The 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 is a unique vehicle. Although based on the Mustang, you will not find any Mustang badges on the car. Neither will you find Ford badging. Instead, the Shelby Cobra logo and the GT500 model name appear prominently.
Ford plans to make only 5,500 units of the 2011 Shelby GT500--a limited run considering how many cars the automaker sells in general. Although not called a Mustang, the Shelby GT500 sits at the performance apex of the Mustang lineup.
The Shelby GT500 builds on the retro-classic Mustang styling with a lower fascia that mirrors the grille and headlight frame. The hood bulges to accommodate the supercharger, and the stripes are standard.
This aluminum block engine replaces the cast iron block in the 2010 model (saving weight) and, with the supercharger, churns out 40 more horsepower than the previous version.
Beyond the Shelby cabin touches, such as the sport steering wheel and ball shifter, the interior is standard Mustang quality. That means soft surfaces over the dashboard, but hard plastics lining the doors.
Suede over the wheel near the lateral spokes made for a comfortable grip. We were impressed with the handling, which was aided by the SVT suspension tuning.
The hard-drive-based navigation system shows 3D and 2D maps at a good level of resolution. Traffic overlays show freeway flow and incident information.
