Shelby American 50th Anniversary models

The unfortunate passing of Shelby in May will no doubt make these limited edition models additionally valuable to enthusiasts.

Fittingly, the first Anniversary release from Shelby American was the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition CSX8000-series Cobra. While the Shelby Mustangs may be better known, the Cobra is where the Shelby legend really started. After a heart condition forced him to give away driving in 1960, Carroll Shelby turned his attention to race and road car production. Shelby knew that the combination of a high-powered engine in a lightweight, well-balanced chassis could be a winner on the track as well as on the street. The engine ultimately turned out to be Ford's then new 221ci V8, which was soon bored out to 260ci, and later, 289ci. The body and chassis came courtesy of AC Cars in the UK. Their aluminium-bodied 'Ace' roadster proved to be the perfect match for Shelby's vision. By early 1962, the first prototype Cobra had been created. Ford got involved before the year was out, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The 50th Anniversary Cobras were all 289 V8-powered, just like the most popular examples of the original, with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard. Buyers had the choice of fibreglass or aluminium bodywork, with each vehicle fitted standard with leather seats, floor carpeting, Stewart Warner gauges, 15-inch wire wheels and special 50th Anniversary badging. When 49 of the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Cobras were offered in late January, they sold out within 48 hours. The 50th Cobra? That's being raffled through www.winashelby.org to benefit the Carroll Shelby Foundation for children with serious health issues. Tickets are US$25 each and are available until January of 2013.

Following the overwhelming success of this initial offering, Shelby American Inc. offered limited edition versions of arguably the best-known Shelby icon - the Shelby Mustang. With his performance credentials already established with the Cobra, Ford tapped Shelby on the shoulder in 1965 with the brief to make a sportscar out of the Mustang. The result was the Shelby GT350, the '350' coming from its horsepower output in race trim. Identified by its subtle body modifications and bold blue racing stripes on the stark white body, the GT350 was another home run for Shelby and would lead to a string of Shelby Mustang road cars over the next five years.

The Ford partnership dissolved in 1970, but Shelby remained involved in the performance car scene. After a stint with Chrysler in the 1980s, and the short-lived, Oldsmobile-powered Shelby Series 1 sports roadster, Shelby and Ford teamed up again in the new millennium to create a new line of Shelby Cobras and Mustangs that have proven to be just as popular as the originals. With a number of Shelby Mustang variants already in production at Shelby American's Las Vegas headquarters, these were used as the basis for the 50th Anniversary specials.

Based on the current generation Ford Mustang, the Anniversary Edition Shelby Mustang lineup comprises the GTS, GT350 and GT500 Super Snake. Each will be limited to only 100 post-title units (ie. purchaser provides the car to Shelby American for modification), available as coupes or convertibles. Only black and white (50 of each) colour schemes will be offered, with special 'Shelby Anniversary Gold' striping, unique to the Anniversary models, on each vehicle. Purchasers also get a unique 50th Anniversary Custom car cover, a tour of the Shelby factory in Las Vegas, as well as exclusive Shelby merchandise items.

GTS
The Shelby GTS post-title package can be based on either a V6 or 5.0lt V8-powered Ford Mustangs. The GTS package includes upgraded brakes (with special Shelby/Wilwood calipers), upgraded suspension, exhaust, engine tune and a comprehensive Shelby appearance package comprising a "deep draw" bonnet, front and rear fascia, rear quarter window blanking plate (for the coupes), 50th Anniversary badging, lettering and custom Shelby/SR 18-inch wheels (matte black for black Shelby GTS, chrome for white Shelby GTS). Other features specific to coupe and convertible packages are also included.
On top of this, the standard GTS options can be added, everything from a one-piece aluminium driveshaft, to a Ford Racing/Whipple 624hp supercharger!
The 50th Anniversary Shelby GTS package adds US$19,995 over the base vehicle price for V6 Mustangs, and US$24,995 over the base price for GT 5.0 V8 Mustangs.

GT350
The iconic Shelby GT350 is reborn on the 50th Anniversary GT350. Based on the 2012-spec Ford Mustang GT, the GT350 package adds a Shelby/Ford Racing/Whipple 525hp supercharger as standard to the GT's 5.0 litre V8, with the option to upgrade to a 624hp supercharger. The Shelby/Wilwood 6-piston front brake upgrade from the GTS package is augmented with the addition of a 4-piston rear brake upgrade, with both calipers finished in unique black with gold lettering. A front and rear brake duct cooling kit is part of this package, as is a Shelby/Borla centre-exit exhaust, Ford Racing suspension and a Shelby camber/caster adjuster kit. Wheels on the 50th Anniversary GT350 are Shelby/Cragar 19-inch five spoke alloys, finished in matte black for the black cars, and standard silver for white cars.
Striping and graphics on the GT350 is similar to the GTS, with identifying 'GT350' logo on the bonnet and lower sills. GT350s also get unique tail light trim and classic-style reversing lights. Inside, the GT350 is also treated to a Shelby/Katzkin limited edition interior upgrade, which includes gold contrasting stitching for the upholstery, leather boots for the gear shifter and handbrake, perforated seat inserts, A-pillar gauge package, and 50th Anniversary logos on the seat backs. A limited edition car cover and embroidered floor mats are also included, with a number of other optional upgrades available.
The 50th Anniversary GT350 package adds US$59,995 over the base vehicle price.

GT500 Super Snake
The 'big daddy' of the range, the GT500 Super Snake anniversary package is all about grunt. Potent enough in stock spec (based on the Ford Shelby GT500), the 50th Anniversary limited edition features a 750hp Shelby/Ford Racing/Whipple supercharger on the Ford 5.4 litre aluminium V8 as standard. Optional upgrades can boost the anniversary Super Snake up to 800hp. A cat-back exhaust, 3.73:1 diff ratio, Shelby/Ford Racing suspension, Shelby/Dynotech one piece aluminium driveshaft, billet engine cap kit and more. Performance brake upgrades are as per the GT350, but the Super Snake wraps them in Shelby/Alcoa 10-spoke alloys, in matte black or durabrite.
Appearance-wise, the GT500 Super Snake features a different striping package, but still in the Anniversary gold over black or white colours. The unique bonnet features a more aggressive shape with bonnet pins, and a Super Snake log in the grille. Blanking plates for the coupe rear quarter windows are also standard.
Inside, the GT500 Super Snake gets the Shelby/Katzkin limited edition interior upgrade, A-pillar gauge cluster, a short-throw gear shifter, carbon fibre body components and more.
The 50th Anniversary GT500 Super Snake package adds US$59,995 over the base vehicle price.

Each of the 300 Anniversary Shelby Mustangs across all three series will come with their own unique VIN number that will be entered into the official registry. While the Anniversary Cobras sold out in double quick time, units within each of the Anniversary Mustang offerings were still available at time of publication.

"Our golden anniversary is a remarkable milestone worthy of this limited edition line of Shelby vehicles," said John Luft, president of Shelby American, on the launch of the anniversary Shelby Mustangs (prior to Shelby's death). "On the heels of the unprecedented sellout of our 50th Anniversary Edition Cobra 289, we expect demand for these new Shelbys to be strong.
"From the 800 horsepower Shelby Super Snake to the agile GT350 and nimble GTS, each 50th Anniversary Shelby is built to run," Luft added. "A 50-year anniversary only comes around once in life. These limited edition Shelbys will mark that milestone for a select few who have a chance to own a piece of history."

Additional information and more detailed specs on the three anniversary packages can be found at www.shelbyamerican.com, or www.shelby 50th.com.