Currently reading: Pebble Beach 2012: Carroll Shelby tribute GT500 unveiled
Friends and associates of the late Carroll Shelby collaborate to build a monstrous tribute Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra

A one-off, 850bhp Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra has been created to commemorate Carroll Shelby, the famed US engineer and racer who died in May. It will receive its premiere at this weekend's Pebble Beach 2012 show.

The tribute car – which also marks the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra itself –is the work of a group of ‘friends of Carroll Shelby’ that includes Ford Motor Company, Ford Racing, Shelby American and others.

Using the latest-spec Shelby GT500 Cobra as a base, the one-off widebody car is powered by Ford Racing V8 fitted with a Whipple supercharger. The precise power output has not been determined, but is estimated at more than 850bhp.

Shelby American provided a bespoke bonnet, rear widebody kit and brakes. The car rides on 20in wheels, with the rear featuring 13inch wide, 345-section high performance tyres for improved traction.

The bodywork is finished in Guardsman Blue with Wimbledon White stripes, colours that graced many Cobra roadsters built in the 1960s.

The tribute car was unveiled by Ford Motor Company board member Edsel Ford II – who, as a teenager, worked for Shelby – Ford group sales cheief Jim Farley, and Shelby American president John Luft at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

Bryan Campbell

Advertisement

Read our review

Car review

The Ford Mustang is available in the UK in right-hand drive for the first time, but does the rest of this American muscle car fit the UK car scene?

Join the debate

Comments
7
Add a comment…
Peter Cavellini 19 August 2012

But, what an A_ _ _ _.?

If they'd only put a decent rear end on it,instead of that Hotwheels effort,then i'd consider it.

6th.replicant 19 August 2012

Speaking of the rear-end...

...IRS might be useful with 850bhp?

TS7 18 August 2012

Press release on the Shelby website

 

http://shelbyautos.com/newshome.asp?article=90

"Using the 662-horsepower 2013 Shelby GT500 as a foundation, “Friends of Carroll” created a one-of-a-kind 2013 Shelby GT500 Cobra wide-body Mustang that now generates more than 850 horsepower with the help of a Ford Racing 4.0-liter Whipple supercharger."

Sloppy from Autocar.

Personally I'd rather have the Shelby 1000, although the one-off's 'widebody' is damn fine looking.

Yes, those front wheels ARE off the ground under acceleration.

auto2 19 August 2012

good eye

"yes those wheels ARE off the ground under acceleration"

... yes those wheels are PHOTOSHOPPED to look off the ground... idk about your car but every other cars suspension decompresses when it coms of the ground... sloppy from TS7... but good eye on the typo though

TheRaceBoy 18 August 2012

...

I'm pretty sure that Ford's RACING V8 is a 4L or maybe thats the old one. I'm not entirely sure. TBH i dont anything about superchargers.