Carroll Shelby gives two-wheel tuning a try
We love Carroll Shelby. You love Carroll Shelby. We all love Carroll Shelby. Repeat. We also love the cars that have the Shelby logo on them. Except, maybe a few of the Dodge products in the 80's. An Omni probably should never be called a Shelby. Anybody disagree? (Yes. I owned one. -Ed.)Now, Shelby is getting in on the motorcycle craze. I happen to be a rider myself, and I can appreciate most every motorcycle on the market for one reason or another. This one, however, we have to dismiss. Would you put a Shelby logo on a lowrider Cadillac Fleetwood, even if it had a really big engine? No. And neither should it be applied to this low-riding, ill handling custom bike. Just because it has a big, powerful V-Twin engine nestled tightly between it's downtubes doesn't mean it has performance credentials. Think back -- what did Shelby build his reputation on? Winning races, right? Would you take this bike to a track day and challenge the GSXR's and Ninja's in the corners? Neither would we, which is why this is not a real Shelby.
[Source: Gizmag]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike 10:50AM (2/09/2007)
Shelby GLHS
1986 - 500 made
1987 - 1000 made.
0-60 in 6.5 seconds.
1/4 mile of 14.8
Top speed over 130.
The Shelby Omni's were light, handled extremely well, and had power to back it up, as well as the rarity. Say what you want about the Omni, the GLHS is another monster altogether.
Your comment equates to: the '07 v6 stang is a POS, therefor the GT500 is a POS... just doesn't quite ring true, now does it?
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GO JOE 10:53AM (2/09/2007)
Honda to Recall 45,355 Civic hybrids mostly in USA
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251022,00.html
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Avinash machado 10:57AM (2/09/2007)
#2 What does a Honda recall have to do with this post about Shelby?
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18psi 11:23AM (2/09/2007)
So, you're saying that drag racing isn't racing? Or a 150hp V-twin isn't high performance?
Plus, the fwd Shelby Dodges and the Shelby-inspired Dodges were some of the cheapest, most fun cars of the late '80s. And easy to modify to go faster.
Not everybody can afford a Shelby Cobra.
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lavardera 11:36AM (2/09/2007)
A friend of mine had a GLHS back in 1987, and it was outrageous.
Four doors too, and decent space in the hatch.
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Jro 1:35PM (2/09/2007)
The only Dodge I think didn't deserve the Shelby badge was the 1989 Shelby Dakota. Personally, I loved the 1999 Shelby Durango even though it was riddled with problems.
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Rob 6:38PM (2/09/2007)
Whoever made the crack that GLHS Omnis weren't real shelby cars really needs to be fired from Autoblog. They were fantastic. You could turn up the boost and run 13s, outta the box. Luxurious? No. Fast, and fun and cheap? Yes. They were some of the best cars of the 80s.
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Jeff the Baptist 12:35PM (2/09/2007)
Shelby's '80s Chrysler work isn't amazing, but in many way's it was prescient. 80s Shelby's were light blown four cylinders with suspension upgrades so they handled well. And those late 80s Chrysler 4s were so overbuilt they could handle a ton of boost. Sound like today's import tuners? Well it should.
But I don't think most of Shelby's current projects are really matching up to the legend. The Shelby Mustang has a ton of horsepower, but the suspension tuning stinks. Jeremy Clarkson ran it on a track against a Roush Stage III with significantly less horsepower. The Roush demolished it.
This new motorcycle? A friend of mine who likes and rides Harleys thinks it's great. After all bikes aren't supposed to go around corners well, right? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if a you could demolish this thing with any number of stock sportbikes.
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Peter Hansen 1:41PM (2/09/2007)
Frankly, Shelby has been living off his name for a couple of decades now. So are you really surprised by this sort of thing?
This bike showcases all that is wrong with modern motorcycling. As a rider for over 30 years, I can't wait for the mass culture to become bored with bikes so that things can return to normal.
Interestingly, there is another former racing legend who is actually doing interesting things with two wheels: Dan Gurney. His Alligators are genuinely innovative.
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rwdmtparkingonly 2:10PM (2/09/2007)
If this is what a Shelby design looks like then I'm glad he left the AC bodywork on the Cobra.
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DasBoese 3:16PM (2/09/2007)
"So, you're saying that (...) a 150hp V-twin isn't high performance?"
150hp out of a 2-liter engine isn't high performance, no.
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jeremy 7:11PM (2/09/2007)
All: Time to make a distinction... I never said that the Shelby Omni's or any Shelby Dodge's were bad products. As I mentioned to our editor, who owned one, they were very cool cars. I wanted one very, very badly for my first car when I was 16. Didn't happen, but I digress. What I said was they should not have been Shelby's -- a point I stand by. These cars were totally capable of standing on their own merit without the Shelby connection, and I would argue might have been better off without it. Now, the Shelby connection to the Viper is a different story all together. The Viper is very much a modern-day Cobra. The GLHS's, in my opinion, were not modern-day Shelby Mustangs. They were very different, but totally deserving performance vehicles.
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D Man Sux 11:56PM (2/09/2007)
If the GT500 is any indication, this will end up weighing 3,000 lbs.
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