CRISTIANO RONALDO RACING A BUGATTI

Shelby GT500KR goes into production

Automotive legend Carroll Shelby shares his 85th birthday with a new performance standout – the 540-horsepower 2008 GT500KR, which begins production today.

The GT500KR or “King of the Road” Mustang is the fourth limited-edition Mustang that Shelby Automobiles and Ford have brought to market since resuming their collaboration in 2001. It builds on the performance and success of the 500-horsepower Shelby GT500 – the most powerful production Mustang ever.

The new GT500KR will be available at select Ford dealerships this spring. Production is limited at 1,000 units.


It is simply magic when Shelby and Ford team up and deliver products like the GT500KR,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president, The Americas. “Collaborations like this have helped Mustang remain at the top of the sports car segment for 22 straight years – and running – and help inspire people who truly want and value performance.”

Carroll Shelby, who was actively involved in the GT500KR’s development, said: “My energy and passion for performance products has always been strongest when I am working with Ford. I’m always looking to up the ante when it comes to performance, and bringing back the ‘King of the Road’ Mustang is just what we need.”


Delivering the “King of the Road”
Each Shelby GT500KR begins life as a GT500, built at AutoAlliance International Inc., in Flat Rock, Mich. From there, the cars are shipped to Shelby Automobile’s facility in Las Vegas, where a Ford Racing performance pack, exhaust system and short-throw shifter are installed. The GT500KR also is fitted with body, chassis and interior components. Every GT500KR will be hand customized and delivered to each customer in an enclosed transporter, just like the legendary Ford GT.



To fine-tune the GT500KR’s chassis – stiffened 50 percent to deliver increased body control – SVT engineers and Shelby put the GT500KR through a rigorous testing program developed specially for SVT products, including a 12-hour racetrack durability test. The result is a car with increased performance capability that is still comfortable to drive on the street.

The GT500KR’s aerodynamics were fine-tuned to add 50 pounds of downforce over the front axle and move the center of aero pressure forward in the vehicle to improve high-speed balance and downforce under high-speed braking. A new front splitter design works with the hood and revised rear spoiler to deliver these benefits. The bottom line: the GT500KR sets new performance standards for Mustang handling and straight-line performance on the racetrack, slalom course and skidpad.

“Because the Shelby GT500 strikes a great balance between ride and handling, we knew that the GT500KR had to be even better,” said Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer at Ford SVT. “We used a holistic approach, having chassis engineers work closely with the engine specialists to develop a tuning suspension that optimizes the engine enhancements.”

Added Gary Davis, vice president production for Shelby Automobiles: “We aren’t fixing our attention on one or two attributes, but working on the vehicle as a whole. The throttle response, power delivery, exhaust note and handling all work together to deliver a great total driving experience.”

To deliver that balance, the ride height has been lowered to the optimum setting for limit handling, which equates to a 20 mm ride height reduction in the front and 15 mm in the rear.

The Shelby GT500KR team sculpted a modern interpretation of the original’s bulging hood scoop, a visual indication of the extra horsepower packed beneath it. The hood is secured by a pair of stainless steel, twist-down hood pins.





To save weight, the hood borrows design elements from the ducted aluminum/carbon fiber clamshell on the Ford GT. Developed through intensive use of analytical tools including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the design optimizes the structural properties of carbon fiber delivering panels at a wafer-thin 0.8 mm. The hood saves 15 pounds versus its aluminum counterpart in the GT500.

Unlike most traditional designs, the hood has three components: the outer panel, an integrated airflow duct which spans the entire hood and the inner panel. The duct serves three purposes: to channel supplemental fresh air into the new cold air intake, to relieve high-speed underhood pressure and to move air from the front intake and engine compartment to the rear extractors.

The Shelby GT500KR will ride on all-new Goodyear tires, which make their North American debut exclusively on this new Mustang. The Supercar F1 tire, made of a new performance compound, resulted from a special collaboration between SVT and Goodyear.





Each GT500KR model is identified by a special 40th Anniversary badge on the fenders and grille, distinctive body colored mirror caps and Shelby lettering stretching across the front of the hood and along the rear portion of the deck lid. a special Shelby VIN tag is affixed to each vehicle, mounted in the engine compartment.

The all-leather interior features Carroll Shelby signature embroidered headrests and an official Shelby CSM 40th Anniversary GT500KR dash plate mounted at the top of the center stack.

Other standard equipment includes HID headlamps, an interior ambient lighting package, wrapped and stitched instrument panel, center console and armrests, as well as an electrochromic rearview mirror. Optional equipment includes a Shaker 1000 audio system and DVD navigation system.


