Ford Shelby 500 GT Image
Ford Shelby 500 GT Inside
Ford Shelby 500 GT Wallpaper
Ford Shelby 500 GT Front View
The Ford Shelby GT500KR, revealed at the 2007 New York International Auto Show, was released in the spring of 2008. The car is powered by a 540 horsepower 5.4-liter (330 CID) supercharged V-8 version of the base GT500 engine with functional Cold Air Intake and unique calibration. SVT and Shelby announced that 1,000 40th Anniversary Editions will be built for the U.S. in 2008, with another 571 units in 2009. This 1,571 production run matches that of the original 1968 GT500KR. In total, 1,712 units were produced, with the remaining units going to Canada, export markets and military sales.
All KRs were built by AutoAlliance International on the normal Mustang production line and then shipped to Shelby Automobiles Incorporated (SAI) where final assembly was completed. SAI was the manufacturer of record.
The Shelby GT500KR features a carbon fiber composite hood with functional scoops and vents, twist-lock hood pins modeled on the original 1968 KR, a unique carbon fiber splitter, carbon fiber mirror caps, and functional brake cooling ducts. The suspension was tuned by SVT with unique spring rates, dampers, stabilizer bars, and strut tower brace and was sourced from Ford Racing. Unique Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires were developed for the KR with a unique compound. With the same tread pattern as the Eagle F1 Supercar tire on the 2007-2009 GT500 they can only be identified by a unique Goodyear "Wingedfoot" emblem on the sidewall.
The 2008-09 GT500KR draws on styling cues from the classic 1968 "King of the Road" GT500KR model, and the 2008 model includes "40th Anniversary" badging; both years will have availability of standard GT500 colors with "LeMans" stripes, and Carroll Shelby signature embroidered seats. The GT500KR's starting price was $120,000.95
The GT500KR was featured prominently in the new Knight Rider television series on NBC. One of the main characters of the show was KITT, an advanced Artificial Intelligence housed in a GT500KR. Also, in the return of the show, KARR was also a GT500KR.