Clay said:
My uncle went to the dealership a while back to see the Shelby, maybe test drive. He said that the shelby really wasn't anything special. According to him it was like all they did was beef up the engine a little but.
Are you referring to the
Shelby GT or
Shelby GT500? Because if you're referring to the GT500, to say it's nothing special is a bit disingenuous. There is much that sets it apart from a standard Mustang, and even a Roush than just having its "engine beefed up a little bit". A GT500 comes with a supercharged 5.4L V8 & 6-speed tranny, along with a myriad of other performance/handling/appearance enhancements, while the others have the 4.6L V8/5-speed tranny. And don't get me wrong, I'm not denigrating any of the Roush models either. They're far different from a standard Mustang GT in terms of performance, handling, and appearance, just like the Shelby GT500.
The Shelby GT of 2006-2008 on the other hand, wasn't all that much different from the average Mustang GT in terms of performance and handling. Pretty much any Mustang GT can be upgraded to the level of a Shelby GT with the very same parts from the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog that Shelby used to build the Shelby GT. But then again, that's how Carroll Shelby and his boys built the original '65 Shelby GT350 too, by raiding the Ford Racing Parts catalog. I think that the Shelby GT was designed and built kind of "in the spirit" of the original GT350, which was somewhat "slapped together" too. Hence, the pop-riveted scoop, etc. I've read some bios of Shelby and guys that worked for him like Pete Brock, and that was how they did things back then, pretty much by the seat of their pants.
I never understood why the '06-08 Shelby GT wasn't named GT350. They brought back the GT500 name, so why not GT350?
Bottom line is that they both carry the Shelby name, vehicle heritage, and the rep for performance that goes along with it. That's worth a lot to many enthusiasts and collectors.