Johannesburg: It looks like a Ford Mustang on steroids, and being twice as powerful as your ‘regular’ GT, this special edition Shelby is ripped and ready to conquer.
The Shelby Mustang King of the Road has been confirmed for South Africa, with only four of the 225 units allocated for global consumption set to be made available to local buyers, at an estimated price of R4.4 million.
You could say that it’s a pretty special nameplate, given that this is only the second new iteration of the Shelby GT500 King of the Road (KR) since the original was unleashed in 1968.
Back then, it was powered by a 428 Cobra Jet V8 that produced 250kW, but today’s GT500KR is capable of around 670kW. Upgrading to a new Whipple supercharger, featuring a larger throttle body, and installing an updated pulled system and dual-core pass intercooler helped liberate an extra 105kW from the GT500’s 5.2-litre V8.
Further to that lightweight items, like a carbon fibre bonnet, shave off around 14kg from the vehicle’s weight. A more “aggressive” suspension tune and sportier sway bars are also part of the deal, along with unique alloy wheels and various carbon fibre body bits.
Inside, you’ll find unique anniversary badging and as a bonus, each vehicle is documented in the Shelby Registry.
The cars will be built at the Shelby-approved ‘Mod Shop’ in the Western Cape.
Shelby South Africa CEO Peter Lindenberg says the latest King of the Road is probably the most unique of all Shelbys available in South Africa.
“The GT500KR’s performance figures are unsurpassed for a rear-wheel drive muscle car. This is a long-awaited Shelby for the South African market as the enquiries for the high-performance, track-bred GT350 and GT500 have been extraordinary,” said Lindenberg.
“This is the first time we are able to offer this icon in the Shelby range in South Africa,” he added.
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