2008 Shelby GT500KR

Not the old Roger Miller song about trailer parks and low-rent rooms.

This King wears several crowns – King of the Road, King of the Cobras, and King of the Mustangs.

And its back, 40 years after the first Shelby Mustang KR (for King of the Road) debuted in 1967.

“I’m proud to once again be a part of an historical moment, bringing back the ‘King of the Road’ Mustang, and collaborating with Ford SVT and Ford Racing,” said Carroll Shelby, the father of all high-performance Mustang models.

“I’m committed to continuously upping the ante when it comes to performance, and it’s great to be doing it with Ford.”

Ford’s Robert Parker says the new car stays “true to the promise we made our loyal Mustang fans to continue Mustang’s prowess by (producing) new, exciting and more powerful Mustangs.”

Forty years ago, at the 1967 New York Auto Show, Ford introduced the most powerful Shelby Mustang of that time.

The 1968 Shelby Cobra GT500KR was a mid-year introduction, based on the 1968 Shelby GT500. Ford added Cobra to the Shelby’s moniker to help usher in the beginning of a new performance era at the company.

Cobra referred to the new 428 Cobra Jet V8 under the KR’s custom fiberglass bonnet.
Ford conservatively rated the 428 CJ at 335bhp, but in reality it made more than 400bhp and 440 pounds-feet of torque.

The KR also had modified suspension and was offered both in fastback and convertible models. Ford dealers sold 1570 GT500KRs in 1968 – 1053 fastbacks and 517 convertibles.

The King of the Road name also gave Shelby the chance to steal the thunder from rival General Motors.
As the legend goes, Shelby learned that GM was planning to introduce a high-performance model and call it ‘King of the Road’.

Since he had always wanted to use the name, and never one to miss an opportunity, Shelby set to work, registering the name and designing new badging for the Cobra Jet-powered Mustang.

He christened it GT500KR, and got it on sale fast and first.

Like its predecessor, the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR builds on the Shelby GT500. With 40bhp more under its carbon composite hood, the GT500KR is the most powerful production Ford Mustang yet.

The GT500KR becomes the third production high-performance current model Mustang developed by Shelby Automobiles and Ford.

The 2008 GT500KR will be produced in an exclusive run of 1000 units and will begin arriving in American Ford showrooms in the northern hemisphere spring of 2008.

Ford SVT chief designer, Doug Gaffka, and his team worked closely with Carroll Shelby and the Shelby team to make certain the new KR retained the spirit of the original Shelby muscle car.

“The Shelby team and I were in constant contact, melding Carroll’s classic design cues with some modern concepts and ideas and finessing them into the design of the new KR.”

Shelby Automobiles’ Gary Davis played a key role in defining the look of the custom-designed carbon composite bonnet.

His knowledge of the original GT500KR helped sculpt a modern interpretation of the original’s bulging bonnet scoop, a visual indication of the extra horsepower packed beneath it. The bonnet is secured by a pair of stainless steel, twist-down pins.

The composite front valance houses two chrome-trimmed, functional brake ducts to cool the 14-inch, vented Brembo front brakes.

LeMans-style striping that races down the centre of the car has been deleted between the forward edge of the bonnet scoops and the front of the bonnet, accenting the scoops and giving the KR its distinctive face.

“That was Shelby’s idea,” said Gaffka. “It’s a special touch that adds some down-the-road differentiation.

There will be no doubt that it’s a ‘King of the Road’ Mustang that’s filling up your rearview mirrors.”

The car pictured here has exclusive, Shelby-designed 20-inch, forged, polished aluminium wheels with special custom centre caps and Pirelli tyres.

Production cars will have an 18-inch version of the design.

A special Shelby VIN tag is affixed to each vehicle, mounted in the engine compartment.
The all-leather interior features Carroll Shelby signature embroidered headrests and an official Shelby CSM 40th Anniversary GT500KR dashplate.