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(from Shelby Press Release) SHELBY AMERICAN CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE WITH SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION CARS

To honor its 50th anniversary, Shelby American™ is unleashing a new line of Anniversary Edition Shelby GTS, GT350® and Super Snake® vehicles. Only 50 white and 50 black of each post title Shelby model will be manufactured, making it an instant collector’s item and an iconic piece of automotive history.

“Few thought that Shelby American would make it in the car business for 50 years,” said Carroll Shelby. “We built the first Cobra in a rented garage and then GT350’s in an old hanger. But our company is still here, manufacturing the best cars that I’ve ever made. The next 50 years will be even better for Shelby American.”

The Shelby American name is synonymous with high performance worldwide. Over the past five decades, the company has relentlessly pushed the envelope with a string of superior vehicles and parts.

“Our golden anniversary is a remarkable milestone worthy of this limited edition line of Shelby vehicles,” said John Luft, president of Shelby American. “On the heels of the unprecedented sellout of our 50th Anniversary Edition Cobra 289, we expect demand for these new Shelby’s to be strong.”

Only 50 white and 50 black 50th Anniversary Edition cars are available; each will boast gold stripes to signify the golden anniversary. In addition, each Shelby comes with commemorative 50th anniversary badging, custom interiors, special wheels, 6 piston front brakes, car cover and a unique VIN number that will be entered into the official registry. A special museum delivery ceremony at the Shelby factory in Las Vegas is also included in the package, as well as exclusive collector merchandise.

The most powerful Shelby built yet, the GT500 Super Snake is available in 650, 750 or 800 horsepower configuration as a coupe or convertible. Based on the Ford Shelby GT500, the car is enhanced at the Shelby American facility with more powerful brakes, better handling and updated styling cues to match the higher horsepower motor. The 50 white and 50 black anniversary edition cars will carry gold stripes, a first and one-year only option for the Shelby. The anniversary package begins at $59,995, not including base car.

In 2010, Shelby American returned the storied GT350 name plate to the road. Based on the Ford Mustang 5.0 GT, the car is turned into a high performance muscle car by the Shelby American team. From the LeMans style racing stripes to the 430, 525 or 624 horsepower engine, big brakes and razor sharp suspension, this Shelby is a worthy descendent of the pony car that cemented the Shelby legend. The car is available as a coupe or convertible with the supercharged engine only with a manual transmission, while an automatic is available with the normally aspirated 430 horsepower engine. Previously only offered in red, white or blue, the black version with gold stripes is a one-year anniversary exclusive option. The post title package begins at $59,995, not including the base Ford 5.0 Mustang GT.

The Shelby GTS post title package can be based on either the V6 or 5.0 Ford Mustang. Starting at only $19,995 for the V6 post-title package ($24,995 for the V8), the Shelby features upgraded brakes, suspension, tune and appearance. Many options are available for the GTS, including superchargers to boost performance.

“From the 800 horsepower Shelby Super Snake to the agile GT350 and nimble GTS, each 50th anniversary Shelby is built to run,” noted Luft. “A fifty-year anniversary only comes around once in life. These limited edition Shelbys will mark that milestone for a select few who have a chance to own a piece of history.”

Ford will be only producing 5,500 units of the 2011 Shelby GT500 for this model year. According to Ford spokesman Henry Platts, the move is not the result of slow sales, but rather a desire to maintain exclusivity. The GT500 has actually “exceeded expectations” with in excess of 3,300 orders already placed.

Not only are the sales doing well but people are ordering them with all the bells and whistles. There have been three times as many GT500 coupes ordered with the $1995 glass roof option as compared to the regular Mustang. 68 percent have been given the $3,495 performance package which includes 19 and 20 inch painted forged alloy wheels, 3.73 limited-slip rear end, tuned suspension, Gurney flap rear spoiler, etc. Also, 70 percent of all GT500s have been orered with the $2,340 electronics package which includes navigation, dual-zone HVAC, and Sirius/HD radio.

Although we have the word on the production stats, Platts says the automaker has no plans to dictate how that shakes out in the coupe/convertible bodystle mix. If you have been thinking about ordering one of these nasty snakes for 2011, we recommend you make up your mind rather quickly.

[Source: Ford]

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2011 FORD SHELBY GT500 IN HIGH DEMAND, RAPIDLY APPROACHING PRODUCTION LIMIT

• Annual production of the 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 has been limited to 5,500 units to maintain exclusivity of the product

• Demand for the new 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 has exceeded expectations with more than 3,300 initial dealer and retail orders received to date

• Premium features including the glass roof and the Electronics Package with SYNC, navigation and HD Radio™ are exceeding expectations as consumers show an appetite for new features and technology

DEARBORN, Mich., July 12, 2010 – Customer demand for Ford’s new 2011 Shelby GT500 is growing nearly as fast as the world’s fastest production pony car. More than 3,300 orders have been placed for the new Shelby GT500. To ensure exclusivity, U.S. sales of the 2011 Shelby GT500 will be limited to 5,500 units.

