Shelby GT Mustang launched worldwide

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by LoudPipes

Most Mustangs you see on the road in the US are from the 1990s & 2000s and often badly neglected, you see as many new Challengers and Camaros on the roads these days as new Mustangs.

And heaven forbid if you go there and tell the Yanks only snobs in Australia drive Mustangs, they’d laugh the house down.

Ford are dumb *** if they start thinking the Mustang should be price restrictive to make them exclusive, after all they are just ordinary run of the mill performance vehicles back home.

I would have thought they’d want to sell as many as possible.

Yep...the way to get an even bigger laugh is to go into a Dodge dealership over there and tell them that a Ram pickup here in Australia sells for over a hundred grand...

[KW XRT]

this thing will take some growing on.Nothing like the yanks to go ahead and take a great car and make it ugly as.

[dawsman]

When I used the configurator on the Shelby website, I registered my email address and today I received an email with a brochure, reservation and deposit form. Might have to reserve one and move to the US!

I really hope Ford dealers offer this here.

[MercurySilver]

Yeah can't say I'm a fan
Prefer the front end grill look on my g6e

[dawsman]

I enquired with Shelby American about the availability of their upgrades in Australia:

When the base Mustangs arrive in Australia we will be setting up manufacturing to convert these cars to Shelby’s there. We have no dates or agreements as of this time.

Thanks for your interest in Shelby and stay tuned.

Gary Patterson
VP Strategic Sales and Media Relations
Shelby American, Inc.
6405 Ensworth St.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Contact details removed
http://www.ShelbyAmerican.com

From:
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2015 12:47 AM
To: Sales
Subject: Website Message: Customer Service question


Message: Hi. I live in Australia and I am very interested in the new "global" Shelby GT Mustang, especially given that the 2015 Mustang will be released here. Are you aware of any discussions between Ford Australia and Shelby American on whether or not Ford dealers in Australia will offer Shelby American upgrades to Australian Mustang customers? Thanks.

[dawsman]

Another article about the Shelby American Mustang on the Ford Racing website including some nice pics. I've posted the most exciting part of the article just below, particularly the part in bold!!

"In as much as the new Mustang is a car developed for, and will be sold in, several world markets – making it the first factory Mustang officially sold on an international basis, so too will be the 2015 Shelby GT, with Shelby American embarking on an international expansion allowing Shelby fans and enthusiasts to buy the cars in a variety of foreign markets (first opening up in Canada and Australia as you read this)"

http://racing.ford.com/enthusiasts/n...vegas--go.html

FEB 4, 2015 | MATT STONE / INSPIRED COMMUNICATIONS
2015 FORD SHELBY GT MUSTANG 1ST DRIVE: WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, GOES LIKE HELL

LAS VEGAS, NV – When it was clear that a new Mustang was on the horizon for 2015, the Ford enthusiast jungle drums began to beat with questions and speculation about what would happen to the Shelby GT500, and what would Shelby American be up to if, in fact, Ford took development and construction of a new-gen GT350 in-house. Those questions have now all been answered: the GT500, as we know it, went away after the 2014 model year. And Ford has, in fact, taken the GT350 under its wing for a new and quite fabulous Dearborn-engineered-and-built car announced and revealed last fall . . . followed by the even more-focused GT350R also coming soon. And the folks at Las Vegas-based Shelby American have been busy, too.

You will recall that for a while, Shelby American was building its own “post-title conversion” GT350 before announcing in late 2013 that its 350’s run was done, and that they have a new Shelby GT program for the 2014 model Mustang. You will also remember that the Shelby GT model has long roots, dating back to the reborn Hertz/Shelby program’s GT-H version in 2006. Ford and Shelby American ramped that up to the Ford Racing Performance Parts-equipped and publicly offered Shelby GT of 2007-2009. Which led to the much-upgraded Shelby GT of 2014 (still based on the outgoing S197 Mustang architecture) and now, a seriously re-thought and highly developed Shelby GT based on the new 2015 Mustang S550 architecture.

