First Look: 2007 Ford Shelby GT 500

First Look: 2007 Ford Shelby GT 500
Reborn!: Witness the reincarnation of Ford's Wildest Mustang
By Matt Stone
Photography by the Manufacturer
Motor Trend, May 2005

With all due respect to the Mustangs developed and sold by Ford Special Vehicle Engineering and the Special Vehicle Team between 1993 and 2004, Cobras are two-seat roadsters built by Shelby American during the 1960s. Anything else is something else--no matter how promiscuous Ford was with that hallowed badge over the last three decades.

This is the reason the highly sought Mustangs sold from 1965 through 1970 that bear Shelby's name never were called Cobras, even though that trademark snake logo appeared all over them. And this is the same mindset that underpins the naming--and development--of the first new, legit Shelby Mustang in 35 years. You'll find snake (and SVT) logos all over this one, too--but, officially, it's the Ford Shelby GT 500. No misapplied Cobra branding in sight.

As you read this, the ripped-yet-sophisticated Mustang on these pages will have just made its debut at the New York auto show. It's the work of SVT's design and engineering teams, with an inspiration infusion courtesy of Carroll Shelby. Functionally, if not in name, it is the next-generation SVT Cobra. Unlike many concepts, it's no fantasy turntable toy, no "we might consider building it if the demand is high enough" tease. Ford brass already has pressed the go button: The next Shelby GT 500 is on its way, coming to market some time in calendar year 2006 as a 2007 model. This New York show design study is 95 percent product correct--meaning what you see is (mostly) what we'll get.

Many planets needed to align for this to happen. Ford Motor Company and Carroll Shelby had been on the outs for decades, but that ended when the two kissed and made up a few years back. Results of the relationship to date are last year's Cobra roadster concept and this year's Shelby GR-1 coupe concept. A Shelby version of the new-generation Mustang has been on everyone's fantasy list since it hit the drawing board.

Hau Tai-Tang, the 2005 Mustang's chief program engineer, was handed the reins at SVT last fall: "Most people speculated that we would follow a 200-horsepower V-6 car and a 300-horsepower V-8 GT with a 400-horsepower SVT version, but I can tell you the GT 500 is going to have at least 450." He delivers this message quietly and with utter confidence--which means more is possible, indeed likely.

Contrary to early reports, including ours, the born-again Shelby won't make use of a de-powered version of the exotic Ford GT powerplant. The GT's expensive 550-horsepower, 5.4-liter V-8 uses an aluminum block and has dry-sump oiling and a screw-type supercharger. Instead, the Shelby-spec engine is an evolution of the outgoing SVT Cobra's 390-horsepower, iron block, aluminum head, four valve, Roots-blown 4.6, with a critical difference: It's finally received the displacement increase--to 5.4 liters--everyone's been begging for.

Tai-Tang isn't yet ready to talk torque, but expect it to rise substantially over the outgoing Cobra's 390-pound-feet rating, another happy byproduct of more cubes. The only transmission mentioned at this time is a Tremec T-56 six-speed manual.

SVT-engineered rides have always included handling/ride/braking upgrades balanced to their newfound power levels. "The GT 500 gets unique suspension tuning, springs, anti-roll bars, bushings, shock valving, and a 12-to-15mm ride-height reduction," says Tai-Tang. "Visceral feedback from all driver inputs will be greatly increased; differentiated from the GT, yet well harmonized." The show car wears elegantly finished brushed-aluminum 19-inch wheels that ape the Ford GT's design. The production version likely will have 18-inchers with the same look. A clay model we inspected sat on 255/45ZR18 tires, but rolling-stock choices are still being finalized. The 19s may be offered as an option, and at least one additional wheel design, a modern take on a 1960s Shelby alloy, also is under consideration.

Many assumed that a peek beneath the GT 500 would reveal an independent rear suspension, as with the 1999-2004 Cobra. Nope.

"Sure, we could've done it," notes Tai-Tang, anticipating this question. "We looked at the marginal handling improvement attainable by going to an IRS, and we didn't feel the gain justified the cost. The incremental benefit of an IRS is refinement, but not much more in terms of all-out performance. We've got good geometry and good shock-motion ratios, and we're happy with the suspension we have. We won't hesitate to have you do a driving comparison against IRS-suspended competitors." Weight goes up a little--ballpark, a couple hundred pounds--but it's going to gain horsepower, so the weight-to-power ratio will improve a bunch.

Doug Gaffka did the design work on the Mustang Bullitt and leads the small, committed team that's transforming the Mustang GT into the GT 500. There are no sheetmetal changes, save for a new hood skin. "Our recent experience in Grand-Am racing at Daytona showed us that the stock Mustang builds up a fair amount of air underhood at high speeds, and the Shelby's larger grille would worsen the problem," says Gaffka. "So the scoops in the hood are actually exhaust outlets, which alleviate pressure buildup in the engine compartment.

"The shapes of the grille and new front fascia relate directly to the 1968 GT 500," Gaffka continues. The front visage is hungrier, more aggressive. "We could've put different quarter windows in it, but this is the look that first appeared on the 1966 Shelby, so we didn't see any reason to change it. We could've put side scoops on it, too, but there was no need for them, and we didn't want to just tack on a nonfunctional piece. Keith Rogman was in charge of the Mustang GT-R [Motor Trend, March 2005] design program, and we got great response to that car, so we decided to take some cues from it and bump them up a notch for this one. The front splitter, for example, is consistent with the GT-R's."

