For those who want to work on their skills, there’s a special Track Apps feature in the electronics display that allows you to calibrate acceleration, G forces on curves and the performance of the brakes. You can also stage a private drag race using an active image of “Christmas tree” countdown lights.

The Shelby GT500 will roar past 200 mph yet gets an EPA mileage rating of 24 mpg in more-normal highway driving. (Photo: Bob Golfen)

I started out driving the Shelby somewhat gingerly, slightly intimidated by all the sound and fury, as well as the queasy knowledge that this is basically a Mustang that’s as fast as a Lamborghini. I didn’t want to be that guy on YouTube who puts the Shelby into a wall.

But it didn’t take long before I was seeking out opportunities to get on it, albeit briefly. And therein lies the rub. What a waste when 99 percent of the time, all you’re doing is rumbling around the street, depressing the throttle a quarter inch, rarely unleashing the devil that lies within.

This side of an actual drag strip, all you can do is find some inconspicuous place with lots of space, hammer it and hang on. A freeway ramp will do in a pinch, though the sheer might will blow you past legal speeds before you even know it.

Even with all the electronic controls engaged, the GT500 demands your full concentration or you’ll surely go off the rails. The clutch is fairly heavy; the GT500 is available only with stickshift.

The Shelby's grille has been eliminated to enhance engine cooling. (Photo: Bob Golfen)

I can see where all this raucousness would get a little old if you had to depend on the Shelby as your daily commuter and get-around car. And what about driving in the rain? Scary thought.

For a real car in the real world, I think I would prefer the finesse of the lively Mustang Boss 302. I recently test drove a regular Mustang GT, which has 400-horsepower and provides plenty of entertainment.

Still, the GT500 is a true supercar, the progeny of the Shelby heritage that goes back to the original Mustang Shelby GT350 that first put the stick to Ford’s pony car back in 1965.

The hulking test car looked great in silver with blue stripes and Shelby lettering across its rear. The bold Shelby Cobra emblem is coiled on its snout and flanks. The aggressive stance, scoops, spoilers and blacked-out trim leave no doubt about the car’s anti-social mission.

For the sake of improved engine cooling, the grille has been eliminated, leaving a gaping maw that looks ready to eat anything that gets in its way. So you wouldn’t want to, say, hit a bird at speed. That could hurt. The aluminum hood includes a bold air extractor to further aid cooling.