Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff
During the opening gala for the Barrett-Jackson Collector car auction, which took place in Scottsdale, Arizona, Carroll Shelby, and the Shelby American team unveiled the concept of the 2011 Shelby GT350. Developed in celebration of the 45th anniversary of the original 1965 Shelby GT350 and first Shelby big block Cobra, and it comes packing a supercharged version of the 5.0-liter V-8 engine found in the latest Mustang. Horsepower figures have not been released, however, it is expected to be well north of 500HP
The idea behind the GT350 was to build a car that is light, nimble and powerful. Beginning with the 5.0 lite Mustang GT as its base, the Shelby American team worked with experts from Ford Racing, Goodyear, Borla, Cragar, and Baer Brakes to create a car that is not just fast but can handle and stop on a dime.
Each GT350 will be clad in traditional white with Shelby Guardsman blue Le Mans stripes will only be offered with the 5.0 V8 coupled to Ford’s new 6-speed manual transmission and centrally mounted exhaust. Under the hood blue, Shelby GT350 valve covers and billet caps set off the supercharged engine. 6 piston brakes in the front and 14-inch rotors in the rear with cooling ducts for all four corners recall the classic Shelby R model.
The suspension has been tuned by Ford Racing, new struts, sway bars, and adjustable caster/camber plates. The team at Shelby American also created a front fascia, tail light trim, front splitter, rear deck lid filler panel, and rear fascia. Functional scoops are located on the side rockers and hood. GT350 badges on the outside and inside include a Shelby serial number. The
Despite officially being called a concept, Shelby American says that over 100 people are already on the waiting list for the $60,000+ GT350 anniversary model, which makes it more expensive than a new GT500…
[Shelby American]
