Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


King Cobra. Image by Ford.

King Cobra
More presence, more technology, more power. The new Ford Shelby GT500 is the best thing to come out of America so far this year.
<< earlier article     later article >>

 


News homepage

In case you'd forgotten, there was a small American car industry crisis-type-thing all the way back in 2008. Christmas provided some welcome respite from stories of the US carmageddon, though, and now Ford is acting like the whole thing never even happened.

So sit up and enjoy a surprisingly rosy start to the new American car news feed in the form of this: the Ford Shelby GT500, because the proverbial is probably only days away from resuming its steady stream towards the fan.

The Mustang-based Shelby GT500 is an icon of American motoring, of course, and this 2010 model promises to be the best yet. Developed jointly by the Blue Oval and Shelby Automobiles, the GT500 is a true American muscle car with roots in the Shelby Cobras of the 1960s. Well that's what Ford says, anyway, but that could just mean the GT500 is really fast and it has stripes.

We're far from complaining, though, because the GT500 will be really fast and the stripes look pretty good to our peepers. Using the limited edition 40th Anniversary GT500KR ('king of the road') Mustang as a focal point, the 2010 car gets 540bhp and 510lb.ft of torque from a 5.4-litre V8 engine, fed to the 19-inch diameter rubber through a six-speed manual gearbox. Taller fifth and sixth ratios mean fuel consumption is improved over the outgoing car, but acceleration is better too thanks to a 40bhp power upgrade.

But the new Shelby 'Stang is more than just a horsepower hike. The new car has undergone a myriad of revisions - some positively anal - including larger discs for the twin-disc clutch (up by 35mm), which are now also made of a stronger copper/fibreglass composite. Cabin noise is reduced, though it's engineered so the supercharger can still be heard, and the exhaust's aural fireworks are modified for a more pleasing note.

The wheels are lightened, the tyres made of stickier rubber, and the springs and dampers re-optimised for a more compliant ride/handling balance. Even the steering column is strengthened for better handling and more feel.

Standard features include AdvanceTrac stability control, a 'sport' mode for the track, lots of airbags, a natty system that calls 911 if one of the airbags is deployed, another even nattier one that tells Ford how healthy the car is automatically, and the more trivial ambient lighting system that provides an interchangeable interior hue (with 125 colours). Massive cup holders are a given, and the seats are Cobra-striped, too. We'll see more of it when it's officially unveiled in Detroit next week.

Mark Nichol - 5 Jan 2009


2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Kyle Fortune.2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Kyle Fortune.2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Kyle Fortune.2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Kyle Fortune.2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Ford.

2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Ford.2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Ford.2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Ford.2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Ford.2009 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. Image by Ford.









www.ford.co.uk    - Ford road tests
- Ford news
- Shelby GT500 images

View full 2009 Detroit Auto Show report






Land Rover teases new flagship Defender Octa. Image by Land Rover.
Land Rover Defender Octa teaser
The forthcoming, high-performance, top-of-the-range Defender takes its name from the shape of a diamond, apparently.
 
Volkswagen unveils hot ID.3 GTX models. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.3 GTX reveal
High-performance electric hatchback will be offered in ‘standard’ and Performance guises.
VW adds go-faster GTX model to ID.7 range. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.7 GTX reveal
The hot ID.7 GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive, and it’ll be offered in saloon and estate body styles.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©