Shelby Mustangs for Oz

Some of the most potent versions of the Ford Mustang have finally been slated for Australia under a new plan hatched by legendary American tuner, Shelby.

Aaron Shelby, the grandson of the outfit’s famous creator, Le Mans winner Caroll Shelby, has told motoring.com.au the business is in “heavy discussions” with Ford about offering right-hand drive versions of the 597kW Mustang Super Snake.

Speaking at this week’s Paris motor show, Shelby said those talks would more than likely lead to the birth of an official Shelby vehicle division in Australia.

“There is definitely scope for a Shelby presence in Australia,” Aaron Shelby said.

“We’ve been in some pretty heavy discussion with Ford UK, and we’re looking pretty hard at Australia as part of that as well.”

Along with its own in-house business, Shelby licences Ford Performance to use its most famous nameplates for modern icons such as the Shelby GT350, GT350R and GT500.

However, relatively low demand outside the US domestic market has meant those models have never been produced in right-hand drive.

Shelby is currently represented in Australia by Mustang Motorsport, which converts and upgrades Ford’s pony car to Shelby specs. It already sells the Mustang Super Snake here, where the latest 2018 version will soon be available for $91,500 – plus the price of the donor car.

There are also a number of local Ford Performance outlets including Herrod Performance, and both Melbourne-based Mustang hot shops are doing a roaring trade in aftermarket supercharged Mustangs.

Along with fellow US Mustang tuner Roush, Shelby works closely with and develops components for Ford Performance, which was officially launched in Australia in April.

But while the Ford Ranger Raptor and upcoming Fiesta ST are part of the fledgling Ford Performance range here, where Ford Australia also offers the Mustang Performance Pack, Ford’s flagship Mustang will officially remain the upcoming Bullitt since it has ruled out official factory supercharger kits and any LHD-only Shelby models.

“Ford is never going to bring the GT350 or the GT500 to Australia, just like they don’t with Europe; they’ve given us an open wallet more or less to say ‘hey, go figure it out’,” Shelby said.

“We’ve got two options with these cars. One, we can take the right-hand drive models straight from the assembly line in Flat Rock, Michigan, modify them at our facility in Las Vegas, and then ship them down to Australia.

“Or we can find a partner in Australia and get them to tune the cars when they’re already down there.

“I can’t give you an exact time on that but Australia is a top market for us. We know Mustang’s popular down there.”

Shelby president Gary Patterson said the tuner’s Super Snake model loomed as the most likely candidate for Australian export.

Employing the standard car’s 5.0-litre V8, Shelby adds a supercharger to endow the muscle car with either 597kW or 529kW outputs – enough to deliver 0-100km/h acceleration in about 3.5 seconds.

Patterson pointed to the entry-level Shelby GT as another Australian prospect.

In the case of the Super Snake, a retail price tag of under $150,000 is estimated; the cheaper GT variant could pare that figure back significantly, but will still command a healthy premium over the garden-variety $62,990 Mustang GT.

“As far as Ford goes, Aaron and I meet with Ford Motor Company quarterly; we talk to them about product with their input. We want to complement what they already do and follow the product plan,” Patterson said.

“One of the things that is missing with the Shelby brand is that we’ve licenced them to do the GT350 but there’s no automatic transmission available and there’s no convertible available. Both the Shelby Super Snake and the Shelby GT fill that void.”

The Super Snake is currently offered in Australia via Melbourne-based mod shop Mustang Motorsport. It is understood the new undertaking would allow the Shelby models to be potentially sold through Ford’s official dealership network.

Ford Australia spokesman Damion Smy said there was nothing new to announce about a Shelby expansion.

“Shelby is an iconic brand from a true legend, Caroll Shelby, and we have a huge admiration here in Australia for what he achieved and the legacy that lives in in Mustang today,” Smy said.

“Mustang has resonated strongly since its arrival here in late 2015, and with BULLITT launching at Motorclassica next week, and Mustang GT4 on show with Ford Performance at Bathurst this week, there’s exiting times ahead.”

Withstanding Ford Australia’s take, Shelby stakeholders are clearly motivated about an expansion Down Under.

“A lot of this new opportunity derives on the Mustang being a world car now. We don’t have to do that conversion to right-hand drive, it’s done for us,” Shelby said.

“We wouldn’t have to secure the UK market to go to Australia. We want to do separate markets.”