Ford and Carroll Shelby announced at the New York Auto Show that they will increase production and create an additional 746 GT500KR Mustangs for 2009! Of that amount, roughly 571 will be shipped to the US. This is great news for Ford Enthusiasts who crave the limited edition Shelby vehicle which is the highest horsepower Mustang ever produced.
The 2009 model will remain essentially unchanged from 2008 with the exception of 40th anniversary tags. The GT500KR is a collaborative effort between Ford Motor Company, Mustang division, Shelby, and Ford Racing.
The GT500KR includes some key upgrades from the standard production Shelby:
- Upgraded Shifter
- Cold Air Kit
- Perforamance EFI Calibration
- 540 horsepower output
- Racing Stripes
- Custom hood and air dam
- Interior with Carroll Shelby signature seats
- 3.73 gears
Pricing continues obviously to be a problem, as the $50k+ list price is expected to really be more like $100,000 given the short run and overwhelming demand for the vehicles.
We have often wondered by Ford doesn't increase production of the standard Shelby vehicle. There are clearly buyers waiting on the sidelines waiting to pay list price and we're sure Ford would love to sell more vehicles than it currently does from a revenue standpoint. That being said, more GT500KR's is a great move by Ford and we hope it will also extend that to the base Shelby as well.
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