Ford Shelby Mustang GT500

Ford Shelby GT500
Exterior

One look at the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500, and you can see that its exterior design is as functional as it is striking. The designers didn’t merely take Shelby heritage cues and paste them onto the contemporary Mustang. Instead, they worked with SVT engineers to develop a design that would actually enhance the car’s performance.

For example, the fog lamps were removed from the upper grille opening – where they are located on the Mustang GT. Smaller units were relocated on the outside of the lower front fascia, like on modern Mustang Cobras, so that airflow into the engine compartment can be maximized.  

A further example of how the GT500’s form follows function is the design of the heat extractors on the hood. In adapting the concept car’s design to production reality, testing helped optimize the size and location of the openings to better remove heat from the engine compartment – an important consideration for a car generating 480 horsepower.

Other functional aero additions to the Shelby GT500 can be found at the front and rear. The rear spoiler was designed to add significant downforce at speed. Similarly, wind-tunnel experience gained from the Ford GT program helped the team design the front air splitter to effectively combat lift. Speaking of the Ford supercar, the 18 x 9.5-inch wheels worn by the Shelby GT500 also bear a resemblance to those of the Ford GT.

The Shelby GT500 convertible shares cues with other high-end Ford Motor Company products. Rather than using vinyl for its top, as the mainstream Mustang does, the GT500 convertible uses the same type of high-grade fabric used on the Jaguar XK, the Ford Thunderbird and the previous SVT Mustang Cobra. The cloth top is available only in black to match the car’s predominantly black interior.

And while racing stripes don’t make a car go faster, they play a big role in this new Shelby’s identity. In coupe form, the GT500 wears the full regalia of stripes that Carroll Shelby had bestowed upon the original GT500 coupe: a Le Mans stripe that runs over the hood, roof and rear deck, as well as lower bodyside stripes bearing the legend "GT500" nomenclature.

As did the original GT500 convertible, the modern version carries the side stripes but foregoes the over-body Le Mans stripe. Should buyers prefer the SVT tradition of a more understated appearance, the Le Mans stripe, the side stripes or both may be deleted from the Coupe. The side stripes are also a delete option on the Convertible.

The stripes on the GT500 come in a range of four colors (Performance White, Vista Blue, Tungsten and Satin Silver) that, with one exception, can be matched with at least three of the seven available exterior colors. The exception is Vista Blue, which can be paired only with a Performance White exterior.

Exterior paint colors include Torch Red (which can be paired with Performance White or Satin Silver stripes), Alloy (available with Satin Silver or Tungsten stripes), Vista Blue (Performance White or Tungsten), Performance White (with Vista Blue or Tungsten stripes), Tungsten Grey (Satin Silver only), Valencia Yellow (with Tungsten only) and Ebony (with Performance White or Tungsten stripes).

With a body structure providing considerably more torsional rigidity than the previous-generation Mustang coupe, the chassis of the 2007 GT500 coupe is better able to respond to driver inputs to help control the vehicle in emergency maneuvers.

The body structure is 31 percent stiffer in torsion, meaning that a twisting force of 15,500 foot-pounds can deform the body by only one degree. Such dramatic leaps in body stiffness contribute to the GT500’s driving performance, with parallel benefits in accident protection. Engineering a body with such high stiffness creates a passenger "safety cage" that helps protect the cabin from deformation and intrusion.

The front structure is designed to absorb energy in a controlled manner and dissipate it before it can reach the passenger compartment. The GT500 front rails have an octagonal shape to spread forces evenly at the firewall and progressively deform for increased protection in demanding, offset frontal crashes.

Other safety features include all-speed traction control, anti-lock brakes (ABS) and Ford’s Personal Safety System®. When you add in the standard driver- and front passenger side-impact air bags and side intrusion door beams, the GT500 provides a comprehensive safety package. Combined with its solid foundation and purposeful design, the high-performance functionality of the 2007 Shelby makes it the ultimate Mustang.