Ford is saying: “‘Better’ is the operative word when describing the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500.” You know what? They’re right. Whether your measurement be horsepower, torque, or fuel economy, the 2010 Shelby GT500 beats the outgoing model handily, and it does it through a combination of refinements and clever innovations.
First of all, the basic specifications: 540 horsepower (up 40 over last year); 510 ft-lb of torque (up 30 over last year); and 14 mpg city/22 highway (up 2 over last year). So how’d they do it? The power improvements come in large part to a new cool-air induction system that is a refined version of the one found on the GT500KR. Also, revised engine calibration and a new dual-knock sensor system help the engine burn fuel more efficiently and puts the torque power band right at the 3,000 RPM mark and the redline is 6,250 RPM.
The method of getting that power to the wheels has also seen significant improvements. The two-disk clutch system has received larger disks (250mm diameter over last years 215mm) that allow for a more efficient transfer of energy. Also, the larger size of the two disks significantly reduces inertial stress over the previous design or a single disk system, meaning he clutch will last longer. As for launch control, the intermediate clutch disk is no longer floating and instead has six straps that control disk engagement. That means initial launching is much smoother, clutch effort is decreased, and the entire system places less stress on the disks, making them last longer. The highway fuel economy ratings are achieved through the gearing ratios in the transmission. The first four gears have been designed with performance in mind and are able to deliver ample amounts of acceleration. The ratios of the fifth and sixth gear have been decreased to allow more efficient transfer of power at higher speeds, making for better highway fuel economy.
The Shelby GT500 has always been known as a powerful and attractive pony car. Seeing how Ford has accomplished that power for the 2010 model year, along with the increases in efficiency, makes the car doubly impressive.
The legendary FIA GTIII championship winning Shelby Daytona Coupe
It seems the credit crunch is continuing to bite, with one of America’s most famous racing cars expecting to fetch a paltry $15m at auction in May.
The 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra has an exceptional racing history, amongst other things being the very first American car to beat Ferrari in European competition, winning the FIA GTIII championship at Reims, France, in 1965.
The car will likely surpass the U.S. record of $5.5 million for a 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake. This coupe could set a new world record if it brings in more than $11 million, which is the title-holding paid last year for a 1961 Ferrari California Spyder.
Chassis CSX2601 is one of only six examples of the Pete Brock-shelled, Ford-engined Cobra coupe ever built. As well as clinching the FIA World GT Championship for Shelby in the hands of Bob Bondurant, this car was used by one of its owners to do the 300-mile round trip each day to collect the receipts from his six petrol stations. In full race trim.The fully-restored car, which has been repainted in the livery it was wearing when it took the World Championship in Reims, will be sold in a live TV auction on the Discovery Channels HD Theatre on 15 May at 8pm EST.
Birmingham, AL: It wasn’t all that long ago that a “super-car” had only 350 or 385hp. That was wow stuff a decade ago. There was the Corvette ZR-1 in 1989 with 375hp. That car was $60,000+ over 20 years ago. Then there was the 2000 Cobra R with 385hp, still a priceless commodity. There was the Ferrari F50, which set the world on its ear in the 1990’s with 513hp at a cost of $500,000.
Today we have a pretty good selection of 400, 500 and 600hp premium cars on the market for those who want and can afford them. To that, these modern day super-cars are more affordable than they have ever been and no longer require you to know your mechanic by name. There are several on dealer lots across America from Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and of course Ford.
With the all new 2010 Mustang arriving at dealerships across America this week will come the all new Ford Shelby GT-500 later this spring. The SVT engineered Snake has 540hp coming from the virtually the same 5.4 liter DOHC 32-valve supercharged V8 that powered last year’s GT-500. The extra power comes by way of some of the tricks that the ‘08 GT-500KR model brought to the table. These are namely the open element “cold-air intake” and a more aggressive tune.
The two week test drive for this article started in Phoenix and up to Las Vegas. The GT-500 played the role of pace car for the Mustangs Across America 45th Anniversary Drive, giving this writer a chance to live and breathe the new Shelby for over 2500 miles of Grade A road trip. This entailed a five day trek from Las Vegas to Birmingham for the Mustang’s 45th Anniversary. What a better way to get to know every little detail of the car and what it is really like to live with one.
So what was it like to flog a new 2010 GT-500 from one end of the country to the other? Let it be magically intoxicating while sublimely entertaining. You see the car has barely been seen by anyone that doesn’t live in car mags or automotive internet sites. People came out of their springs everywhere we went. Road construction crews asked us to spin the tires, traffic control officers standing by expecting us to give them a show. We even had three local police officers gather around us in a small New Mexico town who called two more highway patrolmen to come see the car.
These black and white photos were taken by Scott Malcomb circa 11-1-67 for Road and Track Magazine. Shelby had Len Bailey construct this prototype 1968 Cobra, originally called the Cobra III in Shelby American internal documents, as a replacement for the 427 Cobra, which Shelby American called the Cobra II. Ford, which owned the Cobra trademark, complained about Shelby’s use of the name, so Shelby re-named it the Lonestar.
Len Bailey had his crew construct the car at John Wyer’s shop in England. John Horseman drove the car down to the docks for shipment to L.A. The car originally had white interior upholstery and Shelby’s crew quickly changed that to black. Also to come were the addition of “ear” scoops on the top of the rear wheelwell quarterpanels to deliver fresh air to the engine compartment.
Len Bailey had been the J.W.E. engineer in charge of the road-going version of the GT-40, the MkIII. The Lonestar was essentially a simplified GT-40 tub with the GT-40 Ford 289/ZF layout, an aluminum Ferrari-like body, GT-40 suspension and Cobra brakes and wheels. In December, 1966 Bailey conducted wind tunnel tests on a 1/4 scale model at the Imperial College wind tunnel and determined a cd of .36 requiring 295 horsepower at 200 mph. with front downforce of 81 lbs. and rear lift of 100 lbs.
Because the cars from Shelby American have always been desirable rides, their biographies are as varied as their original owners. Shelby Mustangs and two-seat Cobras corralled buyers from all walks of life, from the blue-collar middle class to the affluent. However, Dave Steine’s ‘65 Shelby GT350 isn’t your typical rural Wisconsin Slippery’s Tavern big fish story.
Shelby American scheduled this GT350 for delivery via air freight to Romy Hammes Ford in South Bend, Indiana. Based on what we know about Trans World Airlines in 1965, Dave’s GT350 was loaded onto a Boeing 707-331F freighter at the Los Angeles International Airport and jetted across the continent. That’s quite a distinction when you consider how many Mustangs were shipped via rail and truck.
After this GT350 was delivered to the dealership, the buyer backed out of the deal. The TWA pilot who flew the car from Los Angeles to Indiana got word of this turn of events and decided to buy the car from Hi-Performance Motors, Shelby’s own dealership in Southern California. So the car was air freighted back to Los Angeles for delivery to the pilot.
Where most Shelby Mustangs were thrashed and trashed on road courses and isolated stretches of highway, this one enjoyed 20 years of meticulous care until it was sold to Jim Bridges in–ironically–Shelby, North Carolina. It was there this car sat in a climate-controlled environment for another 22 years. Dave Steine eventually bought the GT350 from another highly respected Ford collector, Jacky Jones.
