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 2007 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.

Featuring a 500-horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter 32-valve V-8 with a 6-speed manual transmission, race-tuned suspension and four-piston Brembo brakes, the new GT500 packs a heavy dose of pure American muscle to back up its aggressive looks. Its unique front-end design, bulging hood with heat extractors, rear spoiler, and unmistakable Le Mans racing stripes tells 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.

Like the original, the GT500 is available both as a coupe and as a convertible – both versions delivering the kind of broad torque curve that had won the big-block Shelby acclaim as "King of the Road." Inside, the locations of the speedometer and the tachometer are swapped to provide performance-oriented drivers with a better view of shift points while changing gears. And front seats have received additional lateral support to help keep the driver optimally positioned during cornering. In a touch also borrowed from the GT500’s past, no Le Mans stripes will be seen on the GT500 convertible. However, the Shelby droptop sports a special cloth top similar to those found on pricier convertibles.

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 lightweight, handling-focused race car that earned Mustang its first track performance credentials. Subsequent Ford Shelby Mustangs included a street version of the race car, the GT350, and what was known as the “rent-a-racer” Mustang, the GT350H, a joint project with the Hertz rental car corporation.

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” V-8, 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, nearly 80,000 high-performance SVT Mustang Cobras on the street, and total SVT vehicle production approaching 145,000, SVT is primed for growth – with the GT500 serving as the foundation for other performance Mustang projects in the works. The 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 is built at the Ford-Mazda joint venture plant, AutoAlliance International, in Flat Rock, Mich.

With the look and legend one would expect from Shelby and the kind of power and performance enthusiasts have come to expect from SVT, the GT500 points to a brand-new era in Ford’s performance future. From the Ford GT supercar, to the Shelby GT500 and performance packs available directly from  the Ford Racing Performance Parts program, performance and racing are poised to drive innovation and continue to add luster to Ford’s proud brand heritage.

All 2007 Mustang Shelby GT500 data is subject to change. See us for complete details.