“This 2015 Shelby GT incorporates all of the engineering lessons we’ve learned building high performance vehicles over the past 50 years,” said Joe Conway, co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International and CEO of Shelby American. “With the international distribution of the current Ford Mustang, we worked closely with our partners to develop a car that can be offered in both North America and overseas. It’s the first Shelby muscle car in our history designed from Day One to be a truly global vehicle.”

“We took a new approach with the 2015 Shelby GT,” said Shelby American Vice President of Operations Akos J. Feher. “We had a lot of fun designing these cars, and ended up building the most powerful Shelby GT ever offered, without sacrificing reliability. All exterior parts were designed and developed in-house, with every component exclusive to Shelby. We only used lightweight carbon fiber for all the aerodynamic components, including the brand-new hood. The components were designed to allow a high level of customization for our customers, like the new billet aluminum front grilles.”

Beginning with the stuff you can see: There’s a unique hood with functional hood vents (letting pressurized air out of the engine compartment, and bleeding off heat emitted by the supercharger); front splitter; rocker panels; two-piece rear diffuser; deck lid; trunk spoiler; mirror covers; and front hood extension – all exclusive to the new 2015 Shelby GT, and all crafted of super-light, ultra-strong carbon fiber – not carbon fiber-looking material, but real mesh-and-resin, high-tech, aircraft- and Formula One-style carbon fiber. The upper and lower front grilles are machined of real aluminum, too. Shelby GT rocker panel stripes and split over-hood/roof/trunk stripes also give the new GT that proper “Shelby Mustang” look. A chrome, red-and-blue “Powered By Ford” badge replaces the Mustang’s 5.0 emblems on the front fenders, and there’s also a Shelby-branded faux gas cap on the rear fascia panel, plus machined-aluminum Shelby ID on the rear deck panel. The new Mustang’s already high-quality interior gets a thorough – yet not over-the-top – Shelby treatment, in the form of Shelby-branded custom headrests; an SCM dash plaque; a way-cool carbon fiber dash pod with three ancillary gauges; Shelby GT door sill plates; and Shelby floor mats. And don’t forget a Ford Racing short-throw shifter poking out of the console. Naturally, every Shelby GT is serialized and will be listed in the Shelby World Registry.

The big news, and the big power, is of course under that lightweight, aerodynamically tuned hood. The Mustang GT’s “Coyote” 5.0 V-8 is the foundation of the Shelby GT’s purpose-developed powerplant, with Ford Racing being Shelby’s prime power-adder partner underhood; the biggest boost – literally and figuratively – comes courtesy of a Ford Racing twin-screw supercharger. Neither eyes nor ears will miss the Ford Racing by Borla high performance exhaust; its special stainless-steel oval tips were designed specifically for the Shelby’s lower rear-splitter fascia, and are exclusive to this car. The factory IRS system gets beefed with a pair of Ford Racing halfshafts, and the pumpkin is treated to Ford Racing 3.73:1 rear gears. Ford Racing also provides the goodies to fortify the suspension, in the form of upgraded shocks, springs, and anti-roll bars. The “Go Faster” parts add up to 627 horsepower and over 500 pounds-feet of torque.

All that newfound power and tighter suspension bits are no good if it all doesn’t connect to the road. To that end, the standard Mustang rolling stock is binned in favor of made-in-America Shelby/Weld wheels; the design is called “Venice” after the location of an early Shelby American assembly facility, and the new boots are 9.5x20-inch front and 10.5x20-inch aft, running the very latest and best Michelin Pilot Sport tires, 275/35-20’s in front and 305/30-20’s out back. Serious meats, indeed. Wilwood provides the amped-up front brakes.

