Ol' Carroll Shelby may no longer be with us. But his name and legend (good or bad) lives on. As part of this weeks events in Monterey, California, Friends of Carroll Shelby has unveiled this special four wheeled tribute to Shelby in the form of the 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra. Packing the punch of 663 horsepower, a Whipple supercharger ups the output to over 850 horsepower.Ok, enough with the horsepower. How about the trick wide body thanks to Ice Nine Group of Detroit, Michigan. And of course there's the classic Shelby GT350 hoot scoop and a few other retro Mustang touches. Then there's the 20x10 and 20x13 wheels to fill out the wheel wells. Now I'm not usually a fan of 20 inch wheels, but they just seem to really work on this car. The Cobra was painted classic Shelby Guardsman Blue with Wimbledon White dual racing stripes, one of my all time favorite color combinations and really shows off the lines of the new Mustang.
Now of course, this car is technically a concept car. I wouldn't expect to see this on dealer showrooms any time soon.
Source: Ford Motor Company
Press Release:
MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 17, 2012 – 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.”
“You might also know that Carroll was a philanthropist, noted for
supporting causes that moved him,” adds Farley. “In that spirit, this
car will be taken on tour around the country, and hopefully will be used
in a special way at the end of its tour – a way Carroll would
appreciate.”
Before the 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra hits the road, it will be shown
at the Ford display in the expo area at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports
Reunion this weekend.
Carroll Shelby Way
For more than half a century, Carroll Shelby inspired designers and
engineers throughout the extended Ford family. As a teenager, Edsel
Ford II worked for Shelby doing a variety of jobs including cleaning
transmission parts.
Countless engineers crossed paths with Shelby over the years, from
those who crafted the original GT40 to those working on the 2013 Shelby
GT500. Up until his death, Carroll Shelby remained committed to
developing great performance cars. Even at the age of 88, he spent more
than five hours driving the most powerful production Mustang ever during
engineering validation sessions at Sebring and the Arizona Proving
Grounds in late 2011.
During and after test sessions, Carroll spent hours discussing with
engineers what he liked and what needed improvement. No one who worked
with Carroll will ever forget it, and his lessons in vehicle dynamics
will be passed along to coming generations.
Ford product development engineers now will get a daily reminder of
Carroll’s way as they traverse the newly renamed Carroll Shelby Way
through the heart of the Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich.,
to the entrance of the proving ground.
“Sadly, Carroll Shelby is no longer with us, but his spirit lives
on with the designers and engineers he interacted with over the years
and he will continue to influence Ford performance cars for many years
to come,” says Farley.
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