Ford and Carroll Shelby Will Do it Again PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – When Ford Motor Company and motor racing legend Carroll Shelby first teamed up to produce performance cars more than four decades ago, the results of their association included the renowned Shelby Cobra roadster and the historic Ford GT race car. Nicknamed the GT40 for its 40-inch height, the Ford GT swept to a 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1966 and proceeded to take first place the next three years in a row. Together, Ford and Shelby gave Corvette and Ferrari something to rev their engines about. Now more than 30 years after their last venture, Ford and Shelby again are joining forces. They announced a new association to produce specialty niche performance products against a backdrop of rare and innovative vehicles at the 53rd Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Shelby will dedicate resources from his Shelby American, Inc. and work in collaboration with the Ford Performance Group to forge a new generation of Shelby Fords that will offer performance-minded consumers more of everything – increased power, better handling and unique design. "When I look at Ford's upcoming lineup of performance cars, including the Ford GT and next-generation Ford Mustang, I see countless opportunities to raise the performance bar even higher," says Shelby. The 2005 Ford GT is the first to benefit from Shelby's counsel and involvement as senior technical adviser. Frequently compared to a Ferrari 360 Modena, it is Ford Division's first all-aluminum space frame vehicle. Unique super-plastic-formed aluminum panels allow for "look again" sexy and sweeping curves, and a 500-horsepower, supercharged V-8 engine powers the new Ford GT. The largest of Ford's modular engine family, this 5.4-liter powerplant produces 500 foot-pounds of torque and features 85 percent new moving parts – new parts that are visible to the driver through the rear-view mirror and to passersby through its glass encasing. Sitting 18 inches longer, 4 inches higher and almost a foot wider, the 2005 Ford GT remains as much a spitting image of the original as you could beg for. But inside, the '05 cockpit is significantly roomier and reflects Ford Motor Company's increased attention to interior design. This newest rendition of Ford's legendary supercar will be available late next year and is already proving to be a hot-ticket item. To stir excitement at Pebble Beach, Ford auctioned the rights to its first production Ford GT during the famed Christie's Auction. It was originally expected to raise $180,000 for charities designated by the Concours d'Elegance, including The Pebble Beach Company Foundation, United Way of Monterey County, The Wheelchair Foundation and Boys & Girls Club of Monterey County. The car sold for more than $500,000. And it's worth every penny, say the critics. After a victory lap by Ford Motor Company executives and racing legends Jackie Stewart and Dan Gurney at the Monterey Historic Races, automotive journalists took the Ford GT on a drive along California's Pacific Coast Highway. "Suffice to say my [Ford] GT road test was inspiring and that was before I tried the car on the twists and turns of Monterey's famed Laguna Seca raceway," writes John McCormick in The Detroit News. Once a chicken farmer from Texas, Shelby began his racing career at the wheel of a Ford-powered hot rod and only months later won Le Mans. His second Ford-powered race car became a mockup for the celebrated Shelby Cobra and by 1965, Ford had hired Shelby to help take on Ferrari with the Ford GT campaign. "My energy and passion for performance products has always been strongest when it involved a vehicle from the Ford Motor Company," says Shelby, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday. "I couldn't be prouder than I am today to have the opportunity to recreate history with the only automotive company that holds the key to my heart." By: Jennifer Shatwell | Ford Communications Network http://media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display_new.cfm?release=15411