Something important that Shelby and Ford Racing have built into this car is a considerable level of customization and personalization opportunity. There’s a 700 horsepower engine option. Most of that carbon fiber trim can be left in natural high-gloss gelled fiber finish, or painted body color or your accent color of choice. The aluminum grilles and trim can also be anodized in a variety of colors. You can further customize the interior, with stock or Recaro seats. There’s an optional brake cooling-duct system, and the wheels are offered in your choice of three finishes. Plus an optional Extreme Cooling system or adjustable track suspension package, engine dress up kit, and more.

Parts is parts. But what good do they do?

A whole lot, in fact.

Massage the console mounted starter button, and the Shelby-blown 5.0 lights with a crisp bark. The blower adds a subtle whine at idle, the engine pluppling and burbling through those massive exhaust pipes, reminding us of an expensive speedboat at idle. What better place to figure out what 627 horsepower feels like than a race track? And for this, Shelby American brought us to a dandy one. Pahrump, Nevada’s Spring Mountain Motorsports Country club and Resort began life as a small racing school facility some years ago, but has since changed hands and been upgraded to a world-class, multi-configuration race track, and like the name says, Resort. Fabulous garage facilities, condo-style hotel rooms, plus condos that can be purchased, a clubhouse-style restaurant and bar, and many country club-style amenities that somewhat defy description (yes, we want to live here). Road racing champ Ron Fellows also headquarters his high performance driving school here. It’s a fabulous and safe place to show off a new high-performance car. (You can learn more at www.RaceSpringMountain.com.)

Several groups were running on the facility the day of our visit, so we only had access to a portion of the long and winding road course. Still, our section was highly technical with a series of tighter and sweeping turns, a bit of elevation change, and a fairly long straight where we could really let the new Shelby GT off the chain.

Shelby Vice President of “Fun and Burnouts” Gary Patterson took us out for some familiarization laps to get the lay of the track, and a feel for the car. Riding with Gary is always fun; he’s a superb shoe who knows the car and the track inside-out. The track was still a little wet from some overnight rain, and Patterson talked us through the course, keeping the car under control with a little slipping and sliding thrown in, just for giggles. Then it’s our turn. Pit out gives a taste of first- and second-gear launch capability, although the rest of the track is strictly third- and fourth-gear stuff.

With 627 horses, all that torque, major grip, tight underpinnings and massive braking, this car is far beyond any notions of just “quick.” It’s genuinely fast. If you’ve not spent much time in cars with this much power, you’ll quickly find it intoxicating. As the track dries out, familiarity increases, laps get smoother, times get faster, and besides the “big bang” of power, the other sensation that struck us was the well-synthesized, “OEM feel” of the whole car. The components are superbly matched, well balanced, and finely tuned to work together – not something that can be said for so many dozens of “tuner-built” Mustangs that haven’t benefitted from the expertise of the factory style development and engineering that the new Shelby GT enjoys. The steering is feelsome and true, the overall handling balance is very neutral (unless you chose to provoke some oversteer with that pedal on the right), the car turns-in hard, and it sticks like glue with very high grip limits. Plus those brakes give you serious, progressive and repeatable stopping power, lap after lap. Oh . . . and let’s not forget that sound. The Ford Racing and Borla muffler mavens have given us a motor music soundtrack that really must be recorded and released on Podcast.

Shelby also brought out a stock 2015 Mustang GT, and a 2014 GT500 for us to drive, contrast, and compare with the new Shelby GT. It doesn’t take any timing gear to feel how much faster lap times the Shelby GT can lay down compared to the unmodified Mustang. The comparison with the 2014 GT500 was a little closer, and the 662-horse GT500 still felt modestly faster in a straight line than the new Shelby GT, but the latter car’s suspension, braking and grip levels are noticeably superior to the old-school 5.8-liter 500. Progress.

Even though the track surface we drove on is very smooth, it was clear that the Shelby’s development team has purposely preserved a level of the GT’s ride quality and not made it a punishing track-only toy. You’ll be happy to drive this car to and from work every day, take it to the track on the weekend and rip out a few hot laps, then load it up with your luggage and “sig other” and hit the highways for a fast, long, comfortable road trip or vacation.

