Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
"This is the place where the uninitiated soil themselves." -Carrol Shelby
Oh boy am I EXCITED TO WRITE ABOUT THIS ONE. I'm just about that point in life where all I crave is a whining V8 to do all the yelling for me. How would one even control this thing?
Out of all the mustangs, this is BY FAR my favorite. A runner up, I would say, is the Terminator Cobra. But for now let's focus on this executioner of a muscle car. The later variants of the GT500 were developed to hit 325kph (202mph), which made it, at the time, the most powerful production V8 in the world. In fact, the engineers warned about "bird strikes" on the front end, as the grille had to be removed in order to allow more air induction. That's the equivalent of knocking all your teeth out so you can breathe more air into your mouth. Yes, Shelby did go that far.
I don't think I can accurately explain the emotions this car invokes in me without blurting out obscene profanities every two words. This thing is practically a 662-horsepower middle finger to the entire automotive establishment. In an era where other manufacturers were slapping "eco" badges on their slop, Ford bored out their V8 to 5.8L and slapped a supercharger on it. In a world where drivers started getting used to being lazy with all their assists and paddle shifters, these decapitators came ONLY with 6-speed manuals. If you aren't man enough to wrangle 662 horsepower with your own left foot and a stick of metal, find someone who is and hand the keys over.
I have no idea how Ford managed to achieve this look. If you look at the early Mustangs like the original Boss 302, at least to me, it looks more like the outer headlights are just that.. Outer. Not part of the car's actual face. However, with the introduction of the S197 and the facelift, they not only modernized that classic look, but they drew the lines in bold. This time, looking at the car, you can practically see its face. The scarred headlights, indicating it sees nothing but red (and crowds). The missing grille, almost looking like it's opening its mouth to consume anything in its way. The huge hood intake, almost like a huge nose because, well, all vicious monsters have big noses don't they?
I just noticed the best shots I chose of this car all feature the front. That thick rear end is gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but I am simply just mesmerized by the front whenever I look or even think of this car. Perhaps it's just that their front end is so odd to us as we have never seen one in our rear mirror. It was a pleasure to even think about this car. I wish I could somehow express EXACTLY how this car makes me feel, but I think I came pretty close. I won't fall into my chronic ambiguphobia though; I'll pray that you are as enthusiastic about this car as I am.
Car Cassette:
- Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) - Deftones
- Bawitdaba - Kid Rock
- Petals - Hole
"We're lighter, we're faster, and if that don't work, we're nastier." -Carrol Shelby