Coinciding with the 35th Annual Ford and Team Shelby Nationals in Tulsa, OK, Shelby Automobiles has released a barrage of new models including a 2010 version of the GT500 Super Snake (above). Most of the models are based on the previous generation Mustang, either the Mustang GT, Shelby GT or GT500 that current owners can bring to Shelby to be modified.

First up is the Shelby GT/SC, basically a Shelby GT with a supercharger, upgraded brakes and triple gauges on the dash. Next is the Shelby GT/SR (right), which is essentially a GT/SC model fitted with additional equipment for racing like BFGoodrich R compound tires, a one-piece aluminum driveshaft, front brake duct kit and an adjustable suspension.

If you want to Shelbify your regular Mustang GT, you can opt for the SuperCharged package that includes a supercharger, upgrades brakes, suspension and exhaust, 18-inch tires and more. You can also spec out your Mustang to SR spec, which adds similar upgrades to the GT/SR model.

Have a GT500 that needs more Shelby stuff on it? You can now go with the GT500SE (Special Edition) package that includes a carbon fiber front splitter, rocker panels and hood grille inserts, Ford Racing suspension, Borla exhaust, 20-inch wheels and tires, and more. And what if your GT500 is a 2010 model? Well, Shelby is now offering their Super Snake package for the latest GT500 that, among other things, offers a 725-horsepower supercharger upgrade.

Overwhelmed? So are we, but follow the jump to dig through all the upgrades and information for each vehicle.




[Source: Shelby]

There was plenty of hype leading up to Mecum's Spring Classic Auction this weekend, and rightfully so. Up for grabs was the 1965 Shelby Daytona Coup -- one of six ever made -- that clinched the FIA World Championship. Bidding was expected to reach into eight figures, with the potential to break several records for cars sold at auctions.

In a packed house filled with excited bidders and spectators, the Daytona Coupe finally crossed the block last night. Bidding started at a respectable $4 million, quickly went to $5 million, $5.5, and then $6.5. Then bidding slowed, eventually stalling out at $6.8 million. An astronomical sum of money, but not enough to reach the reserve price. With no one willing to bid higher, the Daytona Coupe rolled away unsold. However, Dana Mecum was confident that the car would eventually sell, saying "I'll think we'll get a deal done by the end of the weekend," but unfortunately no auction records were broken.

Several other notable Shelbys were no-sales as well, including a 1964 Cobra 289 competition model that reached $1.3 million, a 1963 Cobra 289 with a high bid of $525,000, and a 1966 Cobra 427 S/C that also hit the $1.3 million mark without finding a new buyer. The top sale of the auction was a 1966 Ford GT40 that went for a gavel price of $2,300,000.

Edit - we've been informed that the 1966 Cobra 427 S/C sold for $1.165 million as part of the Mecum Bid Goes On on Friday after the car went off the block.




[Source: Discovery HD]

Back in the mid 1990s, Carroll Shelby set out to do something he had never done: build a complete car from scratch. The Series 1 seemed to have the right formula on paper – lightweight aluminum honeycomb chassis, carbon fiber body, sophisticated coilover suspension and a 4.0-liter V8 created for the Indy Racing League. However, just like so many others before (and after), ol' Carroll found that building a production car was a much more difficult task than simply stuffing hi-po engines into Mustangs and Cobras. The Series 1 suffered from unexpectedly high production costs that nearly doubling its $100,000 price tag, and the IRL engine was dropped in favor of an Aurora-based V8 producing just 320 horsepower. Despite additional investment in the car and a supercharger option, customers who had put down deposits fled and less than 250 examples left the Shelby factory.

Then in 2006, Shelby Automobiles, Inc. announced it would be continuing production of the car, renamed the Series II and featuring a revised front and rear end and a price tag of $225,000. Despite claims that most of the production run was already sold out, the Series II never materialized due to the excessive costs needed to re-certify the car for modern Federal standards. We haven't heard about the car since then and thought the story had ended. But wait, there's more! Apparently there were still a few Series II bodies still lying around, and Superformance Distribution, the same company that sells the Foose Coupe, has a handful for sale. Each are sold as "specially constructed vehicles" sans engine and transmission, leaving the responsibility of adding the powertrain to the new owner. We've heard that only four Series II roadsters have been built, making it one of the most rare and intriguing Shelbys ever built.



