TriShield
05-06-2008, 04:36 PM
King of the Road for a Princely Sum
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.act.f34.1.500.jpg http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.act.f34.2.500.jpg
Only 1,000 Shelby GT500KRs will be built for 2008, but another 700 or so will follow in 2009. A new carbon-fiber hood weighs 11 fewer pounds than the GT500's aluminum version and improves power by reducing pre-intercooler air temperature by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit.[/
By Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
Date posted: 05-04-2008
540-hp supercharged V8 - Carbon-fiber hood - Production limited to 1,000 units in 2008, 700 for 2009
Once in a while, a vehicle comes along that rewrites the rules on what is possible in a road car. It performs beyond what can reasonably be expected and establishes a high-water mark that will not be met for years, even decades.
In the literal sense — as a performance car — the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR does not meet this standard. After all, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper SRT10 and Nissan GT-R will all outperform the Mustang GT500KR for the same money, or even less.
Yet as a concept — as a means to an end — the GT500KR works brilliantly.
Friends With Benefits
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.act.f34.4.500.jpg http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.det.eng.2.500.jpg
Some of the underhood hardware is there to catch the eye. Power output rises by 40 horsepower, thanks to a remapped ECU, and a freer-flowing intake and exhaust.
The 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR (the KR suffix stands for "King of the Road") is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the original 1968 Shelby GT500KR. It starts as a Mustang GT500 that has been fettled by Ford's SVT group, and then the rolling chassis is shipped to Shelby's facility in an industrial park adjacent to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where many of the KR-specific bits are installed.
You might not notice at a glance the KR's bespoke forged wheels, its sticky tires or a ride height that's 0.79 inch lower in front and 0.6 inch lower in the rear. More apparent is the KR's comprehensively ducted and vented hood, which funnels air to the engine's conical air filter from Ford Racing. Too complex to make in metal, the GT500KR's hood is constructed of carbon fiber by the same supplier that manufactures parts made of the lightweight yet strong composite material for the Corvette ZR1 and Dodge Viper ACR.
A revised engine calibration with more aggressive spark mapping takes advantage of the KR's requirement for only premium fuel, while a less restrictive exhaust goes bwopbwopbwop at idle and then gives way to a pronounced gurgle at part throttle. If the Jetsons drove a muscle car, this is what it would sound like.
These changes liberate an additional 40 horsepower and 30 pound-feet of torque from the GT500's supercharged 5.4-liter V8, bringing the KR's output to 540 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. A shorter 3.73:1 final drive and short-throw shift linkage round out the upgrades to the powertrain.
Ford reckons the KR will run to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and click off the quarter-mile in 12.1 seconds at 115 mph. These numbers are respectively 0.2 and 0.7 seconds quicker and 3 mph faster than those achieved by the GT500 in Ford's testing.
Finishing What They Started
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.whl.1.500.jpg http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.eng.1.500.jpg
The KR celebrates the original King of the Road Mustang from 1968.
In the name of better turn-in and more grip from the Mustang chassis, SVT has made another pass at the GT500's suspension. Slightly stiffer springs and a lighter-rate front antiroll bar are fitted, and the rebound damping is nearly twice that of the GT500. A more aggressive front-end alignment adds negative camber and removes the toe-in found at the front of the GT500, helping the softer-compound (a 180 treadwear rating compared to the GT500's 220) Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires to bite the tarmac with increased tenacity.
The efforts made to improve the KR's aerodynamic behavior at high speed are intriguing, because they're focused on balance rather than outright downforce. While the KR wears a revised splitter that reduces front-end lift by 31 percent and drag by 3 percent compared to the GT500, the rear wing's reduced angle of incidence fractionally reduces drag and actually increases lift at the rear axle relative to the GT500.
On the streets outside Salt Lake City, Utah, where Ford invited us to drive the KR, it's hard to go fast enough to detect this Mustang's newfound stability and harder still to blend into the traffic. If you don't get the attention of your commute-hour companions with the twin stripes on the bodywork, the complex hood complete with hood pins and the garish badging, the roaring exhaust will certainly turn their heads, as it makes even casual getaways sound like an invitation to street-race. Rough roads reveal the limitations of the live axle's unsprung weight, yet overall the KR is street-friendly enough to be a daily driver.
