Ford
Shelby Mustang
The Shelby Mustang is a high performance
variant of the Ford Mustang which was built by Shelby
American from 1965 through 1970. Following the introduction
of the fifth generation Ford Mustang, the Shelby
nameplate was revived in 2007 for new high performance
versions of the Mustang.
Much like the 2011 V6 and GT Mustangs, the 2011
Shelby GT500 gets an engine update with an all-new
5.4 L aluminum engine which is 102 pounds lighter
than the previous cast-iron engine and uses Ford-patented
plasma-coating technology (Plasma transferred wire
arc). The inventors of PTWA received the 2009 IPO
National Inventor of the Year award. This technology
was initially patented and developed by inventors
from Flame-Spray. The technology was subsequently
improved upon by Ford and Flamespray. With the engine
updates, not only has performance improved to 550
horsepower (410 kW) and 510 lb·ft
(691 N·m) of torque, but the GT500's
gas mileage has improved to 15 mpg-US (16 L/100 km;
18 mpg-imp) city and 23 mpg-US (10 L/100 km;
28 mpg-imp) highway, which was enough to eliminate
the U.S. Gas Guzzler Tax. The final production number
of the 2011 Shelby GT500 by the end of the year
was 5100 units.
Ford also improved upon the handling characteristics
of the GT500. The overall stance of the car has
been lowered by 11 millimeters in front and 8 millimeters
at the rear. The car also features Ford's new Electric
Power Assist Steering (EPAS) that improves torque
build-up and road feel which delivers quicker and
more precise steering, increased effort on the racetrack
or winding roads, and reduced effort in low-speed
parking maneuvers. The car also has Ford's AdvanceTrac
stability control system, which features a sport
mode when pressed twice consecutively while stopped
with the brakes applied.
External improvements include an optional SVT Performance
Package, which includes Goodyear EagleF1 SuperCar
G: 2 tires, all-new lightweight 19-inch forged-aluminum
wheels in front and 20-inch forged-aluminum wheels
at the rear, a 3.73 rear axle ratio, and performance
tuned front and rear shocks along with stiffer springs.
The package includes a unique rear spoiler Gurney
Flap for improved handling, slightly revised front
and rear fascias, a new pedal box for improved clutch
use, slotted brake dust shields for improved brake
cooling, standard HID (high-intensity discharge)
headlamps, MyKey programmable vehicle key, integrated
spotter mirrors, and fold-down rear headrests. Optional
is a glass top roof, previously available, starting
in 2009, with the Mustang GT. The total number of
Sterling Gray colored GT500s in 2011 was 492.
The improvements in handling and performance gives
the 2011 Shelby GT500 a skidpad rating of 1.0G,
and a Virginia International Raceway lap time of
2:58:48, making it as fast as, and sometimes faster
than, cars such as the M3, Audi R8 V10, Dodge Viper
SRT-10 and Porsche GT3 around this racetrack.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
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