[Source: Superformance Distribution]

The Shelby Daytona Coupe is without a doubt one of the greatest cars in American motorsports history. With an aerodynamic body designed by Peter Brock good for 196 mph, Carroll's Ferrari-slayer dominated the 1965 race season on its way to win the FIA GT World Championship - the first and only American car to achieve the feat. While getting your hands on one of the original six racecars will cost a pretty penny, there is a much more affordable solution.

Southern California-based Exotic Auto Restoration has come up with a unique interpretation of the legendary Shelby named the Daytona Coupe Le Mans Edition. Based on the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe built by Superformance (also designed by Peter Brock), the Le Mans Edition package gets an extra dose of testosterone thanks to fender flares, wider 18-inch wheels and tires, heavy-duty suspension, billet aluminum hood vents, Alcantara seating, brushed aluminum dash with aircraft-style toggle switches, "Daytona Le Mans" gauges, and a suede Momo steering wheel. Powertrain options include any Ford V8 based on the Windsor 351 block, like the 530-horsepower Roush 402R in the car pictured.

If you're in the mood for a racier Daytona Coupe, Exotic Auto Restoration is also offering a track-oriented version that also gets a 6-point roll cage, A/C and carpet delete, quick-release steering wheel, upgraded brakes, carbon fiber front splitter and rear diffuser, Shelby aluminum block 427ci V8 with 560 horsepower, and more. Only six will be built, however, to commemorate the six original racecars. See full details in the press release after the jump, and try not to drool on your keyboard when viewing the high-res gallery below.



[Source: Exotic Auto Restoration]

It's been 45 years since Ford introduced the Mustang, and the Blue Oval chose Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL as ground zero for the big pony car celebration. Track officials estimated more than 38,000 people came out to see about 2,000 Mustangs on display from 15 different countries, and Autoblog was among the revelers.

The Mustang Club of France showed up with a dozen or so 2010 Mustangs they'd rented, Steve Saleen was signing autographs, Ford CEO Alan Mulally made a surprise appearance and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge had two rounds of competition. There were fully-restored, low-mileage Mustangs trailered in from as far away as California and one dirt-encrusted, 1966 GT350H brought in straight from its 29-year stint in an Alabama shed. All three levels of the track's paddock area were full of Ford's iconic muscle car, as were the grassy fields normally reserved spectator parking.

When the track wasn't being used for racing, vintage and late-model Mustang owners got the chance to see what their cars could really do. The distinctive whine of Roush superchargers melded with bassy roars of 40-year-old small-blocks for a pulse-quickening aural collage, providing a singular soundtrack for the event.

Looming clouds began to gather on Saturday afternoon, but only a few sprinkles had fallen by mid-day Sunday. For the most part, temperatures in the upper 60s made walking around the landscaped track a truly memorable experience.

Happy Birthday, Mustang. Here's looking forward to another forty five!

Ford has managed to eke out an extra 2 miles per gallon on the highway from the heavily revised 2010 Shelby GT500, bringing its EPA estimated figures to 14 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. Sure, it seems rather unlikely that buyers considering a muscle car will be all that concerned with fuel economy, but we'll take what we can get, especially since the fuel economy increase is accompanied by a bump up to 540 horsepower and a stump-pulling 510 lb-ft of torque. Plus, an increase in highway mileage means fewer stops on long trips, and that's always welcome in our book.

Now, all of this is fine and dandy, but we all know the real reason this car exists is to obliterate its tires on every 4.3-second blast to 60 mph. Fortunately for fans of ridiculous straight-line acceleration, the revisions that make the latest Shelby more fuel efficient also also end up contributing to its ability to accelerate. The biggest change that helps on the highway is numerically lower gearing in the transmission for the fifth and sixth cogs, which, combined with a 3.55:1 axle ratio, allows the baddest 'Stang to boast improved acceleration in the first four gears to go along with the lowered RPM highway drone made possible by the last two gears.

Ford also points to a refined air intake and a revised twin-disc clutch as reasons that the 2010 Shelby GT500 is a step above its predecessor, and we also took note of the vastly superior interior that's standard in all new Mustangs when we last looked at the GT500. Click here to read all about it, and click past the break for the mpg-touting press release.



