NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Shelby unleashes 1100bhp Mustang

Shelby America has a long history of tweaking Ford Mustangs, but the renowned US tuner is set to unleash its most extreme offering to date at this week’s New York motor show.

Dubbed the Shelby 1000, the steroidal new pony car will be offered in two versions – a street-legal version running on standard fuel that kicks out 950 horses (709kW), as well as a storming track version rated at over 1100 horsepower (821kW).

Derived from the 2012 Shelby GT500 (hardly a slug in its own right), the latest creation fittingly comes 50 years after the first Shelby Cobra hit the world stage.

The conversion begins with stripping down the 410kW Shelby GT500’s 5.4-litre V8, and it’s subsequently equipped with a new crank, rods and pistons, while breathing is improved by flowing the heads and reworking the exhaust system.

The cooling system is also upgraded, while the fuel lines are enlarged to ensure enough juice gets through to the voracious engine, which is fed through a Kenne Bell 3.6-litre or Whipple 4.0-litre supercharger. There’s also a new solid aluminium drive shaft connected to a heavy-duty nine-inch rear end.

Keeping all this power in check is a bespoke suspension set-up with new struts, sway bars and bushings. Meanwhile, stopping power is beefed via large discs with six-piston calipers up front and four at the rear.

Despite its huge performance potential (the figures are yet to be announced), the Shelby 1000 doesn’t shout its credentials, apart from the relatively understated “1000” decals on its flanks and rump. Apparently this is in keeping with Shelby’s aim to make it a bit of sleeper, enabling it to prey on unwitting Lambo and Ferrari pilots in stealth (at least at traffic lights).

The steroidal Shelby Mustang isn’t exactly cheap, as it will set buyers back a hefty US$149,995, and that’s after they provide the 2012 Ford Shelby GT500 donor car, which retails in the States for $US48,810 – which means the total outlay is a smidgeon shy of two hundred grand. Still, that’s not too bad for a car with as much power (albeit a lot less sophistication) as a Bugatti Veyron.

It could wind up as a future collectible, as Shelby American will build just 100 examples, with order books opening at the New York unveiling tomorrow (Thursday, April 5).

The Shelby 1000 is likely to garner much press coverage, even though the pre-launch publicity has been marred by Shelby’s admission that one of the images it released had been doctored to show the car with its front wheels off the deck.

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