Ford Shelby GT500 in Calgary, AB

Ford Shelby GT500

Forty years after the first Shelby GT500 was produced, performance legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Mustang have been powerfully reunited with the introduction of the Ford Shelby GT500 – the most powerful factory Mustang ever. The result of an alliance between Shelby and the Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT), the GT500 returns to the streets as a thoroughly modern successor to the famous Shelby GT500 of the late 1960s.

Forty years after the first Shelby GT500 was produced, performance legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Mustang have been powerfully reunited with the introduction of the Ford Shelby GT500 – the most powerful factory Mustang ever. The result of an alliance between Shelby and the Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT), the GT500 returns to the streets as a thoroughly modern successor to the famous Shelby GT500 of the late 1960s.

Its unique front-end design, bulging hood with heat extractors, rear spoiler, 18" machined aluminum wheels, and unmistakable Le Mans racing stripes tell the world this is not your typical Mustang. To mark the melding of Mustang performance icons, the GT500 also features Shelby, Cobra, and SVT badging.

Carroll Shelby first put his name on a Mustang back in 1964 when he was asked to inject some high performance into Ford's brand-new pony car. The result was the GT350R, a slight weight, handling-focused race car that earned Mustang its first track performance credentials.

The ultimate Ford Shelby Mustang of the era was the GT500 and GT500 KR, or "King of the Road." Powered by a big block 428-cubic-inch "Cobra Jet" V8, the GT500 was one of the most powerful and memorable muscle cars of that period. Ford Shelby Mustangs were sold from 1965 through 1970, with a total production run of 14,559 units.

The Ford Special Vehicle Team brought high performance back to Mustang in 1993. After 12 years in the market, with nearly 80,000 high-performance SVT Mustang Cobras on the streets and total SVT vehicle production nearing 145,000, SVT is primed for growth with the GT500 serving as the foundation for other performance Mustang projects.

Looks as good inside as it does out. The twin-cockpit feel, racy instrument panel, and stylish design touches get the blood pumping even before the roar of the engine comes to life.

Functional and aesthetically pleasing. A chrome-accent six-gauge instrument cluster including tachometer is standard on all Mustangs. The standard segment-exclusive MyColour™ gauges with Message Centre, aluminum touches on the instrument panel, door handles, register rings, dark charcoal door panel inserts, and door sill scuff plates that include "Mustang" lettering insert.

More power where it counts. Check out Shelby's standard Shaker 500 or optional Shaker 1000 Audio System for a six-disc, in-dash CD/MP3 player, and two 250-watt subwoofers in the front doors or two 500-watt subs in the trunk (Shaker 1000) for 500 or 1,000 watts of pure sonic power.

Plus, with either of the Shaker systems, you also get a standard SIRIUS® Satellite Radio with a six-month prepaid subscription*, an available Navigation System, and standard MP3 capability.

True to its high-performance orientation, the Shelby GT500 sports front seats that are different from other Mustangs. Bolstering has been added to provide increased lateral support. This helps keep the driver optimally placed. Seating surfaces are trimmed in leather, and the classic figure of a cobra is embossed on the front seatbacks. A cobra is also prominently featured on the tilt steering wheel's air bag cover.

New ambient lighting raises the fun factor. This special effect adds an arresting LED glow to the front cupholders and all four footwells ­ change out seven different colours.

While output is taken to the extreme on the Shelby GT500, it shares underpinning fundamentals with its stable mates.

The engineers at Ford designed the coupe and convertible chassis with more torsional rigidity than the previous generations. The stout chassis and solid suspension combine to make this a superior-handling vehicle

The coil-over MacPherson strut front suspension with reverse "L" lower arms redefines precision handling and responsiveness without sacrificing ride quality. Mustang engineers developed a rear axle design with three-link architecture and panhard rod for off-the-line performance and handling.

Extra stability for the extra ambitious with standard front and rear stabiliser bars.

Featuring a 500-horsepower supercharged 5.4-litre 32-valve V8 with a six-speed manual transmission, race-tuned suspension and four-piston Brembo® brakes, the new GT500 packs a heavy dose of pure muscle to back up its aggressive looks.

Get ready to feast, power-hungry drivers. The GT500 features a 500 hp 5.4L supercharged intercooled DOHC V8 with 480 lbs.-ft. of torque to satisfy even the most power-starved.

The gearbox used by the Shelby GT500 also is a rarity. Few transmissions exist in the marketplace today that can handle the torque loads generated by the supercharged GT500, so engineers have opted to stick with the proven heavy-duty performance of the TR6060 six-speed manual gearbox.

While the 5.4-litre V8 block, overhead cams, and four valves per cylinder contribute significantly to horsepower capability of the GT500, adding a supercharger and intercooler are the icing on the cake. In fact, the configuration is similar to the Ford GT supercar, offering the right combination of classic Ford big-block power and modern technology. Using the Ford GT as a blueprint, SVT has given the GT500 more total horsepower than any factory Mustang in the car's celebrated history: An SAE certified 500.

Bold like a Mustang. Safe like a Ford. Every Mustang coupe and convertible earned five stars from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for frontal crash test and rollover resistance.

All That Go Needs Extra ''Whoa.'' A true performance car stops as well as it goes. To that end, the Shelby GT500 features Brembo® front brakes with big, four-piston calipers and vented 14" discs. In the back, GT500 utilizes the Mustang GT's 11.8" vented single-piston caliper rear-disc setup with unique pad material.

The Personal Safety System® standard on every Mustang utilises a network of sensors to assess a number of factors including whether the front passenger seat is occupied or not, the position of the driver's seat and severity of the impact to determine the level of deployment of the dual stage front air bags and front-seat side air bags.*

* Always wear your safety belt and secure children in the rear seat.

Three-point lap-shoulder safety belts help safely restrain Mustang passengers. All Mustang models come with the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children safety seats) safety feature.*

* Always wear your safety belt and secure children in the rear seat.

Protect your baby. The standard SecuriLock® Anti-Theft System encodes the ignition key with one of billions of security codes every time you turn off the engine. Without the right key and code, the engine will not start. A nice addition to the standard remote keyless entry.

Active Anti-Theft System is standard for ultimate security. The system offers exterior and interior motion sensors to help prevent tow-away theft or "smash and grab" break-ins. The system includes two alarm sounders and a 60-amp-hour battery capable of sounding the alarm longer.