Here is a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, seen in the Chinese capital Beijing in the great summer of 2023. It had just rained, and the drops made the big Ford look even better.
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a special variant of the Ford Mustang. It was jointly developed by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) and Shelby American. Our car is based on the facelifted fifth-generation Ford Mustang. It was manufactured for only 3 years, from 2010 until 2012.
The Shelby GT500 package included racing stripes, unique front and rear fascias, a hood with a functional vent, and a special rear ing with a built-in Gurney flap. It had Shelby snake logos on the grille, on the front fenders, and at the back. The car that I met was fitted with aftermarket black alloy multispoke wheels.
The racing stripes were extended over the seas, which looks super cool. The interior of this particular car has been well-maintained, everything is original, bar for the mobile phone holder. The audio unit looks clean. The sports seats have another Shelby logo on the backrest.
The main attraction of the Shelby GT500 was the engine. Under the hood sits a 5.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 with an output of 540 hp (403 kW) and 691 Nm. The motor was mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, sending all horses to the smokin’ rear wheels.
The Ford Shelby GT500 has a 290 km/h top speed, and it does 0-100 in 4.5 seconds. Note the old-school antenna atop the rear fender on the right. The third-brake light is hidden just below the wing.
The fifth-generation Ford Mustang was never officially sold in China, but the American muscle car was very popular in China, so many cars arrived here via the gray market, costing at least 3 times as much as in the United States.
There were even Mustang clubs back in those days, with Chinese folks driving their ‘Stangs around wearing cowboy hats and drinking Budweiser. I went to many such events. Budweiser was trying to get into China at the time and the brand sponsored everything related to American cars. I am glad they did so, great and hazy memories!