NJStangFan
08-22-2003, 11:40 AM
Auto legend Shelby to work with Ford again.
DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor will partner again with automotive legend Carroll Shelby to build high-performance vehicles, 40 years after the two first joined forces to create cars like the highly collectable Shelby Mustang.
Carroll Shelby helped Ford on the 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500.
Shelby, an 80-year-old former race car driver and creator of numerous collectable cars, has reached an agreement to work with Ford to develop specialty performance cars with more power and better handling — not to mention higher sticker prices — than standard models.
Ford was scheduled to announce the deal Friday. The automaker said specifics, such as the number of vehicles in the new Shelby program, would be disclosed later.
"Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working with several manufacturers in the development of some great automobiles," said Shelby, who raced his first Ford-powered vehicle in 1952. "But my energy and passion for performance products has always been strongest when it involved a vehicle from Ford."
Shelby and Ford cooperated on numerous racing and performance-vehicle programs in the 1960s, including the original Shelby Cobra, the Ford GT40 and the GT350 and GT500 Mustangs. The first Shelby Mustang debuted in 1965.
Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, said Shelby is one of the few names in the automotive business that's recognized in some capacity by nearly every age group.
But it resonates most with those between 45 and 55, who likely were familiar with Shelby-designed sports cars of the 1960s, Spinella said.
"That's good news for Ford because those are the folks who have the cash these days," he said. "If you're going to build an expensive performance car, Shelby is the kind of name you want to put on it."
Most recently, Shelby served as a technical adviser to the team that designed the Ford GT, the automaker's newest high-end speedster that goes into production early next year.
The 500-horsepower Ford GT will feature a supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 engine and a price tag of roughly $130,000. The car is modeled after the Ford GT racers that finished in the top three positions at the 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans in 1966.
Shelby, who lives in Las Vegas, farmed chickens in Texas before racing his first car in 1952 at age 30. Seven years later, he won the famed daylong race at Le Mans.
Shelby and Ford began partnering on cars in 1962, and in 1965 Ford hired him to lend expertise to the GT40 racing campaign. His 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 had a 289-cubic-inch V-8 engine that produced 35% more horsepower than the stock Ford engine.
Ford began using the "Cobra" name on the Shelby Mustang in 1968. Ford ceased production of the cars in 1970.
"This is a bigger deal for Ford than it is for Carroll Shelby," said Jim Cox, owner of the Branson Collector Car Auction in Branson, Mo. "Anything with the Shelby name on it is going to attract attention."
:cbra:
DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor will partner again with automotive legend Carroll Shelby to build high-performance vehicles, 40 years after the two first joined forces to create cars like the highly collectable Shelby Mustang.
Carroll Shelby helped Ford on the 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500.
Shelby, an 80-year-old former race car driver and creator of numerous collectable cars, has reached an agreement to work with Ford to develop specialty performance cars with more power and better handling — not to mention higher sticker prices — than standard models.
Ford was scheduled to announce the deal Friday. The automaker said specifics, such as the number of vehicles in the new Shelby program, would be disclosed later.
"Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working with several manufacturers in the development of some great automobiles," said Shelby, who raced his first Ford-powered vehicle in 1952. "But my energy and passion for performance products has always been strongest when it involved a vehicle from Ford."
Shelby and Ford cooperated on numerous racing and performance-vehicle programs in the 1960s, including the original Shelby Cobra, the Ford GT40 and the GT350 and GT500 Mustangs. The first Shelby Mustang debuted in 1965.
Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, said Shelby is one of the few names in the automotive business that's recognized in some capacity by nearly every age group.
But it resonates most with those between 45 and 55, who likely were familiar with Shelby-designed sports cars of the 1960s, Spinella said.
"That's good news for Ford because those are the folks who have the cash these days," he said. "If you're going to build an expensive performance car, Shelby is the kind of name you want to put on it."
Most recently, Shelby served as a technical adviser to the team that designed the Ford GT, the automaker's newest high-end speedster that goes into production early next year.
The 500-horsepower Ford GT will feature a supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 engine and a price tag of roughly $130,000. The car is modeled after the Ford GT racers that finished in the top three positions at the 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans in 1966.
Shelby, who lives in Las Vegas, farmed chickens in Texas before racing his first car in 1952 at age 30. Seven years later, he won the famed daylong race at Le Mans.
Shelby and Ford began partnering on cars in 1962, and in 1965 Ford hired him to lend expertise to the GT40 racing campaign. His 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 had a 289-cubic-inch V-8 engine that produced 35% more horsepower than the stock Ford engine.
Ford began using the "Cobra" name on the Shelby Mustang in 1968. Ford ceased production of the cars in 1970.
"This is a bigger deal for Ford than it is for Carroll Shelby," said Jim Cox, owner of the Branson Collector Car Auction in Branson, Mo. "Anything with the Shelby name on it is going to attract attention."
:cbra: