Shelby Previews 1100-HP Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Named “Shelby 1000″ [New York Auto Show]

Shelby Previews 1100-HP Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Named “Shelby 1000″ [New York Auto Show]:

If you had asked us yesterday which New York auto show debut would be the wildest, we’d have probably said the 2013 SRT Viper. We may have to amend that prediction, because Shelby American is bringing a new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500–based model to New York called the Shelby 1000, and it will pack between 950 and 1100 hp. This isn’t the first horsepower-laden Shelby to debut in New York; last year the outfit brought the 800-hp GT500 Super Snake to the same show. Created as a celebration of 50 years of Shelby cars, the legend of which began with the Cobra in the 1960s, the 1000 joins the 650-hp 2013 Shelby GT500 in the Mustangs-made-from-testosterone club.

According to Shelby, the standard car puts out 950 hp on normal pump gas. The bonkers “S/C” version—which is for track use use only—spits out 1100 hp when fed race fuel. Both versions are based on the 2012 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which produces a measly 550 hp in stock form. In order to essentially double the output from Ford’s supercharged 5.4-liter V-8, Shelby completely tears down the engine and rebuilds it. The block is fitted with a new crankshaft, pistons, and rods; the heads are tweaked; cooling and exhaust systems are upgraded; and a new supercharger is fitted. A solid driveshaft and a nine-inch rear end are swapped in to beef up the driveline so it can handle the power bump, and the suspension and brakes are upgraded as well.
As you’d expect, the Shelby 1000 and 1000 S/C won’t be cheap and won’t be produced in large numbers. The standard 1000 treatment starts at $149,995, not including the donor GT500; the track-only 1000 S/C starts at $154,995 and also requires you to provide your own GT500. Shelby American will begin accepting reservations for examples of the limited-run cars in April.