What makes spotting in Braunschweig interesting, isn’t seeing all the supercars, because there are almost none. Rather every once in a while you come across a rare version of an otherwise regular car. Whether that be a very rare Brabus GLK V8, an Ac Schnitzer Z1 or a S197 Shelby Mustang GT. While driving through the outskirts of the city, I saw a black mustang in the right corner of my eye, clearly reading “Shelby” on the back. So I knew I had to return and wouldn’t you know, that is what was parked next to the road, a black on black fifth generation Mustang Shelby GT.
When it comes to mustangs, I can say for certain the fifth generation is by far the rarest, or at least the one which I see the least.
Built on top of the factory Mustang GT, it’s engine got a Ford Racing power package, pushing the 4.6L V8 to 319 HP and 330 lb-ft of torque, paired with a five-speed manual and a hurst short-throw shifter. Roughly 5,632 units were produced, excluding excluding higher trims.
When speaking of the fifth generation Shelby mustang , you can’t just talk about a car, it is a whole family, built across nearly a decade of Ford’s S197 production time.
The S197 is Ford's internal name for the fifth-generation Mustang, produced from 2005 to 2014 on the company's D2C platform. It marked a technical milestone, being the first Mustang generation to run overhead cam V8s across the board, leaving the old pushrod engines behind. A mid-cycle facelift in 2010 sharpened the nose, redesigned the tri-bar tail lights, modernized the cabin with better materials and tech like a backup camera.
Shelby GT’s were sold exclusively through Shelby-authorized Ford dealers at a premium of roughly $9,500 for a coupé and $11,800 for convertibles over a standard Mustang GT. Each car carried its own authentication plate, tying it to a formal Shelby registry.
But the standard Shelby GT, is still just the entryway into the S197 Shelby family tree.
Shelby GT-H
The Shelby GT’s cousin, the GT-H was a throwback to Shelby’s 1966 “Rent-A-Racer” campaign with Hertz, therefor the “H” in GT. Only 500 units were built, finished in black with gold racing stripes and available exclusively as rental cars. Unfortunately the GT-H only bumped the power up from the standard mustang GT by 25 HP.
Shelby GT500
This is where the performance figures start sounding a lot more serious. Across its 7 year run, Shelby progressively pushed the power of the GT500 from 500 HP in 2007, to 662 HP in 2014. By the end of its life cycle, the S197 GT500 not only produced 662 HP and 631 lb-ft of torque with its 5.8L supercharged V8, but could also achieve a top speed of over 322 km/h.
Shelby GT500KR
In 2008, Ford revived the “King of the Road” name from the 1968 Shelby GT500KR. The tribute car used the same 5.4L V8 tuned with a cold air intake and recalibration to 540 HP, wrapped in a carbon fiber hood with functional scoops and vents. A total of 1,571 units were built, matching the originals production number.
Shelby Super Snake
On top of the GT500, Shelby offered an aftermarket upgrade, called the Super Snake. 2007-2009 units were pushed to 725 HP, while 2011 cars topped out at a staggering 800 HP.
While a base Shelby trim might not seem so wild anymore, it is a small highlight in my city. I love the silver striped grille with the huge snake badge, paired with the already great looks of the S197 Mustang GT. I just have this great affinity for cars that take their design language from a shoe box. They are a great base to tune and modify, which is why German performance cars are so popular in poor Slavic countries, I repeat myself.