Garage419/YouTubeSometimes less is more, even when it comes to muscle cars. Back in 2007, the king of American Muscle, Carroll Shelby, and his crew of engineers built an incredibly competent track package for the lowly V6 Mustang. Called the Shelby Terlingua Mustang, named after the Texas ghost town Carroll bought in the 1960s almost exclusively for partying, hunting, and car shenanigans, this black and "gawd-awful" yellow beast (characterization per Terlingua Racing Team) has been doing hot laps in the racetrack of my brain for nearly 20 years. Don't just take my word for it; here's a period video review from friend of Jalopnik Matt Farah.The idea in 2007 was to create a performance Mustang that didn't cost your entire annual salary to insure. With Ford selling tens of thousands of 4-liter Cologne V6-powered cars at the time, Shelby cleverly determined that many V6 owners would want to pump their cars up to be even faster around a track than the V8 guys with superiority complexes. Not only did this take some weight off the car's front axle, it was equally fun to drive with the right suspension and braking bits installed. With the handling sorted and an optional supercharger installed, the 2007 Terlingua was an absolute monster from somewhat inauspicious beginnings. Consider that the V6 Mustang was Doctor Jekyll, and the Shelby Terlingua exists post Mister Hyde transformation. Turning a mild car into a wild car is always more exciting than starting with a wild car from the factory, especially when an old-school hot rodder like "Ol' Shel" is involved. Not only does the car look better with lower, stiffer suspension and bright yellow-orange Terlingua accents, but it drives much better and much faster, to boot. There's so much here to love. AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: 7 Of The Weirdest Cars Owned By CelebritiesWhat is Terlingua?PJ McDonnell/ShutterstockIn the early 1960s Shelby and his pal Dave Witts pooled their money to buy 200,000 acres of Texas border land, including the town of Terlingua, which had a population of seven at the time. They had initially hoped to parcel off the land and make some money, but soon found out, again according to the Terlingua Racing Team, that it was "nothin' but rattlesnakes, a few mule deer, and a whole lotta armadillos." The pair decided to keep the property and a few times per year they would "load up in Shelby's DC-3" airplane to fly down and have a weekend of carousing. Among the crew was artist Bill Neale, who dreamed up a logo for the town that included an attack jackrabbit facing left with a hot summer sun above. At the same time Shelby was developing the 1965 Mustang GT350-R, and stuck a Terlingua Racing Team decal on the car before its first race, which famed Shelby driver Ken Miles won handily. For the 1967 season, Shelby threw his support behind Jerry Titus in the SCCA Trans-Am series, running a new 1967 Mustang in full Terlingua Racing Team livery. It, of course, won the championship. A full 40 years later, Shelby honored that Trans-Am championship win with a throwback performance model based on the 4-liter V6 Mustang. Starting in 2007 you could either bring your V6-powered S197-generation Mustang to Shelby for conversion or order up a brand new one with the kit installed from mile one. The basic $7,995 package included unique 18-inch wheels and tires, Ford Racing short-throw shifter and track suspension package, as well as a Baer big-brake kit, a Shelby dual exhaust and intake, and engine recalibration, as well as a slew of aesthetic modifications. I have the powerThomas Vogt/Wikimedia CommonsIf you ordered the Performance Pack for your Terlingua, you got 20-inch Shelby Razor wheels, Momo racing seats, unique front fascia and grille, and GT500-style rear fascia. Most importantly, however, was the addition of a Paxton Performance supercharger, which bumped power from a meager 210 ponies to a ripping 375 horses. To put that in context, the standard V6 Mustang in 2007 was capable of a 6.9-second 0-60 time, while Shelby said the Paxton-equipped Terlingua managed it inTerlingua Performance Pack a smidge over 5 seconds (matching the 4.6-liter GT model). AdvertisementAdvertisementWith ties to Mustang racing history, Shelby history, and the ne'er-do-well-but-do-it-fast attitude espoused by the Terlingua Town Council, this little supercharged pony of the mid-aughts really catches my fancy. Now, admittedly I'm a second-generation Mustang fanatic, and I've been a fan of Shelby's shenanigans from way back, so I'm probably predisposed to liking this car. That said, many Mustang folks write it off as just another V6 car, even though it's carrying nearly 400 horses under the hood. Shelby, at this point an octogenarian but retaining his lifelong raconteur bent, always wanted to build fun stuff, and he didn't care about whether you thought a V6 was cool enough. If Shelby could hot rod it (and make a buck in the process), he'd find a way. That's what made him a real American legend.This under-the-radar hot rod didn't really catch on with automotive fans, due to its perceived lackluster engine and admittedly high cost for the time. A stock V6 Mustang in 2007 would run you $19,995, and the Terlingua Performance Pack was an additional $18,995 to get installed. It makes sense they didn't sell a lot of these, but I think the Terlingua has earned its place in Mustang history. 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