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AUTOS: Shelby GT500 Is Already Selling Out
Upgraded for 2011 with 550-horsepower aluminum V8, pony car is galloping away in sales rush.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted July 16, 2010   Dearborn, MI
The 2011 Shelby GT500 gains horsepower and performance from its new supercharged aluminum V8. (Photo: Ford)
If you’ve been dreaming about driving a new Shelby GT500, which has been upgraded for 2011 with more power and performance, you’d better get a move on; Ford says they’re rapidly selling out.

Billed as the world’s fastest production pony car and benefiting from rave reviews, the GT500 has already attracted more than 3,300 orders, Ford says, and the production run has been limited to 5,500 cars to ensure exclusivity.

The majority of more than 3,300 people who have placed orders for the GT500 have added high-tech and performance options. (Photo: Ford)
The new Shelby GT500 is powered by a new aluminum-block 5.4-liter V8 engine, supercharged to deliver 550 horsepower with 510 pound-feet of torque. Besides the 10 percent increase in power over its iron-block predecessor, the new engine weighs 102 pounds less for a better power-to-weight ratio, improved fuel economy, acceleration, handling and steering precision.

“We are pleased with the pace of retail orders for the 2011 Shelby GT500,” said Fritz Wilke, Mustang brand manager. “The car continues to be popular with sports-car enthusiasts and collectors who are blown away by the increase in horsepower and performance. The limited production of the 2011 should make this year even more desirable.”

New for 2011 is an optional glass roof, which has proved enormously popular among those ordering the GT500. Three times as many of the Shelbys have been ordered with the glass roof compared with the base Mustang. Nearly 700 percent of the GT500s have been ordered with the Electronics Package, which includes voice-activated navigation, SIRIUS Travel Link, HD Radio and dual-zone electronic automatic temperature control.

The new SVT Performance Package is also proving popular, with about 68 percent of the GT500 orders selecting the enhanced performance delivered through this all-new option, developed to provide track performance. SVT engineers worked directly with Goodyear to develop all-new Goodyear Eagle® F1 SuperCar G: 2 tires to provide car supercar grip and control levels.

Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, who has driven and evaluated essentially every new vehicle sold in the United States. A lifelong car enthusiast with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle, he annually attends and writes about Arizona's famous January collector-car auctions, focusing on Scottsdale’s monumental Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event and other Barrett-Jackson auctions. SPEED.com fans email Automotive Editor Bob Golfen at

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