2007 Ford Shelby GT500 Review

Specifications

True Love

For Sale: 1 kidney, slightly used. No idea what its worth, but will trade for new Shelby GT500. Seriously; I love this car that much. But the thing is, I knew I would; Ive had a penchant for V8 powered muscle cars since, well… forever, and when it comes to V8 powered muscle cars, the Shelby GT500 is simply the best. So, when Ford lured me to a dark and stormy Detroit for the unveiling of their new test facility with promises of seat time in SVTs latest creation, my answer was quick: hell yes!

For you see, Id driven a few examples of Fords previous Cobra. With a supercharged 4.6L DOHC motor putting out what Ford claimed was 390 horsepower (yeah, right… think higher), driving one, either stock or modified, was an exercise in police-motivated self control. Brutal doesnt quite define it; a Herculean clutch, massive tires, and instantaneous and explosive torque delivery made it a true heros car, and it has since earned the questionable reputation as one of the ultimate street racing steeds of choice for that precise, adolescent reason. So, is what amounts to the new Cobra any different?

Again, hell yes. Introduced to me on a slow ride and handling test course, the new GT500 immediately shone as a vastly better machine than the old Cobra. For one, the new car looks absolutely stunning. Sure, the old Cobra looked about as ready to kick butt and take names as Sylvester Stallone in Rocky (pick one, any one), but it doesnt hold a candle to the chain-gun wielding Arnold Schwarzenegger-in-Predator looks of the GT500. With an array of new body parts, the GT500s design isnt so much the product of a design studio, but rather of the wind tunnel, where things like a new, lower front air splitter were devised to improve aerodynamic efficiency. Taller grille openings devoid of the standard V8 Mustangs fog lights (theyve been moved below the bumper) mean more air goes into the engine bay, while the domed hood, required to clear the roots supercharger atop the 5.4L V8 (more or less the same modular motor as in the Ford GT, albeit with a different supercharger), gets functional air extractors near the front, a necessity on a car that was designed to be flogged mercilessly at length. The final touch, and largest concession to the original is the Cobra emblem. Larger than the original and slightly different in design, its mounted on the drivers side of the grille, and looks absolutely wicked.

The rear view (the one youre most likely to see) is even better; a ducktail spoiler reminiscent of the original GT500 sits atop the trunklid, while a rear diffuser inspired by the Ford GT sits below the bumper, cleaning up the underbody airflow. Finally, a Cobra gas cap emblem lets you know exactly what it was that just dropped you like a bad habit.

And settling inside only continues the good news. Really, nothing more than a slightly revised Mustang GT interior, the new Shelbys interior isnt anything new, but as a big proponent of the regular Mustangs already excellent retro-themed interior, the Shelbys little touches were welcome improvements. One such touch; more heavily bolstered seats, was especially welcome on the high speed test track and autocross course Ford had set up, where the chairs did a top notch job of being both comfortably soft and yet still supportive, unlike some of its competitors hard-as-a-church-pew seats.

Once behind the steering wheel, the overall blackness of the interior hit home, with everything from the steering wheel spokes to the dash to the vents themselves getting the dark treatment. Better suited to the two interior color schemes (black on black and black on red), the new black stuff looks dark and businesslike; with the only points of brightness being the trim rings brushed aluminum surface and signature white-faced SVT gauges. Coincidentally, those gauges are different in more ways than just their color; the tach and speedo have swapped positions with the aim of increasing the tachometers visibility. Another nice touch is a dash covered in leather instead of hard plastic, although how it will last over the long haul is anyones guess.

But really, none of that matters the second you turn the key. Starting with a resounding bark from the purposeful dual exhaust, the motor quickly settles into a quiet rumble thats much less noticeable than the Cobras. While some will welcome this switch to a quieter exhaust, I personally wouldnt mind opening up the pipes a little, but no doubt a plethora of aftermarket tubes will be made available for like-minded individuals. Pulling out of the parking lot with a herd of fellow journalists watching was a stressful experience, but the light clutch proved exceedingly progressive in its engagement, even after being beaten on by numerous writers and testers alike. Requiring almost no throttle to creep forward, it was immediately evident that maneuvering the GT500 through morning traffic would be no more difficult than doing so in a regular Mustang GT, and far from the chore it was in the old Cobra.

Once out on the first test track; a speed-limited windy course with plenty of elevation change, the GT500 revealed its forgiving nature. Riding across the varied track surface no more harshly than an SRT8 or M3, the GT500 felt firmly planted, and exuded confidence around every single agonizingly slow corner. Forced to keep the revs below 3,000 rpm, the whole experience could actually be summed up by saying it was like driving a super-tight Mustang GT.

