Are they really "one-of-a-kind," as stated by Kruse on its official auction page, if there are 25 of them going up for auction on the same day? That's not to say getting one of the 500 Hertz Shelby Mustang GT-H Convertibles (sheesh, that's a mouthful!) that were built in 2007 is a bad thing, but nobody really knows if these vehicles will ever really gain in value over more pedestrian versions of Ford's iconic pony car like their forebears have. Rest assured, though, you are not going to be bidding the same $250,000 that collector Ron Pratte paid for serial #001. For reference, the last batch of rent-a-racers that were auctioned off managed about $33K per unit.
The car itself is powered by a 319-horsepower version of Ford's ubiquitous 4.6-liter three-valve V8 engine mated to an automatic transmission -- perfect for the kind of top-down summer cruising that these vehicles are likely to see. If you want one of the 25 going up for auction, they'll be at the Kruse Select Auction in Monterey, CA next week.
The Shelby Daytona Coupe is the embodiment of classic American motorsports. The only problem is that putting a genuine Daytona Coupe in the garage is nearly impossible. There are only a handful in the world, and the price tag would be in the millions of dollars (if you could find an owner willing to part with one). A few years ago, Superformance and Peter Brock, the original designer of the Daytona Coupe, created a modern replica version that made owning the legendary race car much more affordable. Now, Shelby Distribution has announced it will offer an aluminum-bodied version of that same coupe. Like the Shelby CSX4000 and Commemorative GT40 continuation vehicles, the Daytona Coupe will be listed in the Shelby Registry. In addition to the new skin, the Daytona Coupe also features an updated suspension system that will be shared with the upcoming MkII version of the Superformance Coupe. You can check out a gallery of the aluminum bodied prototype under construction below, as well as the current Superformance Shelby Daytona Coupe.
Shelby Supercars has just issued its second release this week about its miraculous new project, the Ultimate Aero EV. As we read the announcement, it was obvious that it was exactly the same release from just a few days ago and the hyperbole was in no way toned down. They are promising to deliver a working prototype by February of next year, followed by full production examples by the fourth quarter of 2009. That, in and of itself, is highly improbable, but it just gets better from there. The performance the company is promising is insanely impressive and about as likely to come to fruition as airborne swine or your fairy godmother.
SSC promises two, 500hp electric motors equipped with a triple disc clutch and a six-speed gearbox. As Tesla found out the hard way, making a gearbox last with an electric motor is tough, even with half as much power. But it gets better. SSC promises a power source with extended times between charges, perhaps as long as several years. We're still confused, but we don't think it's a coincidence that the company is making this announcement in the same week it announced its hopes of securing new venture funding.
Building a car powered by an internal combustion engine to go 250 mph is less of a big deal in this day and age. You just need an engine with enough power and a slippery shape. Building the kind of electric car that SSC is promising involves invalidating the most fundamental laws of physics. So for the time being, we remain comfortable skeptical.
When the vintage racers hit the track for the 2008 Kohler International Challenge at Road America this weekend, the Shelby Automobiles Racing Team will be officially represented for the first time since the late 1960s. Ford is one of the event sponsors and is backing the Shelby effort, which will field four CSX4000 Shelby 427 Cobras in the event. To hear Carroll Shelby tell it, there's probably more to come. In Ford's official announcement (pasted after the jump), Shelby is quoted as saying, "My goal is to return us to professional racing and this is just the beginning." Does that mean we'll be seeing factory-backed Shelby Mustangs in other racing series as well? Who knows. Still, it's kinda cool that the team's official return is at a vintage event, driving brand-new continuation-series cars like the ones that started this whole thing way back when.
There's horsepower, and then there's dyno-tested, can't-lie-to-your-friends horsepower. If you want to know how much power a car really makes, you've got to strap it to a dyno and spin it to redline. The guys over at 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords are always eager to find the true horsepower of a car, and so when they took delivery of a GT500KR to review they headed straight to the dyno to see how much power the supercharged V8 is putting out. What they found was somewhat surprising -- the KR produced 509 horsepower and 467.7 lb.-ft. torque to the wheels. Adjusting for an estimated driveline loss of 15 percent, the actual output at the flywheel is 589.82 hp and 550.24 lb-ft torque -- nearly 50 more horsepower and 40 more lb-ft than Ford is claiming. Take that Z06!