[Source: Ford]

Click above for live a high-res gallery from Symbolic Motors Annual Spring Event

Symbolic Motors just held their Annual Spring Event to showcase all the new models from the high-end manufacturers they represent in their San Diego dealerships. The latest and greatest from Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Lotus and Spyker were on display, along with some of the restoration projects the firm is carrying out in their Sorrento Valley facilities. Just for good measure, they also invited a few of their friends to bring along their own favorite wheels.

That meant there was a Ferrari Enzo, a Pratt & Miller C6RS Corvette, a couple of Miuras, a McLaren F1 GTR, a Porsche 962, an ex-Mario Andretti racer, two Bugatti Veyrons, a Koenigsegg CCX, a Lamborghini Reventon, a Blastolene special, and the sixth and final Ferrari Daytona prototype, to name but a few outstanding examples. In addition to the incredible cars on display, Symbolic threw open the doors to their shop and made staff available to answer questions. If that wasn't enough, there was free food and live music, as well as raffles throughout the day. Check out the gallery to see what you might have missed, and check out Symbolic if you happen to find yourself in the San Diego area with a few hours on your hands.



Live photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Remember Unique Performance? Of course, how could we forget the sordid tale of a company building licensed replicas of the Shelby GT500 Eleanor featured in Gone in 60 Seconds, only to be shut down by the police after its shady business practices were uncovered before most cars were delivered. More than a few ex-customers that lost out on their prized vehicles surely haven't forgotten about the deposits they put down on the cars, and last year, a group sued Carroll Shelby in an attempt to recoup their investments.

To help smooth things over, Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc. has agreed to a new licensing agreement with two auto shops in Texas so that the series of continuation GT500SE and GT350SR cars can be completed. Each finished vehicle will get an official serial number from Shelby along with inclusion into the Shelby Worldwide Registry. While the offer is being made royalty free, customers will still be required to pay for the completion of the cars.

[Source: Carroll Shelby Licensing]

The month of May is looking to be a historic one, with not one but two cars having the potential to smash record prices at auctions on the very same weekend. We already reported on the Ferrari 250 TR that will be sold at RM's Maranello auction, and now Mecum has announced the sale of a legendary 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe at their 22nd annual Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis. The auction will be shown live on Discovery's HD theatre, with the Daytona Coupe selling at 8:00pm on Friday, May 18. Mecum fully expects the car to exceed the highest amount paid at a public auction for an American automobile, which is, to our knowledge, the Shelby Cobra Super Snake sold at Barrett-Jackson in 2007 for a total of $5.5 million. The auction house even hopes to reach the eight figure mark. The current record holder for any car is a 1961 Ferrari California Spyder that sold for $10.89 million at RM's auction last year.

The Daytona Coupe being sold, chassis CSX2601, is the fourth of just six built, winning three of eight FIA races it competed in. One of those victories was at Reims in France that earned the points needed for Shelby to clinch the World Manufacturers Championship in the GT III class. The car has been fully restored to its original condition and sports its Reims livery. Bob Bondurant, who piloted the Daytona Coupe to its wins back in 1965 and also owned it shortly thereafter, was reunited with the car at his high performance driving school in Chandler, AZ this weekend. He was joined by Peter Brock, who designed the Coupe, and the two shared stories of the development and racing of the car. Afterwards, Bondurant even put the car through its paces on the track, the first time he had driven it in more than twenty years. Follow the jump for more details on the auction, and check out the plethora of high-res photos in the gallery below.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Mecum Auction]

Tonight at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California, Carroll Shelby and Co. unveiled what is by far the most radical Mustang ever built for the street. Named after Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, who drove a top fuel car for Shelby in the 1968 season, the new Shelby features a 750 horsepower (over 800 on race fuel) version of the GT500's 5.4-liter V8 thanks to an upgraded Kenne Bell supercharger.

Other modifications include a custom fiberglass full tilt front end, a Shelby rear drag wing, eight-point roll cage, six-piston front brakes, rear seat delete, coilover springs, custom Bogart wheels, and much more. Did we mention it's STREET LEGAL? Pricing comes in at a stout $99,995 to upgrade a currently titled car or $149,995 for a complete car. Production will be limited to just 100 examples. More details on the car and the history between Shelby and Prudhomme can be found in the press release after the jump.

UPDATE: Video of unveiling added after the jump.


Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.