Shelby GT350/500, 289 '66 Mustang, Corvettes, Triumph Stag, Pontiac Trans Ams, 3.0 Capris - total car nut since I could drive my friends down the pub when I was 19...
GT built by Shelby in LA rather than Ford
I restore original '60s Shelbys and Cobras for a living and Carroll Shelby is a hero of mine. I loved his hot-rodding style of taking a standard car and turning it into something special. The Shelby GT is hand-built by Shelby American in very limited production numbers using exactly the same methods as the '66 cars, so it is true to the original. Each vehicle receives special bodywork with vinyl twin stripes, hood scoop, tuned engine, lowered and stiffened suspension, big front and rear roll bars, low restriction exhaust and 3.55:1 LSD axle. Then each car is given a unique Shelby VIN number which is listed in the Shelby registry. Most people don't realise the famous modern Shelby GT500 is not built by Shelby at all but by Ford and are mass produced in their thousands.
Some bloke's written on the dash, look...
I bought the car as a partner to the 2006 Shelby GT Hertz I owned, however the Hertz was really a collector car and I needed something I could drive more. I noted this Shelby GT on PistonHeads, parked outside a very plain red brick house and the asking price was well below the UK accepted price. When I saw the seller's address was Suffolk I guessed he was a US serviceman here on duty. Contacting the guy, he was based at Lakenheath, the car's lower price was correct if you converted it to dollars ... so my gain. The owner had all the original paperwork and was great - helpful and 100 per cent to deal with. I then traded the Shelby GT Hertz against a V8 Aston.
I cannot recommend the Shelby GT enough, much more special than the GT500 although nowhere near as powerful. A much more exclusive car for those who really know about Shelby cars and are not taken in by all the hype surrounding the GT500. The GT is hugely drivable, good on fuel and follows Shelby's original '60s hot rod brief very closely ... the knowing person's modern Shelby.
Now sports bigger wheels and brakes
Driveability, exclusivity, follows the original brief, quick in standard trim, comfortable and easy to maintain and care for. So tuneable......
Things I hate:
Standard brakes with 13-inch discs, rubbish ...easy fix is an 14-inch Brembo conversion.
Costs:
Standard maintenance is not expensive at all and there's a fantastic array of aftermarket performance goodies available. Exhausts, engine parts, body trim, wheels ... a hot-rodder's dream.
Supercharger 'louder than The Who'
The best thing about it is driving it, not sitting in a field showing it. The GT has responded so well to Mr Shelby's initial work, I have just tweaked it with some other goodies; big front discs and Brembo calipers and cold air ducting to the brakes. Also, larger Shelby wheels have been fitted to clear the new calipers.
But the most dramatic thing was the Roush supercharger. The most cost-effective upgrade I've ever carried out on a car - bloody amazing device. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: below 3,250rpm, good standard performance with instant throttle response, above 3,250rpm all hell breaks loose. A howl from the supercharger that even The Who at full volume can't drown out and performance of a £100K supercar ... fantastic!