Out back, there's the requisite wing spoiler, plus a new lower-rear fascia incorporating an aerodynamic diffuser and cutouts for the polished three-inch exhaust pipes. The front splitter, rocker sills, and rear diffuser are satin black-finished plastic. This is contrary to today's popular monochromatic treatments, but Doug and the team have their reasons. "The black takes visual weight out of the car," he says, "and makes the horizontal line look longer." The exterior color palette under consideration includes red, black, blue, white, and Valencia orange, the last an obvious, worthy homage to the Trans-Am championship-winning Boss 302s of 1970.

"We've toned the interior down a bit in search of a more sophisticated look," says Wolfgang Gotschke, design manager, SVT. "We've changed the seat trim and leather pattern, plus there'll be more leather. There's a new steering wheel with less brightwork and perforated leather where the driver grips the wheel." Tach and speedometer positions have been swapped, so the driver's left hand doesn't block the tach while the right hand is shifting. Instrument typefaces have been revised to reflect a more modern look than the retro style on the GT. "Plus, of course, we added a boost gauge!" The chrome inside will be replaced with a brushed finish, and the aluminum dash panels will wear a slightly darker, patterned patina.

How much was Carroll Shelby involved? Not a lot, so far. "We gave Carroll an early 2005 GT prototype and asked him where we should go with a performance derivative," says Tai-Tang. "We were aligned in our ideas. There were discussions about what was possible from a hardware standpoint within the walls of Ford Motor Company, and he gave us a lot of input. He still has a lot of energy, and it shaped what we arrived at." Shelby will have driven GT 500 prototypes by the time you read this and summarizes his feelings succinctly. "It's simple: I'm tickled and delighted to see the top-of-the-line Mustang be a Shelby."

Some will ask "why not 500 horsepower, like the new Z06?" or may quibble about the lack of an IRS. The SVT brain trust has addressed these issues from an engineering standpoint, but drives the message home at the bottom line. Unlike the 500 horse, IRS-suspended Viper, which costs $85K-plus (including destination and guz tax), and unlike the 500-horse, IRS-equipped Corvette Z06--likely to run anywhere from $60,000-$75,000--the Ford Shelby GT 500 will cost a lot less. Best guess? 40-45 grand. A pricier version--as an SVT Cobra--was under consideration, which would've had an IRS and an even more powerful engine. But the business case was rejected by management as too rich for a Mustang.

Hau Tai-Tang had just come back from driving GT 500 test mules the day we visit SVT's design and engineering facilities. "I'm pretty geeked up about it," he says with pride.

So are we.


Svt Futures: Patience, Son. Patience
The GT 500 comes at a critical time in the life of Ford's bespoke performance operation. With no 2005 or 2006 SVT Mustang on tap, the phase out of the SVT Focus, the abrupt halting of next-gen Lightning truck development, the departure of marketing boss Tom Scarpello for Jaguar, and the retirement of Ford product creation chief Chris Theodore and SVE's championship tire waster John Coletti, pundits were hard at work on the Special Vehicle Team's obit.

Ford Product Creation chief Phil Martens assures us there's no need for flowers or tears; SVT's roster has just hit a dry patch. He's installed Hau Tai-Tang as Coletti's replacement, and George Ayers has taken the helm as sales and marketing director.

Could the 1968 GT 500KR inspire another convertible Shelby for 2008?
SVT's current lineup of exactly zero models will grow by several within a few years' time. The Shelby Mustang is first up, to be followed by an SVT version of the Ford Fusion. This compact sedan cops its turbocharged engine, six-speed transmission, and all-wheel drive from the upcoming MazdaSpeed6, with which it shares chassis architecture.

Inside sources confirm that the group is toying with an SVT-ified Sport Trac, using a tweaked version of the Explorer's chassis and perhaps a supercharged V-8. Ford's C1 platform-based Focus, sold in many world markets but not due here until at least 2007, is likely to spawn a hot RS version soon; it should be easy to retune it into the next SVT Focus. Any notion of a GT 500 convertible? George Ayers says a Shelby ragtop isn't currently on the docket, but he's open to the notion. "They did it in 1968. Why not now?"

The 1968 GT 500 fastback was the classic benchmark for the new one.
While Ayers makes clear that SVT will remain a Ford-brand-only performance label, that doesn't prevent its considerable engineering talent from helping wrench go-faster derivatives for other Ford-owned marques. So the speed junkies currently working on the GT 500 might also have a hand in anything from a limited-edition Volvo to the proverbial hot-rod Lincoln. What Ford's toybox lacks is the smorgasbord of performance-amenable platforms that Chrysler's SRT gang has to play with at the moment. But everyone in Dearborn keeps saying, "The product is coming. Stay tuned."

Hold up on that spot at the mortuary--the patient appears to be alive.

See attached photo for reference:
01.Front hood line raised one inch: allows larger grille opening
02.Hood scoops vent underhood air buildup; look will change slightly on production model

03.Snake badge resembles 1960s version, but has been redesigned, cast of brushed aluminum

04.Side scoops deemed unnecessary, as they would've been nonfunctional

05.Glass quarter windows- no changes, as this look was pioneered on 1966 Shelby

06.Rear spoiler reduces lift and adds attitude

07.Front splitter keeps nose pinned at speed; production design differs slightly compared with show-car piece

08.18-inch wheels pick up Ford GT flavor; optional 19s likely; rotors and calipers larger, too

09.GT 500 stripes almost identical to 1965-1968 look

10.Rocker panel rendered in satin black; makes car looks longer,thinner in profile

11.Rear fascia is lower than stock GT's; incorporates functional undertray diffuser that extends back to rear of tire well

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupe/112_0505_fordshelby/

 

I have not heard of the possibility of special orders. I know there will be options you could add but I don't know about taking away certian features.