Green performance cars are the new darlings of today's small crop of boutique auto builders. From the Tesla Roadster to the Fisker Karma, and now, the new Ultimate Aero EV. The easiest way for the little guys to attract big attention is to make attractive, high performance cars with green credentials. So, it's with a grain of salt that we bring you news of the aforementioned electric hyper coupe from Shelby SuperCars. Considering that the supercar manufacturer claims that its battery will not require a charge "for six years" (should we proclaim them early favorites for McCain's battery prize?), powering dual, five-hundred horsepower electric motors, the whole thing sounds more than a bit fishy. It deserves noting that the battery technology doesn't exist to support those claims and, while five-hundred horsies can indeed be extracted from an electric motor, that would have to be one big honkin' motor... and they plan on using two in their EV. Guiness World Record for the fastest car?
We have a lot of respect for Jay Leno. Not only because he owns some seriously impressive cars, but because he actually drives them. Sure, we're a bit jealous, but even more so after watching him drive the SSC Ultimate Aero, the Guinness-certified fastest production car in the world. As you might expect, Leno was initially skeptical of the American-built supercar, but after close inspection and a stint behind the wheel he was truly impressed. The video also has some interesting info, including the news that SSC plans to build more cars -- a 220 mph four-door sedan as well as the world's fastest "green" supercar. Considering what SSC did with the Ultimate Aero, we wouldn't put it past them, but we're skeptical nonetheless. Follow the jump to watch the video.
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The Cobra formula was simple: small British roadster + American V8 drivetrain = racing success. Early Cobras sought balance by utilizing Ford's modest 260 cubic-inch small block V8, but all Hell broke loose when a hairy-chested 427 cubic inch FE big block was installed. As a piece of history, and an exciting way to tickle your adrenal gland, the Cobra is legendary. The perennial practice of plucking a significant car from the 1960s and rehashing it, rather than coming up with something entirely new, has struck again, and now it looks like a new spin on the Cobra might be coming. The Cobra Venom V8 will undoubtedly be more refined than the visceral glory of the original Shelby vehicles, and while the concept images show a derivative car, it's still good looking; classic proportions never go out of style
A supercharged Ford modular V8 spinning out 524 horsepower is the intended power source, squirting the aluminum and carbon fiber coupe around with authority. 0-62 will come up in 3.4 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 214 mph. While the concept renderings look good and the specs sound impressive, we're not sure whether this vehicle exists beyond its concept renderings. If it ever does see the light of day, we'll be sure to climb in, fasten the harness and put on our helmet before complaining that it's really time to move on from the 60s. Then we'll attempt to tear up some track, Shelby style.
Despite the Shelby GT500KR's claim of supremacy over the dominion that is the open road, there is yet another Mustang that is even more extreme. Shelby's Super Snake package for the GT500 offers up to 725 horsepower and even more aggressive options for the suspension and braking systems. Available as a post-sale conversion for the GT500, the transformation can be performed at the Shelby facility in Las Vegas or at one of the official mod shops around the country. There have been a handful of owners who have already converted their GT500s, and one is already for sale on eBay. Something seems wrong with the seller's math, however, because a "Buy It Now" price of $200,000 is far more than the cost of a GT500 plus the $31,995 needed for the 725 horsepower conversion. We could understand the markup if these were in high demand, but pretty much any GT500 owner can send his car to get converted.
KGP photographers have caught another 2010 Shelby GT500 prototype just days after shooting the first one, but this time the prototype on display gave up much more info to the spy lens. In the gallery of 10 spy shots below, we can see a much clearer view of the next GT500's front fascia, including copious amounts of mesh for the grilles, as well as a pair of inboard, pie-shaped lights mounted on each side of the main grille. KGP spies also noticed that the wheels worn by this prototype sporting five split-spokes are new, and that the rear rubber appeared noticeably wider than the front. This car also sported a roll cage, which doesn't necessarily tell us anything, but the seats are some serious performance thrones from Sparco. Unfortunately, there's no telling from spy shots whether Ford is planning on using these Sparco EVO2 seats on the production model. Click the gallery below to check all the new shots and compare them to the first set of GT500 spy shots we published earlier this week.