The GT500KR’s 5.4-liter V-8 Gets the Royal Treatment
Just like its namesake, the 1968 GT500KR, the 2008 “King of the Road” packs a walloping dose of Ford performance. The Ford SVT-engineered 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 is enhanced with a Ford Racing Power Upgrade Pack that boosts horsepower to an estimated 540-hp and torque to 510 ft.-lbs. The added power comes thanks to revised ignition and throttle calibration and a cold air intake system that replaces the stock unit. The Shelby GT500KR cold air intake seal was designed in unison with the new carbon fiber hood to prevent hot engine compartment air from reaching the air intake.



Calibration modifications include advancing the ignition timing as well as re-mapping the electronic throttle settings to provide quicker throttle response for better off-line and mid-range acceleration. Increased throttle response will be met with a sharper roar from the Ford Racing-inspired exhaust system.

Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission and 3.73:1 rear axle ratio, compared with the GT500’s 3.31:1.

To perform optimally on track and during performance driving, the Shelby GT500KR has been fitted with an elevated axle vent reservoir to prevent axle fluid expulsion. Gear selection is courtesy of an all-new Ford Racing short-throw shifter making its debut on the GT500KR. Topped with a white ball, the new shifter throws are 25 percent shorter than the unit on the GT500 providing for crisper, sharper shifts.

Mercedes GLK production version photos leaked

After Mercedes has revealed the GLK Freeside Concept, the first official images of the production version leaked on the internet. The GLK will make its official debut next week.



The production version features mesh lower front grille, thicker chrome bars on the grille and LED running lights. The rest is quite similar with the Concept Freeside.

F2008 breaks cover

Scuderia takes wraps off car to defend 2007 titles

Clothed in familiar rich red clothes, the 54th single-seater built by Ferrarispecifically for Formula Onewas unveiled to a select band of journalists and media in Maranello as the Scuderia became the first team to launch its 2008 campaign.



Eschewing the usual ceremony of past Ferrari launches, the Prancing Horse made a discreet start to its double title defence, just 24 hours before world champion Kimi Raikkonenis due to give the car - which will be known as F2008 - its first track outing at Fiorano.

New McLaren breaks cover.

Stuttgart launch for MP4-23

McLarenhas taken the covers off its 2008 Formula 1challenger after unveiling the new MP4-23 in Stuttgart.

Having initially planned to not hold a launch of the new car, the team then back-tracked and elected to reveal the new car to the press just a day after biggest rivals Ferrarilaunched the F2008 in Italy.



After a season overshadowed by the F1spying scandal, the Woking-based outfit will look to make headlines for the right reason with the new car which will be driven by Lewis Hamiltonand Heikki Kovalainen, who moves over from Renaultto join the young Briton in a quick but inexperienced line-up – with both drivers going into their second season of Formula competition

Ducati launches title defender

The Ducati Desmosedici GP8 may have made its track debut during testing at the end of 2007, but the bike with which Casey Stoner will defend his MotoGP crown had its official unveiling on the snowy slopes of Madonna di Campiglio in Italy on Tuesday.
Stoner and new team-mate Marco Melandri ceremoniously broke an ice sculpture to reveal the new bike in its 2008 livery, before both took part in a press conference with the assembled media.

The conference began with former Gresini Hondarider Melandri revealing how it feels to wear official DucatiMarlboro Team colours for the first time.



"I feel great in red!" he smiled. "I'm so happy to have become part of the Ducati family. I'd dreamt of riding a Ducati ever since I first saw one. When I tried on my new leathers yesterday, I felt quite emotional. I'm aware of the big opportunity I have been given this year. It's not going to be easy, but it will be exciting and I'm ready to commit entirely to reward all those who wanted me to be here.

$2500 car to be unveiled on January 10

Tata Motors, India’s leading automobile company, will present its People’s Car on January 10, 2008 at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi. Tata Motors’ display will include a range of new passenger vehicles, buses from the joint venture with Marcopolo of Brazil, newly developed multi-axle heavy trucks, pickup vehicles, applications of panel vans, and new mini-trucks.



The car is powered by a 30-35 hp engine and can reach a top speed of 70 km/h. If you choose to pass this limit you will risk your’s car longevity, but you will still be safe.

The low cost is explained by the leak of many useful elements. There will be no radio, no air conditioned, no electric windows. Also many of the car’s elements were made by plastic instead of metal.



Tata announced the car will be priced at $2500, but experts expect the car to be more than $3000. Still, it will be the cheapest car on the market.