“We are pleased with the pace of retail orders for the 2011 Shelby GT500,” said Fritz Wilke, Mustang brand manager. “The car continues to be popular with sports car enthusiasts and collectors who are blown away by the increase in horsepower and performance. The limited production of the 2011 should make this year even more desirable.”

The 2011 Shelby GT500 is powered by a new aluminum-block 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine, which produces 550 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque, a 10 horsepower increase over the 2010 model. The engine is 102 pounds lighter than its predecessor, delivering a better power-to-weight ratio, improved fuel economy, acceleration, handling and steering precision.

The new engine uses a state-of-the-art Plasma Transferred Wire Arc (PTWA) liner coating, a process that applies a 150-micron composite coating that contains nanoparticles on the internal surfaces of engine cylinder bores, replacing cast-iron liners typically used in aluminum engine blocks. The Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation honored the inventors of the Ford-patented PTWA technology with the 2009 National Inventor of the Year Award.

Customers are showing an appreciation for the GT500′s performance on and off the track, as well as its many features.

Standard 2011 performance features include the 550-horsepower aluminum 5.4-liter V8 engine, a new 2.75-inch exhaust system, revised brake cooling and pedal box construction for more consistent brake pedal efforts and feel, and electric power-assisted steering (EPAS). SVT worked hard to make EPAS better than the outgoing hydraulic steering system, with improved torque build-up and road feel.

New for 2011 is an optional glass roof providing customers with yet another open-air option that does not compromise the coupe’s versatility, headroom or climate-controlled environment. Three times more 2011 GT500s have been ordered with the glass roof compared to the base Mustang showing the popularity of this new feature.

Interior options have proven immensely popular, with almost 70 percent of the GT500s ordered with the Electronics Package, which includes voice-activated navigation, SIRIUS Travel Link™, HD Radio and dual-zone electronic automatic temperature control.

The new SVT Performance Package is also proving to be a popular option with just over 68 percent of coupe orders selecting the enhanced performance delivered through this all-new option. The package was developed to provide track performance. SVT engineers worked directly with Goodyear to develop all-new Goodyear Eagle® F1 SuperCar G: 2 tires that give this already great handling car supercar grip and control levels. The optional package also offers unique styling, staggered lighter wheels with 19-inch fronts and 20-inch rears, a numerically higher rear axle ratio, stiffer springs and dampers, and a lowered ride height. The SVT Performance Package is available on both the coupe and convertible.

Other standard items new for 2011 include high-intensity discharge headlamps, MyKey™ programmable vehicle key, integrated spotter mirror and fold-down rear headrests.
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Shelby’s put out official pics and specs for the 2010 GT500 Super Snake.  The Super Snake, unlike the regular GT500, is an actual Shelby project undertaking directly by the company staff.  (The GT500 uses the Shelby name pretty much for marketing purposes.)  The benefit of having the Ford/Shelby name running side-by-side is that Shelby’s own tuners can market their specials as being almost factory-grade.

There shouldn’t been much need for marketing with the refreshed Snake.  This GT500 uses a juiced supercharger instead of a needle in the ass.  With an upgraded intercool and exhaust system, the Super Snake will put out 630 hp in stage one trim, or an unfathomable 725 hp with the stage two setup.  (The regular GT500′s max output is 540 hp.)

All this power requires added tweaks to support the extra muscle.  Suspension’s been extensively modified with stiffened springs, reinforced struts, and strengthened antiroll bars.  Baer six-piston ventilated disc brakes bring in the necessary stopping power for the SC’d 5.4 L V-8.

So just how much does all this serpent glory come in at?  The Super Snake is considered a performance package: stage one is $29,500; two is priced at $33,500.  With the GT500′s approximately $45,000 sticker, expect to be doling out $75,000 for the 630 hp package and $79,000 for the 725.

If George Michael had pulled this out at that park restroom years ago, we can all be sure he wouldn’t have gone to jail.

Saleen staff and fans are furious over our story on the Concourse Supercars store closure in Irvine.  Anger was expressed in e-mail replies, telephoned warnings, mail bombs, and with human excrement thrown at our LA office behind the McDonald’s dumpster on  Sunset.  We mistakenly reported that the Concourse shop was joint-venture with Saleen; the two businesses are totally independent.  The Concourse store displayed Saleen products and vehicles beside those of other brands.

For the sake of responsibility, I blame everyone else but myself, for we here at CarVersation are perfect–at least, I am.  In spite of late-night phone calls and threats to release embarrassing photos of me in a compromising position with a Greek hairdresser, I will stand firm in semi-objective reporting.  We here at CarVersation will continue to aggressively (or something along those lines) look into the industry at all levels and in matters positive and negative.

In other news, Saleen will be releasing its new 2010 Random Commemorative Edition Mustang with a brand new chin spoiler and a Saleen label.  Pricing starts at $70,000 for the base model (labels only).  The deluxe package, at $80,000, will include race stripes.  The premium package, priced at an astonishing $105,000, will offer those same race stripes in a different color.  The spoiler is extra.

Just kidding.

CarVersation apologizes for the article mistake.  The staff in no way seeks to insult the integrity or quality of Saleen Automotive’s products, or that of its fans.