much power to the ground requires plenty of traction, so the 13-inch-wide rear wheels are wrapped in massive 345-section high-performance tires for extra grip.

 

Ford Motor Company teamed up with Shelby American for several key components on the Carroll Shelby tribute car. Shelby American provided a specially designed hood, new rear wide-body kit, Shelby Wilwood brakes and new 20x13-inch rear and 20x10-inch front wheels. The bodywork is finished in the same Guardsman Blue with Wimbledon White stripes that graced so many of the Cobra roadsters built in the 1960s.

 

“Carroll Shelby changed the performance world forever,” says Luft. “And while he was proud of Shelby American’s achievements, Carroll was far more interested in the next car we would build. You will find the spirit and influence of Carroll Shelby in every future vehicle we build just as you’ll find it in the rear wide-body kit and hood integrated into the 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra.”

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More About the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500

(from Ford.com)

From Ford.com:

• New Ford Shelby GT500 convertible serves as the celebratory vehicle of the 20th anniversary of Ford’s Special Vehicles Team (SVT) – the fastest open-air Mustang ever
• The newest Shelby GT500 convertible with the optional Performance Package is nearly 3.5 seconds faster than the outgoing model at Sebring International Raceway. The 5.8-liter supercharged V8 with 662 horsepower, Bilstein^™ electronic adjustable dampers and new Brembo^™ brake system are key enablers for the car’s improved overall performance
• SVT has produced more than 210,000 cars and trucks during its 20-year history, with more than seven different nameplates including the Ford GT, Mustang Cobra R, SVT F-150 Lightning, F-150 SVT Raptor, Shelby GT500KR and the soon-to-be-launched Focus ST

Read entire article here.

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 is Fastest Mustang Ever

From Ford.com:

• The new Ford Shelby GT500 is powered by an aluminum 5.8-liter supercharged V8 engine producing 662 horsepower and 631 lb.-ft. of torque. The most powerful engine ever in a North American production car propels the 3,852-pound vehicle to a top track speed of more than 200 mph, yet is exempt from gas-guzzler tax at a projected 15 mpg city, 24 mpg highway

• Nearly every vehicle system has been optimized, including a new Brembo^™ six-piston front caliper brake system, updated gearing for superior traction management, suspension tuning and a user-adjustable launch control that seamlessly works with the engine and chassis control systems

• 2013 Shelby GT500 sets a performance-driven design standard with new downforce-generating front grilles, an aggressive splitter, a new quad exhaust system and two new forged-aluminum wheel choices

• Also new for 2013 is an optional Performance Package with electronically adjustable dampers and a Torsen^® limited-slip differential. A Track Package can be added for all-out racetrack performance including three additional coolers

Read entire article here.

Contact Lakewood Fordland for more information on the entire 2013 Mustang line-up!