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Posted May 1st 2008 11:58AM by Drew Phillips
Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Ford, Shelby
Click above for new high-res gallery of our GT500KR First Drive
Our initial drive of the Shelby GT500KR on public roads revealed that Ford, SVT and Shelby had addressed many of the issues that we had with the standard GT500. The KR's revised suspension is better balanced and more capable of handling the excessive amounts of horsepower and torque that the blown 5.4L generates, and a new short-throw Hurst shifter makes changing gears a joy instead of a chore. To top it all off, a Ford Racing cold air intake, new exhaust system, and 3.73 gears give the KR an extra kick in the pants. The changes were so spot-on that we wondered why Ford didn't build the GT500 this way in the first place.
With a ride like the GT500KR, however, only so much of the car can be experienced on public roads. At 540 horsepower and 510 lb-ft torque, the KR quickly reaches posted speed limits and the car stays well under its limits around corners. Fortunately, Ford let us loose to run hot laps around Miller Motorsports Park. Follow the jump to see how the "King of the Road" fared at the track.
Upon arriving at the track, we discovered a sort of Mustang paradise. A host of Challenge and driving school Mustangs were joined by the full Mustang lineup, including the V6, GT, Bullitt, Shelby GT, and GT500. We were able to sample the Bullitt and Shelby GT to acquaint ourselves with the 10-turn, 2.2-mile west course of Miller Motorsports Park. After a few laps in each it was time to get into the KR.
[cont. http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/01/first-drive-2008-shelby-gt500kr-part-2/]
Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Ford, Shelby
Click above for new high-res gallery of our GT500KR First Drive
Our initial drive of the Shelby GT500KR on public roads revealed that Ford, SVT and Shelby had addressed many of the issues that we had with the standard GT500. The KR's revised suspension is better balanced and more capable of handling the excessive amounts of horsepower and torque that the blown 5.4L generates, and a new short-throw Hurst shifter makes changing gears a joy instead of a chore. To top it all off, a Ford Racing cold air intake, new exhaust system, and 3.73 gears give the KR an extra kick in the pants. The changes were so spot-on that we wondered why Ford didn't build the GT500 this way in the first place.
With a ride like the GT500KR, however, only so much of the car can be experienced on public roads. At 540 horsepower and 510 lb-ft torque, the KR quickly reaches posted speed limits and the car stays well under its limits around corners. Fortunately, Ford let us loose to run hot laps around Miller Motorsports Park. Follow the jump to see how the "King of the Road" fared at the track.
Upon arriving at the track, we discovered a sort of Mustang paradise. A host of Challenge and driving school Mustangs were joined by the full Mustang lineup, including the V6, GT, Bullitt, Shelby GT, and GT500. We were able to sample the Bullitt and Shelby GT to acquaint ourselves with the 10-turn, 2.2-mile west course of Miller Motorsports Park. After a few laps in each it was time to get into the KR.
[cont. http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/01/first-drive-2008-shelby-gt500kr-part-2/]
