Ford Shelby Mustang GT500

Ford Shelby Mustang
Interior

An astute observer will note that the speedometer and tachometer do not occupy the same positions they do in the rest of the Mustang line. In the Shelby GT500, the speedometer is on the left while the tachometer is on the right, affording the driver the best view of the tachometer while changing gears.

Sit Down and Drive - True to its high-performance orientation, the Shelby GT500 sports front seats that are different from other Mustangs. Bolstering has been added to provide increased lateral support. This helps keep the driver optimally placed.

Seating surfaces are trimmed in leather, and the classic figure of a cobra is embossed on the front seat backs. A cobra is also prominently featured on the tilt steering wheel’s air bag cover. The wheel rim is wrapped in leather and has unique thumb pads. The shift boot is also made of leather and the parking brake handle is leather clad.

Two interior color treatments are available, charcoal black and charcoal black with crimson red seat inserts and door trim panels. A GT500 Performance Interior Trim Package is optional. It features a leather-wrapped and stitched instrument panel brow and center console, upgraded door armrests and aluminum pedal covers.

Superb Sound Systems, Comfort and Convenience - SIRIUS Satellite Radio may be ordered with either the standard Shaker 500 Audio System or the optional Shaker 1000 system. The Shaker 1000 Audio System amps up to a full 1,000 watts from the standard system’s 500. It includes two sub woofers as part of its 10-speaker array, and an audio input jack is standard. Both the Shaker 1000 and the 8-speaker Shaker 500 systems include AM/FM Stereo with a six-disc in-dash CD changer with MP3 capability.

Comfort and convenience touches abound. Manual air conditioning, power windows and power locks are standard. The center console includes not just an armrest, but storage as well. The interior also features dual power points as well as two cup holders. And the Ford Special Vehicle Team has put its stamp on things as it welcomes enthusiasts into the car via bright doorsill trim plates bearing SVT script.

GT500 Confidence: Ford Personal Safety Systems - Topping the list of the GT500’s safety equipment is Ford's Personal Safety System™, one of the industry's most comprehensive safety technology suites. The system is designed to provide enhanced protection in many types of frontal crashes by analyzing impact factors and determining proper air bag response in milliseconds. It uses dual-stage driver and front-passenger air bags capable of deploying at full or partial power. In less severe frontal crashes, air bags inflate with less force – or not at all – helping reduce the risk of injury.

Front seats are fitted with standard side-mounted air bags.  But safety belts remain the best line of crash defense for vehicle occupants. Ford’s Personal Safety System™ employs pretensioners to tighten front safety belts in the first milliseconds of a crash; energy management retractors gradually reduce the belt load, if necessary, to reduce forces across the occupant's chest during the impact.

Standard occupant classification sensing builds on the strength of the Personal Safety System™ to tailor deployment of the front-passenger air bag. If the passenger-seat sensor detects no weight or very little weight, like a newspaper or a jacket, the passenger air bag is automatically switched off.

If more weight is on the seat, like a small child, the air bag remains deactivated and an instrument panel light alerts the driver with the message "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF." Of course, the safest place for children remains the rear seat, properly restrained. If an adult is seated properly in the passenger seat, the air bag automatically is switched on, ready to inflate within milliseconds, if needed.

Other safety and security features standard on the Shelby GT500 include the Belt-Minder seat belt reminder system; a remote illuminated keyless entry system; the SecuriLock Passive Anti-Theft System; and an Active Anti-Theft System, including intrusion and incline sensor module, alarm sounder separate from the horn, unique anti-theft lock sets and a 60-amp battery. Together with a rigid body structure featuring a steel "safety cage" and side-intrusion door beams, the Shelby GT500 provides a comprehensive safety package.