The Shelby Mustang King of the Road, now in its third generation, is making a return and will be sold in South Africa for the first time.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the Shelby brand, only 225 units will be produced globally and four of these will be made available to local buyers.
“This is the first time that this exclusive model is available for Mustang enthusiasts in South Africa, and epitomizes everything that Carroll Shelby stood for,” said Doreen Mashinini, General Marketing Manager at Ford South Africa.
The four units will be made in the country at a Shelby-approved shop in the Western Cape.
Performance
The new Shelby Mustang King of the Road sports a 5.2-litre V8 engine generating an impressive 670kW, thanks in part to an upgraded supercharger that adds 105kW all on its own.
A greater emphasis on track racing over the previous generations means that handling has been improved as a result of more aggressive suspension tuning.
New alloy wheels and a carbon fibre body also helps to improve weight and add to the muscle car’s visuals, and the interior has received additions such as a unique Shelby Anniversary badging.
Available in right-hand drive for the first time, all customers of the GT500 will become a member of Team Shelby, the worldwide club Carroll Shelby established in 2008.
History of Shelby
Shelby founder Carroll Shelby was often called the ‘King of the Road’ for his ability to push the performance envelope, said Ford.
This new car will be the third time that a Shelby GT500 will use the “King” mantle.
The first iteration to bear the name came in 1968 and used a 428 Cobra Jet V8 engine producing a comparatively conservative 250kW.
Over 1,500 original GT500s were sold, with two-thirds of the cars being hard-tops while the remainders were convertibles.
The second generation made its debut in 2008 with a supercharged V8 powertrain producing 402kW.
Only 1,000 units were meant to be produced, but demand was so great that the company agreed to make an additional 712 models.
Pricing
The Shelby King of the Road will make its appearance on South Africa’s roads between 2023 and 2024 following their production at Shelby’s local site.
The final price of the car is currently listed at R4.4 million including VAT, and one model has already been sold in advance, said Ford.
Shelby King of the Road
Keyword: Limited-edition Shelby Mustang King of the Road on sale in South Africa for the first time