How much does all this speed and beauty cost? That of, course depends, on the cost of the base Mustang you begin with prior to the Shelby conversion (the work is done on a “post-title” basis at Shelby American’s factory in Las Vegas, although the factory Ford warranty remains in place, and Shelby warrants its work and components). Shelby suggests that they’ll help you order the optimal Mustang on which to build your Shelby GT, so you’re not spending money on factory upgrades such as wheels, tires and suspension pieces that will only be replaced by Shelby in the GT-ification process. The Shelby GT conversion costs $39,995 on top of your Mustang GT, and assuming you find or order an optimally equipped car in your choice of colors, you’re starting at about $35,000. Add the cost of the Shelby build, and you’re likely to spend about $75,000. As of this writing, the 2015 Shelby GT is offered only as a coupe with a 6-speed manual transmission, but an automatic-trans version is also under development, and Shelby tells us that a convertible will also soon join the mix. Seventy-five grand or more is a lot of change for a Mustang, even a Shelby Mustang, but there’s little question that the content is present and accounted for. As are the exclusivity and legit performance enhancements. Production begins in April 2015.

In as much as the new Mustang is a car developed for, and will be sold in, several world markets – making it the first factory Mustang officially sold on an international basis, so too will be the 2015 Shelby GT, with Shelby American embarking on an international expansion allowing Shelby fans and enthusiasts to buy the cars in a variety of foreign markets (first opening up in Canada and Australia as you read this).

With all the alphabet-soup talk of GTs, GT500s, GT350s and such, there’s one other important Ford Mustang connection we forgot to mention: Everyone knows that Ford was developing a new SVT Cobra in 2006 when a deal was done with Shelby, and that car was redesigned and recontented into the 2007 Shelby GT500. In a way, the new Shelby GT fills the gap left by a what-would-have-been SVT Cobra. The new Shelby GT is exclusive, built in limited numbers, has been heavily breathed-on by Ford Racing, and also somewhat replaces the outgoing GT500 by being a supercharged, big-gun Mustang, conceived to look great, run fast, handle well, and satisfy a knowledgeable enthusiast audience. We think they got it right.

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS COURTESY KIRK GERBRACHT / INSPIRED COMMUNICATIONS

[HO 3]

That bonnet treatment looks rather awkward from more than one angle...........reminds me of when the old man bolted a paint tray upside down to the bonnet of his XB interceptor in the 70s.......looks like he was way ahead of his time.

Cheers Mick

[Moby Vic]

Originally Posted by HO 3

That bonnet treatment looks rather awkward from more than one angle...........reminds me of when the old man bolted a paint tray upside down to the bonnet of his XB interceptor in the 70s.......looks like he was way ahead of his time.

Cheers Mick

I think I could learn to live with it.

[GTP-814]

I received this answer back from the Gary Patterson, Vice President, Shelby American


Yes we will have a Shelby Mustang for Australia. Craig Dean has visited here and driven the car and will be authorized in Australia to build and service the car.

He is copied here for your convenience so when car arrive late in the year you will be able to connect directly.

Best regards,

Gary

For those that dont know, Craig is From Mustang Motor Sport (mustangmotorsport.com.au)

[dawsman]

Music to my ears...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPsvfAVELTc

[CoupeKing]

I can haz the yellow one?

[Buttnekid]

great Craig Dean, have you seen the pricing charged on current imports by MMS - they will likely charge $100k for the kit on top of the 2015 base GT price

[dawsman]

I'm hoping it will be around half that, i.e. $50K AUD for the base upgrade on top of the Mustang GT which I'm estimating will be 70K AUD, making the total cost around $120K. Might be wishful thinking, but that's what I'm hoping for (or less)!

[galaxy xr8]

I’m hoping that it’s just the mic but they sounded to crackling for me.