Ford Shelby GT500KR: the lowdown
Ford’s latest Shelby Mustang special packs a 540bhp punch, and will be flexing its muscles at next week’s New York Motor Show. It’s called the Ford Shelby GT500KR, in homage to the 1968 original, and just 1000 Coupes go on sale in spring 2008. KR means King of the Road, a name GM had intended to use until Shelby got wind of it and grabbed the crown first. To be honest, there are sounds of the barrel being scraped, because by 1968, the Mustang had grown too big and soft, and Shelby and Ford parted company six months later. The original KR’s 428 Cobrajet engine was a beauty, though, delivering 400 ponies (although the company only admitted to 335).
Will this King reign supreme?
A Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack boosts the KR’s 5.4-litre supercharged V8 to an estimated 540bhp. The bonnet wears twin scoops and twist-down pins just like the original, but it’s carbon composite rather than fibreglass. Serious 14-inch Brembo brakes are cooled via chrome-trimmed ducts in the lower front air dam. Anniversary badges and numbered dash plaques celebrate the orignal’s 40th anniversary. In a YouTube podcast, Shelby reckons it’s ‘going to set the world on fire’. So, when can we expect a convertible to match the original?
Learning the Shelby lesson
Ford hopes a couple more famous names can spread some magic dust in the manner of Carroll Shelby. Superstar customiser Chip Foose has been let loose on the F150, and produced a hunkered down truck with 22in wheels called the Foose Edition (above). Its 450hp supercharged Triton V8 makes it the most powerful F150 since the 2004 SVT Lightning. DJ Funkmaster Flex puts his signature to a hip hop Expedition, turning it into a value-edition Escalade. Personalisation and accessories are all the rage in the US, and Ford’s overall customisation business grew 50% in 2006. The company is pushing wheels, appearance packages and infotainment upgrades hard.