Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 Mustang: Soundbites The Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 was unveiled today at the New York Auto Show. The vehicle is the result of Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) and Carroll Shelby working together to create the ultimate combination of Ford performance powerhouses. Carroll Shelby recently put the prototype Mustang through it's paces on Ford's test track in Dearborn, Michigan. Click on each cut to hear audio. Use right mouse click to download. Cut# 1: "Sound of the GT 500's Revving engine, followed by squealing tires....from a standstill down a straightaway." :19sec. Cut# 2: "Thrilled, absolutely thrilled." :02 sec Shelby could not say enough about his first time behind the wheel of what will eventually become a production model car. Ford Motor Company's intention is to have the vehicle in showrooms come 2006, equipped with its 5.4 liter dual-overhead cam supercharged V-8 engine producing over 450 horsepower. Cut# 3: "Very controllable, very, very controllable....that's the first reaction, that's the first thing I look for in a car." :07 sec Cut# 3a: "The brakes are sensational...that's my first reaction to them and the car is very neutral...when you throw it sideways you can control that, you can control the motion of the car with the throttle." :10 sec. Carroll Shelby and Ford Motor Company have a history, dating back to the 1960's. Cut# 4: "We had a great relationship years ago, and here we are together working on the projects together again, and I can't tell you how proud I am. You know, Ford's a family. There's a Ford still running it. There's a Ford name up there, but there's a Ford still running it. Ford family is still involved, so I feel very, very comfortable with Ford. And I'm just tickled to death to be back, and with a new Mustang that we're looking at here today. God. As the NASCAR boys say, that's awesome." :26 sec. Hau Thai-Tang, Director, Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team, says the vehicle has gone from a 5-speed transmission to a 6-speed transmission, re-tuned the suspension, bigger brakes, wheels and tires to deliver on the Mustang brand. Cut# 5: "Mustang is the right nameplate to do it, we're proud to have this be the real first production car in the modern era with his name, so it's a great continuation of that relationship of Carroll Shelby and Ford." "According to Jay O'Connell, Chief Vehicle Engineer SVT, the capability of the Ford Shelby Corbra GT 500 Mustang is greatly enhanced by the supercharger." Cut# 6: "Yep, it's there all the time, it's direct drive off the crankshaft, so it's running 100percent, the boost gage shows you, ho much boost you're making, but it's there all the time." :08 sec. Something else that is there all the time is the name plate, which Carroll Shelby could not stop smiling about. Cut# 7: "Very proud to have my name on this vehicle, very proud." :03 sec. Carroll Shelby first put his name on a Mustang back in 1964, the result was the GT 350R. Today's version of the 5.4 liter V-8 Ford Shelby Cobra GT 500 Mustang concept has a higher horsepower rating than any other production Mustang in history. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=20450
