- Shelby has revived the ‘King of the Road’ sobriquet on the 900-HP GT500 for its 60th anniversary
- The ‘KR’ Badge Deserves A Special Build
- When Did Shelby Use ‘KR’ Before?
- How Much Does The Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR Cost?
- How Many Mustang GT500KRs Will Shelby Make?
Shelby has revived the ‘King of the Road’ sobriquet on the 900-HP GT500 for its 60th anniversary
Shelby is celebrating its 60th anniversary next year. To commemorate the special occasion, the company has come up with another limited-production Mustang GT500 Edition called the GT500KR. The ‘KR’ moniker stands for ‘King of the Road’ and it isn’t a new badge and is one of the most famous Shelby Mustangs ever.
To make sure the KR badge isn’t diluted, Shelby has slapped it on a 900-horsepower Ford Mustang GT500! The production will be limited to 225 examples across three model years of the muscle car.
The ‘KR’ Badge Deserves A Special Build
We’ll jump right into the engine and mechanical specs first. The GT500KR has the same 5.2-liter, Predator V-8 under the hood, but in a different tune. It now makes 900 horsepower on 93 octane gas; 140 more than the standard GT500. The torque figures aren’t revealed, but it will be over 700 pound-feet. The stock model makes 625 pound-feet of torque. This is courtesy of a 3.8-liter Whipple supercharger with a high-volume intercooler, heat exchanger, and an open cold air intake system. The supercharger gets a black finish.
Shelby has equipped a 3.8-liter Whipple supercharger with a high-volume intercooler, heat exchanger, and an open cold air intake system
The package also comes with other stuff like:
Shelby ride–height adjustable front and rear springs Heavy-duty performance half-shafts MagneRide suspension recalibration Caster camber plates Ford Performance front and rear sway bars
Shelby has made quite a few changes on the outside as well. There’s a carbon fiber hood with functional vents and rain trays. This has helped shave 30 pounds off. You get a carbon fiber front splitter, rear diffuser, and gurney flaps. The GT500KR will ride on 20-inch, one-piece forged aluminum wheels wrapped in performance-spec tires. There’s a Borla cat-back exhaust system as well. To wrap it all off, you can opt for rocker stripes and badges. On the inside, the seats are draped in leather and there’s a dash plate.
If you are looking for something even more exquisite, you can pay extra moolah and get yourself a wide body kit, painted stripes, or Le Mans style over-the-top stripes. Inside, you can opt for rear seat delete with harness bar to reduce the weight and make the car even more agile.
When Did Shelby Use ‘KR’ Before?
This is only the third time we’ll be seeing the KR GT500 in nearly six decades. The first time was in 1968. Ford and Shelby sold a total of 1,570 examples of it, 1,053 of which were fastbacks and 517 of them convertibles. The 1968 GT500 KR was powered by the 428 Cobra Jet V-8 and it made just 335 horses. However, it did have a customized suspension and a functional roll bar. The other changes included a redesigned exterior, Cougar taillights, and a custom fiberglass hood. On the inside, there was a wood-rimmed steering wheel.
The second GT500KR appearance was in 2008. This time, the Mustang had a supercharged V-8 under the hood and made 540 horses – 40 more than the standard Mustang. It also had a 3.73:1 rear axle ratio, short-throw shifter, and retuned suspension. The changes on the outside included unique wheels and tires, composite hood, unique stripes, and badges. The production was capped at 1,000 examples, but such was the demand that Shelby and Ford followed it up with another 712 examples in 2009.
How Much Does The Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR Cost?
Shelby has priced the GT500KR package at $54,995. With the 2022 Mustang GT500 donor car that costs $72,900, the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR will cost you $127,895 before options
Shelby has priced the package at $54,995. The 2022 Mustang GT500 costs $72,900. So, the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR, in total, will cost you $127,895. This is without any optional goodies, of course.
How Many Mustang GT500KRs Will Shelby Make?
The company will make 225 examples of the GT500KR in total. This includes 60 kits each for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 models in the U.S., and 45 in total outside.
Conclusion
Goes unsaid, but you’ll also get a membership in Team Shelby and you will be documented in the Shelby Registry. Shelby also noted that the first car will be auctioned at No Reserve on January 29 by the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company in Scottsdale.
Keyword: Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR - Shelby Reincarnates The ‘KR’ Moniker For This 900-Horsepower Beast