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Claudia Hommel
Cabaret Singer
Extraordinaire
Cordell Koland
Car Writer
Weekly Reviews
 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 by Cordell Koland When Ford's new CEO, Alan Mulally, surveys his vast empire, the liabilities in terms of recent financial losses and dwindling market share far outweigh the assets. But on the plus side, the Mustang is a big hit, both in terms of robust sales and the halo effect it brings to the company and its dealer network. With the advent of the Mustang- derived Shelby GT500, the halo goes megawatt. Auto fanciers who remember the muscle car era of the 1960s fondly recall the partnership between Texas performance icon Carroll Shelby and the Ford Motor Co. to produce the Shelby Mustang. This time Mr. Shelby has teamed with Ford Special Vehicle Team to produce an affordable ultra performance car on the Mustang chassis. It's very easy to sum up the special features of the Shelby GT500. Start with the Mustang chassis, both coupe and convertible, then add a supercharged 500-horsepower V-8. Now beef up the suspension with racing-caliber suspension, four-piston Brembo brakes and a six-speed manual transmission. Stick on massive alloy wheels that measure 18 inches by 9.5 inches shod with 255/45ZR high-performance tires in front and 285/40ZR tires in back. Finally, give the product the same Le Mans striping treatment and the infamous cobra emblem that graced the original and you¹ve got a crowd pleaser. There are some obvious differences between the original GT500 and the latest version. The new one has a lot more power, 140 horses to be exact. Secondly, the new kid looks a lot more buffed than the original, like the little brother who's been working out nonstop. When Ford revived the Mustang a few years ago, it kept the proportions of the original, but pumped up the body parts‹not in an excessive manner, but to suggest even more power and performance. This time there is truth in advertising. Despite all of the performance goodies, with the Shelby GT500 it's really about the engine. Light up the engine and the growl of a big All-American V-8 throbs with anticipation. Release the industrial- strength clutch; punch the accelerator and the car leaps forward. Keep your foot on the throttle for a few seconds and as the engine reaches red line the high-pitched whine of the supercharger takes over. Initial test results indicate acceleration of zero to 60 mph in a scant 4.5 seconds. But it's how the car goes fast that's most exciting. This is an American muscle car at its finest. The engine starts out as a Ford Triton V-8 that gets a massive makeover beginning with a lusty Roots-type Eaton supercharger. Unique connecting rods and pistons were developed to handle the power output. The four-valve cylinder heads were supplied by the limited-production Ford GT supercar. The GT500's handling is almost as good as its power. On our favorite mountain road, the GT500 gripped the road with a ferocious bite. The handling was utterly predictable and easily controlled. But the ride quality was equally impressive. While the cars corners as flat as Kansas, the ride was not overly harsh. After we returned from our road adventure, my wife and co-pilot gave the overall ride and handling experience an A grade a rating few vehicles have achieved. Our test car was a pre-production unit with about 7,000 miles driven by overeager auto journalists in the past few months and the convertible chassis was not as tight as I'd hoped. Cowl shake is often evident in convertibles and the condition was noticeable when traversing major road surface irregularities. If you are really after ultimate performance for the price, the coupe model will offer a slight advantage in weight and a stiffer chassis. But if you want the essential wind-in-the-face experience, the GT500 is the ultimate in an American performance convertible and it has sex appeal to burn. Now your assignment is to see if you can get a Ford dealer to sell you one near sticker price. Vehicle:
Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible
Price as tested: $47,800 Engine: Type: Supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 Horsepower: 500 @ 6,000 rpm Torque: 480 lbs.-ft. @ 4,500 rpm Fuel economy, manual transmission City NA Highway NA Curb Weight: Approximately 4,040 lbs. Cordell Koland is an automotive journalist based in California's central coast. He can be reached at cordellkoland@oakparkjournal.com |
