ort lattò COhscruvr December 19. 2007 Portland OL s e r v e r Page A9 Auto R e v ie w 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 Coupe Smokin’ Fast by K athleen C arr The 2007 Ford Shelby G T500 is a powerf ul pony ear for the 21 st ce n ­ tury. Carroll Shelby and the good people at Shelby A utom otive have partnered with the Ford Special V ehicle T eam to create a high-tech m uscle car with a stream lined race­ track feel; this is the m ost powerful factory-built M ustang ever offered. It's fleeting because this car is the fastest production M ustang ever. The 5.4-1 iter V8 under the hixxJ is supercharged and capable o f 500 horsepow er and 480 lb-ft o f torque at 4500 rpm. T his translates into a 0 to 60 mph tim e o f approxim ately 4.5 seconds; the Shelby G T 500 is d efi­ nitely not shy and retiring. The new Shelby G T500 also will be fleeting in its appearance at dealerships because only 8,000 to 10,000 will be built. This is roughly two cars per Ford dealership in the U.S., assum ing all 4,400 Ford o ut­ lets apply for "certification" to handle and provide service for the high-perform ance M ustang. The car is in high dem and. How much dem and? The Shelby G T 500 was appreciating in value before its first retail sale could be posted. A ficionados know they are get­ ting m ore than a retro-styled sports car, offered as a four-person coupe Specifications: 5.4-Liter, 500-hp@480 ib-ft. torque, V8, 32-Valve DOHC SMPI Engine; 6-speed manual transmission; 0-60 mph: 4.5 seconds; 15-City 21-Highway MPG; $43,765. MSRP and convertible. They're getting an h o n e s t-to -g o o d n e s s A m e ric a n m uscle carexperience with the spe­ cial touches o f racing legend Carroll Shelby. The 2007 Shelby coupe has wide, w hite Le M ans racing stripes from front to rear, side striping and share an alm ost snarling grille, as well as aggressive front fascia with hood scoops. Yes, these scoops are func­ tional. They help relieve pressure under the hood. All Shelby GT500s wear large 18- inch perform ance tires— something that Shelby insisted upon the back tires are slightly larger than those on the front. T hey're needed to help "harness all the torque,” At the back are dual tailpipes, o f course, a rear spoiler and a prom inent, round badge as large as a person's hand, with a cobra snake prominently dis­ played on the trunk lid. A cobra appears on the black grille, in the m iddle o f the steering wheel and is em bossed on each o f the seatbacks, too. Inside, the new Shelby G T 500 is a throw back to earlier days, when driving was the attraction, not a sidelight as it seem s in some of today's cars. Leather seat cushions have the busy, multi-channel look o f early Shelbys but with some m uch-needed side bolster support added. G auges are w hite-faced with the speedom eter located on the left, so drivers can more easily see the rpm readings o f the tach. There's no navigation system in this speedster and no fancy TV -like display screen by which to adjust tem perature. C ontrols are much more straightforw ard. T he audio is a I (XX)-watt Shaker system with AM/ FM, a six-disc CD /M P3 player in the dashboard and Sirius satellite radio. There are 10 speakers in the car. But the real entertainm ent here is driving and riding in the Shelby G T500. A nd it's in watching on­ lookers turn when they hear the c a r's d eep , th u n d e ro u s en g in e sounds, then stop and stare. S im ­ ply, th ere’s no slinking q uietly through traffic in this car. A throaty V8 growl em anates virtually all the tim e, even at neighborhood speeds. News and reviews on new motor vehicles W ith one turn o f the ignition U nder full hum an co n tro l, we key, all cabin shortcom ings o f the shaved 0 . 1 second from the 60- 2007 Shelby G T 500 are forgotten. m ph sprint, lo w erin g it to 4 .4 se c ­ The gutsy V-8 sneezes into life w ith onds. T he q u arte r-m ile req u ired the unequivocal m essage that the only 12.9 seconds at 112 m ph, 150 main entertainm ent to be had in this m ph cam e in 30.3 seconds, and an car will be via the gas pedal. With electronic teth er lim ited top speed the short-throw shifter in one hand to 155 m ph. The Shelby G T 500 is not only a and the C obra-em bossed three- frighteningly potent car (the 500 spoke steering wheel in the other. U nder the hood, you'll find a horsepow er from its supercharged supercharged 5.4 liter, 32-valve V8 V-8 engine was enough to whiten engine capable o f 500 horsepower. our knuckles even on legal roads), The engine is based on the Triton, it also is a bookend to a generation but sleeked dow n with alum inum o f m uscle cars starting w ith its heads and unique cam shafts. The nam esake, the G T500 that m ade its 07 Ford Shelby G T 500 has other debut 4 0 years ago; with the Shelby high-perform ance goodies, includ­ G T 500, the d riving ex p erien ce ing a high-capacity cooling sys­ changes com pletely. Safety features include standard tem, air intake, and radiator. TheG T 500's suspension is tuned front and side airbags for front-seat for spirited driving, but this does passengers, anti-lock brakes and not translate into the bone-shaking traction control. There are several ride that com es with many stiffened anti-theft devices, too, including suspension configurations. The an anti-tow sensor that detects the folks on the Ford SVT have really car being put on an incline and pulled out all the stops on this one. sounds an alarm , as well as a high- The 2007 Shelby GT5(X) is of­ capacity battery that can sound an fered with a single transm ission alarm for a longer period than a option in the form o f a heavy-duty normal battery The 2007 Ford Shelby G T500 is a TR6060 six-speed manual gearbox. M oreover, the Shelby has a pro­ pow erful pony car for the 21 st cen ­ gram m able shift light and audible tury. The 2007 Ford Shelby G T is a chirp to free your eyes from m oni­ retro-styled rocket ship that will toring the 6000-rpm redline on the appeal to driving purists. If cabin com fort is more important than 500 tach. The 2007 Ford Shelby G T 500 is horsepow er, look elsew here. If not, a brash, b raw ny, barn burner. jo in the back o f the w ait list. Car insurance with BU SIN ESS directory PER SO N A L SER V IC E . 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