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.act.f34.1.500.jpg http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.act.f34.2.500.jpg
Only 1,000 Shelby GT500KRs will be built for 2008, but another 700 or so will follow in 2009. A new carbon-fiber hood weighs 11 fewer pounds than the GT500's aluminum version and improves power by reducing pre-intercooler air temperature by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit.[/
By Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
Date posted: 05-04-2008
540-hp supercharged V8 - Carbon-fiber hood - Production limited to 1,000 units in 2008, 700 for 2009
Once in a while, a vehicle comes along that rewrites the rules on what is possible in a road car. It performs beyond what can reasonably be expected and establishes a high-water mark that will not be met for years, even decades.
In the literal sense — as a performance car — the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR does not meet this standard. After all, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper SRT10 and Nissan GT-R will all outperform the Mustang GT500KR for the same money, or even less.
Yet as a concept — as a means to an end — the GT500KR works brilliantly.
Friends With Benefits
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.act.f34.4.500.jpg http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.det.eng.2.500.jpg
Some of the underhood hardware is there to catch the eye. Power output rises by 40 horsepower, thanks to a remapped ECU, and a freer-flowing intake and exhaust.
The 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR (the KR suffix stands for "King of the Road") is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the original 1968 Shelby GT500KR. It starts as a Mustang GT500 that has been fettled by Ford's SVT group, and then the rolling chassis is shipped to Shelby's facility in an industrial park adjacent to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where many of the KR-specific bits are installed.
You might not notice at a glance the KR's bespoke forged wheels, its sticky tires or a ride height that's 0.79 inch lower in front and 0.6 inch lower in the rear. More apparent is the KR's comprehensively ducted and vented hood, which funnels air to the engine's conical air filter from Ford Racing. Too complex to make in metal, the GT500KR's hood is constructed of carbon fiber by the same supplier that manufactures parts made of the lightweight yet strong composite material for the Corvette ZR1 and Dodge Viper ACR.
A revised engine calibration with more aggressive spark mapping takes advantage of the KR's requirement for only premium fuel, while a less restrictive exhaust goes bwopbwopbwop at idle and then gives way to a pronounced gurgle at part throttle. If the Jetsons drove a muscle car, this is what it would sound like.
These changes liberate an additional 40 horsepower and 30 pound-feet of torque from the GT500's supercharged 5.4-liter V8, bringing the KR's output to 540 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. A shorter 3.73:1 final drive and short-throw shift linkage round out the upgrades to the powertrain.
Ford reckons the KR will run to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and click off the quarter-mile in 12.1 seconds at 115 mph. These numbers are respectively 0.2 and 0.7 seconds quicker and 3 mph faster than those achieved by the GT500 in Ford's testing.
Finishing What They Started
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.whl.1.500.jpg http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/ford.shelby.gt500kr/08.ford.shelby.gt500.kr.eng.1.500.jpg
The KR celebrates the original King of the Road Mustang from 1968.
In the name of better turn-in and more grip from the Mustang chassis, SVT has made another pass at the GT500's suspension. Slightly stiffer springs and a lighter-rate front antiroll bar are fitted, and the rebound damping is nearly twice that of the GT500. A more aggressive front-end alignment adds negative camber and removes the toe-in found at the front of the GT500, helping the softer-compound (a 180 treadwear rating compared to the GT500's 220) Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires to bite the tarmac with increased tenacity.
The efforts made to improve the KR's aerodynamic behavior at high speed are intriguing, because they're focused on balance rather than outright downforce. While the KR wears a revised splitter that reduces front-end lift by 31 percent and drag by 3 percent compared to the GT500, the rear wing's reduced angle of incidence fractionally reduces drag and actually increases lift at the rear axle relative to the GT500.
On the streets outside Salt Lake City, Utah, where Ford invited us to drive the KR, it's hard to go fast enough to detect this Mustang's newfound stability and harder still to blend into the traffic. If you don't get the attention of your commute-hour companions with the twin stripes on the bodywork, the complex hood complete with hood pins and the garish badging, the roaring exhaust will certainly turn their heads, as it makes even casual getaways sound like an invitation to street-race. Rough roads reveal the limitations of the live axle's unsprung weight, yet overall the KR is street-friendly enough to be a daily driver.