The Pinnacle of Mustang Passion

Read my blog post about My Ultimate Car Showroom. You will notice that one of my favourite cars is the 1968 Ford Mustang. With a V8 engine, of course. So imagine my delight when I found out that Shelby was coming to SA. The common misconception is that Shelby is a car manufacturer, but that’s not what they do. They merely take existing Ford models, and modify them with performance equipment – and voila. In other words, a Ford Mustang becomes a Ford Mustang Shelby. So after you’ve bought your Ford Mustang 2.3 litre EcoBoost, for example, you can have it transformed into a 2016 Shelby GT 2.3 L EcoBoost. It will cost you, but who can put a price on something so special.

The Launch

The local launch for Shelby took place at Crossley & Webb in Cape Town the other night, and I would have loved to be there. AutoTrader media were at the the event, bringing live updates and footage of the different Shelbys that were there.

Here is a short video clip of a 2016 Shelby Super Snake. And it’s not even being revved. The engine is just running! Ford Mustang Shelby at Idle!

I absolutely love what they’ve done to the interior of the 2016 Shelby Super Snake. The entire cabin of the Super Snake was reupholstered to be branded as such. It also features an all-new suspension developed with Ford Performance, ultralight 20-inch wheels, a choice in superchargers and power levels, and plenty of shiny carbon fibre. Where do I sign up?

So now I am re-planning my dream garage to accommodate a supercharged 2016 Shelby Super Snake with a carbon fibre hood. It’s not going to be an inexpensive exercise though: the Super Snake upgrade packages start from R 1 248 000. And then you still have to buy the Mustang GT before it can be honed into becoming a Shelby.

Some more stunners

Another one I’d put on my list, is the 2016 Shelby Terlingua. Only 50 were built, and only 5 were available to South Africans. And there goes that dream, because they’ve all been sold!

The Terlingua is the most track-inspired Mustang and is built as a tribute to the Terlingua Racing Team and their 1967 Trans Am Championship. From its supercharged 750+ HP (560 kW) engine to its Borla Exhaust and Shelby Brembo brakes, the Terlingua is the ultimate muscle car. It’s also quite a good long-term investment, as if you needed justification.

Next time I’m in Cape Town, I will pop in at Crossley & Webb to see these icons in the flesh!