The Ford Shelby Cobra GT500

I'm doing my research paper on the 2007 Ford Shelby Cobra GT500. It is one of my favorite cars. The car that I like the most is the 1968 Ford Shelby Cobra Jet 428 GT500 it was the most powerful Ford Mustang in the 1960's. It has been forty years since the first Shelby GT500 was produced, but can the 2007 Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 prove again that it is the most powerful Ford Mustang ever made. Carroll "Shelby, was who built the legendary Shelby mustang and the Shelby cobras in the 1960's" (Edmunds.com). "Shelby is an automotive living legend" (Edmunds.com). Carroll Shelby and SVT must join alliance again to create the new and improve Shelby cobra GT500. SVT stands for special vehicle team but Ford Motor Company instead of using the whole name they uses the initials (SVT).

The special vehicle team is helping Carroll Shelby to design the all new Shelby Cobra GT500. Like the original, the GT500 will be available as a coupe or as a convertible. First they will start with the exterior design of the Shelby GT5000 and then try to bring back the look of the 1968 Ford Shelby Cobra Jet 428 GT500. They also focus on the aerodynamics of the Shelby GT500, by designing the rear spoiler to add significant down force at speed, and by adding a front air splitter to effectively combat lift. For the convertible, "Ford Motor Company products will uses the same type of high-grade fabric used on the Jaguar XK, the Ford Thunderbird and the previous SVT Mustang Cobra. The cloth top is available only in black to match the car's predominantly black interior (www.ford.svt.com)."

Racing strips will play a big role in the new Shelby GT500 identity. When the Shelby is in coupe form, it wears the Le Mans racing strips that will run from over the hood, roof, the rear of the Shelby GT500, and the lower body side stripes bearing the legend "GT500" "nomenclature" (www.ford.svt.com). Carroll Shelby and Ford special vehicle team will be deleting the Le Mans racing Strips, but buyers have a choice to keep the side body strip bearing the GT500. The GT500 strips come in a range of four different colors; performance white, vista blue, tungsten and satin silver. This four different color strips, can be matched with at least three of the seven available exterior colors. "The chassis of the 2007 GT500 coupe is better able to respond to driver inputs to help control the vehicle in emergency maneuvers (www.ford.svt.com)."

The body structure is 31 percent stiffer in torsion, meaning that a twisting force of 15,500 foot-pounds can deform the body by only one degree. The engineering the body of such high stiffness can create a passenger safety cage and can help protect the cabin from deformation and intrusion. The front structure is design to absorb any negative or positive energy in a controlled manner and dispose of it before it can reach the driver and the passenger. The Shelby GT500 front rails have an octagonal shape to spread forces evenly and offsetting frontal crashes. Now it's time to see what Carroll Shelby and the Ford special vehicle team have done with the interior of the GT500. The Shelby has front sports seats that are different than the Mustang GT. The leather seats have two different colors charcoal black and with a crimson red seat inserts and door trim panels.

The Shelby has a great sound system. "The Shaker 1000 Audio System amps up to a full 1,000 watts from the standard system's 500. It includes two subwoofers as part of its 10-speaker array, and an audio input jack is standard. Both the Shaker 1000 and the 8-speaker Shaker 500 systems include AM/FM Stereo with a six-disc in-dash CD changer with MP3 capability. Those who stick with the standard Shaker 500 system can now order an optional touch-screen DVD-based Navigation System as well (www.ford.svt.com)." It also comes with the basic Manual air conditioning, power windows and power locks are standard. The center console includes not just an armrest, but storage as well.

This is my favorite part of this car; the Performance. I will start with the engine the most important part of the car. The 2007 Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 has a cast iron 5.4 liter triton V-8 big block, overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, and adding a supercharger and an intercooler. In fact the Ford GT super car, offering the right combination of classic Ford big block power and modern technology. "Roots-type 8.5 pounds per square inch Eaton supercharger and water to air intercooler to help it produce a broad torque band on its way to making a stout 480 foot-pounds (www.ford.svt.com)." The Shelby GT500's power plant benefits from unique connecting rods and forged pistons to handle the extra strain on the lower end of the block.

The all-new intake manifold helps to channel the supercharged fuel-air mixture into the cylinders. The unique low-profile manifold design also effectively packages the entire induction system under the GT500's special air-extractor hood. Fuel comes from a dual-bore electronic throttle body borrowed from Ford's 6.8-liter V-10 truck engine program. "Few transmissions exist in the marketplace today that can handle the torque loads generated by the supercharged GT500 V-8" (www.ford.svt.com), so engineers have opted to stick with the proven heavy-duty performance of the TR6060 6-speed manual gearbox.

"The front features coil-over struts with reverse "L" lower control arms made of lightweight I-section steel. In the rear, there's a three-link live axle with coil springs, Pan hard rod, outboard shocks and stabilizer bar". The GT500 uses a 34 millimeter tubular front stabilizer bar. Coupe versions of the GT500 sport a 24 millimeter rear bar, while convertibles come with a 20 millimeter bar. Brembo front brakes with big, four-piston calipers and vented 14 inch discs. In the back, GT500 utilizes the Mustang GT's 11.8 inch vented single-piston caliper rear-disc setup with unique pad material. Both Coupe and Convertible models ride on four 18-inch x 9.5-inch aluminum wheels, wearing 255/45ZR18 tires on the front and larger 285/40ZR18 tires on the rear.

"The approval of the motorsports legend Carroll Shelby himself, they're certain that the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 will live up to its expectations (www.ford.svt.com)."