Today, the Shelby GT500 is one of the best muscle cars on offer. It's got an insanely powerful engine and a strong visual identity. Thanks to its gaping mouth and screaming 760 horsepower V8, you'll spot it from a mile away.
It's easy to see why people like the GT500. Sure, you can get similar or even more power from a Dodge, but that Shelby badge has historical significance. It's a symbol of America challenging Europe on the track.
Shelby is about a lot of other things, including the F-150. But before the brand came the man, Carroll Shelby. Every car enthusiast should know he had a lot of success as a driver and later transition to making his own race cars.
Also, Shelby was good at chicken farming and made his own brand of chili powder which you can buy even today. The man is the very definition of success, and the Cobra is one of his greatest achievements.
Due to a heart condition, Carroll retired from racing in 1960 and turned to race car design. His idea of putting a Chevy motor in the AC Ace Chassis was turned down by GM. But Ford loved the idea of supporting a roadster that could rival the Corvette, and so the Cobra was born.
The famous 427 big block models had some pretty raw handling. With the gaping mouth and the hood scoop, this is also an iconic shape that people like to reinterpret with modern styling. In 2004, Ford even made a futuristic concept car powered by a 6.4-liter V10 engine. It was interesting, but we think you can't improve perfection.
Shelby American quit making the Cobra after 1967. In the years that followed, replica makers appeared. Eventually, continuation Cobras arrived. If you think one of those is a handful when carrying a Rousch aluminum big block, you have to wonder what a GT500 powertrain would do.
That's what this rendering from superrenderscars tries to envision. And it doesn't stop there because some of the front-end features from the GT500 muscle car have transitioned to the roadster. We know many purists will be offended by this nose job, but at least they'll be happy to know that no classic cars have been harmed to create this picture.
Shelby is about a lot of other things, including the F-150. But before the brand came the man, Carroll Shelby. Every car enthusiast should know he had a lot of success as a driver and later transition to making his own race cars.
Also, Shelby was good at chicken farming and made his own brand of chili powder which you can buy even today. The man is the very definition of success, and the Cobra is one of his greatest achievements.
Due to a heart condition, Carroll retired from racing in 1960 and turned to race car design. His idea of putting a Chevy motor in the AC Ace Chassis was turned down by GM. But Ford loved the idea of supporting a roadster that could rival the Corvette, and so the Cobra was born.
The famous 427 big block models had some pretty raw handling. With the gaping mouth and the hood scoop, this is also an iconic shape that people like to reinterpret with modern styling. In 2004, Ford even made a futuristic concept car powered by a 6.4-liter V10 engine. It was interesting, but we think you can't improve perfection.
Shelby American quit making the Cobra after 1967. In the years that followed, replica makers appeared. Eventually, continuation Cobras arrived. If you think one of those is a handful when carrying a Rousch aluminum big block, you have to wonder what a GT500 powertrain would do.
That's what this rendering from superrenderscars tries to envision. And it doesn't stop there because some of the front-end features from the GT500 muscle car have transitioned to the roadster. We know many purists will be offended by this nose job, but at least they'll be happy to know that no classic cars have been harmed to create this picture.