After doing my slow speed duty, setting out on the high-speed test track was a joy. Still limited to a slightly more bearable 70 miles per hour around the two loops (one a large radius bend, the other smaller), the GT500 felt just as it had on the slow speed track: calm, composed, and frustratingly capable of more. But after only a few familiarization laps in a fetching red GT500 coupe, the foreboding skies opened, and the view across the vented and striped hood revealed nothing but black cumulonimbus clouds and almost continuous lightning strikes. A truly inspiring moment for someone thats never seen such a thunderstorm (I can count the annual number of lighting strikes I see on the west coast on one hand), I figured I might as well make the most of the incredibly dramatic scene and lay into the car that Id heard so much about. Coming out of the start/stop parking lot at the lowest possible speed, I spent the next 10 seconds of my life in what must have been heaven. The cabin filled with a deep bellow, the roots blower came on full song, the huge 285 series rear tires begged for mercy, a great force pressed me into my seat and the back end wiggled almost imperceptibly. The shifter slammed into the second of six available gears seemingly on its own, and amid all the fury surrounding me, I swear the clouds parted, a single ray of light shone down from the heavens, and the sound of angels filled my ears. It was a truly religious experience. And then we broke for lunch.

After returning from our brief repast and allowing the torrential downpour to cease, we boarded a shuttle bus bound for the most anticipated event of the day, the autocross. Set on Fords massive dry vehicle dynamics area (fancy engineer speak for skidpad, or massive uninterrupted parking lot), the autocross was the only area where we, the great-unwashed journalist masses, could wring out the new GT500 with no limits of any kind. With nothing in sight but cones to kill, the car that had previously awed me with its straight-line acceleration proceeded to amaze me with its incredible poise. Much has been written about the Shelbys hefty curb weight (coupes weigh in at 3,920 pounds while the convertible is slightly heavier at 4,040 pounds) and far from perfect balance (57 percent of that weight rests on the front tires) but the pounds seem to melt away Jenny-Craig style when the car hits the first corner.

A testament to the GT500s extensive suspension development program, the live axle gives up nothing in terms of performance; at least not on a smooth track. I would expect the live rear end to be slightly more unsettled on bumpy city streets, but as a track day weapon, the rear end that has been called archaic by some actually has a couple of distinct benefits over an independent setup. First off, the tested and true rear axle is, dollar for dollar, more durable than an independent rear end; anyone with a 2003 and up Mustang Cobra can tell you that, and SVT actually tested the durability of the GT500s driveline by running the car through 500 drag-style drop-clutch launches; something most IRS wouldnt be able to handle. Second, and more importantly on a track, the live rear axle maintains optimal tire alignment throughout the suspensions compression, meaning both rear tires offer the same amount of cohesion with the road surface around corners.Â
This came in handy on the autocross course, where the nose-heavy Mustang showed exactly how predictable a car can be, with both rear P285/40ZR18 tires breaking away literally on command. Entering a corner too quickly could be corrected by a little bit of trail-braking to rotate the car early and bleed off speed, while exiting could be made as quick or as dramatic as one liked, with the linear power band allowing almost surgical levels of control over the rear ends location in relation to the front. Being a complete idiot and coming in far too hot resulted in less than moderate oversteer, with the staggered tires (the fronts are only 10 inches wide, otherwise known as 255s) working with the heavier front end to keep the car admirably well balanced. As with most Mustangs, driving the GT500 fast is a lesson in weight transfer and power; with the majority of the weight on the front end, its possible to almost totally unweight the back end under braking, while the amazing power from the roots-blown Ford GT engine means feeding in too much throttle in an attempt to regain rear traction will simply result in a big, billowing spin. This is a fact I rediscovered after trying to momentarily regain traction between a big sideways slide through the first corner; a long sweeping right-hander, and the following tight left-hand slalom entry.

After beating the car senseless and wearing what must have been the biggest, goofiest grin in the world, clambering out of the still-running automobile (SVT recommends leaving the car running for a few minutes after a hard drive to allow the supercharger case to cool uniformly) and smelling the hot brakes left me wondering exactly what Id have to do to own one of these very reasonably priced cars.

Costing just over $40,000, its the bargain of the century, but without even taking that into consideration Im not afraid to admit that it is quite honestly the best car Ive ever had the pleasure of driving; it simply makes sense. With four decently sized seats, a real trunk, great looks and impeccable low-speed road manners, the Shelby GT500 is a superhero among cars, Clark Kent during the Monday-Friday slog, and Superman on the weekends. On the track SVTs work shines, and the car is just as good for amateurs to learn performance driving in as it is for track day veterans to embarrass more expensive cars with; which brings us back to the original question: anybody need a kidney?