Shelby Introduces Limited Edition 2012 Shelby GT350, Adds Convertible Option for the First Time Since 1970

At the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, Shelby unveiled the limited edition 2012 Shelby GT350, which enters the new model year with two fresh color options and, for the first time since 1970, a convertible body style. Based on the Ford Mustang GT, the Shelby GT350 comes with three engine choices, including a base version with a naturally aspirated 430HP V8 mated to either a manual gearbox or an automatic transmission, and two supercharged variants delivering 525HP and 624HP.

The new color options are Race Red and Kona Blue, both with white Le Mans stripes, while the Performance White with blue Le Mans stripes combo continues for the 2012MY. Last but not least, the new GT350 convertible can be ordered with a light bar, while other options include a once piece drive shaft and color coordinated billet aluminum engine cap set.

“Last year, we brought back the GT350 45 years after it was launched,” said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby American. “They look and sound just like the ones we built in 1965. We’re repeating history by offering two additional colors and building a few convertibles for the second year of production.”

Prices, not including the donor Mustang GT, start from US$26,995 for the naturally aspirated version and US$33,995. The company said it plans to keep production limited to 350 units.

2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake: Available with 630HP and 725HP

For that small percentage of buyers that aren't satisfied with the 2010 Ford Mustang-based Shelby GT500 that packs a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 with 540 ponies under the hood, Caroll Shelby and his team have prepped an even more hardcore package called Super Snake. Due to go on sale in August, Shelby offers the Super Snake package on the GT500 in two guises, with outputs of 630 and 725 horsepower, the latter offered only on the coupe model.

Shelby achieves the power upgrades with a different supercharger kit and a new exhaust system while other mods include a cold air intake system and a custom drive shaft on the 725HP variant

To improve handling, the Super Snake package adds a race-spec suspension system with adjustable dampers, a short throw shifter and a Baer brake system with 6 piston calipers and cross drilled and ventilated discs. Customers can also opt for a more hardcore Eibach handling pack.

On the aesthetics side, Shelby adorns the basic GT500 with a unique fiberglass hood with a larger air scoop, specific stripes, numerous carbon fiber body components, sequential tail lights, quarter window scoops and of course, new 20-inch alloy wheels shod in Pirelli P-Zero rubber.

For the interior, the basic Super Snake package adds center gauge cluster, satin door lock knobs and headrests embroidered with the Shelby logo which also appears on the center console.

Once you bring in your GT500, Shelby will charge you $29,495 for 630HP package and $33,495 for the 725HP kit. In both cases, prices including installation but not the donor car - just to make it clear.

Ford will release new supercar 2010 - Ford Shelby GT500

Supercar Ford GT500 is mechanically an evolution of the previous model.Ford used the current-gen Bullitt model as the starting point for the 2010 Mustang GT, the lessons learned from developing the limited edition GT500 KR fed directly into the latest Shelby-badged variant. Output of the supercharged 5.4L V8 has now been cranked up to 540 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, and the handling is claimed to be better than before.

Compare with the old GT500, this new supercar model gets more aggressive styling, particularly in the nose, and reprises many of the same detail elements. The horizontally mirrored trapezoidal shape of the grille in the upper and lower front fascia is meant to echo the oval shape of the Shelby Cobras of the '60s. The upper grille is tilted forward at a steeper angle than the GT and the grille surround is separated entirely from the hood. The hood of the GT500 still has a functional air extractor allowing some of the massive heat generated by the blown V8 to escape.

The engine for this supercar is still a twin cam 5.4L V8 with a supercharger. The updates bump output from from 500 hp at 6,000 rpm to 540 hp at 6,200 rpm. Twisting force also goes from 480 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm to 510 lb-ft at the same peak speed. The iron block from the F-150 was used with the top end of the GT engine, which pushed the car's weight up over 3,900 lbs.

The top two ratios in the new GT500's gearbox have been made numerically lower. The clutch plates for supercar GT500 have been increased in diameter from 215 mm to 250 mm. All that torque flows from the Tremec 6-speed gearbox through a limited slip differential with a 3.55:1 final drive ratio. The 2010 GT500 gets 17% stiffer springs at the front axle and 7% stiffer at the rear axle.