A one-off, 850bhp Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra has been created to commemorate Carroll Shelby, the famed US engineer and racer who died in May. It will receive its premiere at this weekend's Pebble Beach 2012 show.
The tribute car – which also marks the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra itself –is the work of a group of ‘friends of Carroll Shelby’ that includes Ford Motor Company, Ford Racing, Shelby American and others.
Using the latest-spec Shelby GT500 Cobra as a base, the one-off widebody car is powered by Ford Racing V8 fitted with a Whipple supercharger. The precise power output has not been determined, but is estimated at more than 850bhp.
Shelby American provided a bespoke bonnet, rear widebody kit and brakes. The car rides on 20in wheels, with the rear featuring 13inch wide, 345-section high performance tyres for improved traction.
The bodywork is finished in Guardsman Blue with Wimbledon White stripes, colours that graced many Cobra roadsters built in the 1960s.
The tribute car was unveiled by Ford Motor Company board member Edsel Ford II – who, as a teenager, worked for Shelby – Ford group sales cheief Jim Farley, and Shelby American president John Luft at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
Bryan Campbell
