Lucas Bell 
When it comes to great muscle cars, few are as beloved than the original Shelby GT500. After the GT350 model proved to be too much of a tried-and-true racer for most customers’ tastes, Carroll Shelby got to work crafting something more street-focused. The resulting muscle car gave people exactly what they thought race cars were all about: big power. From then on the 7.0L V8-powered Mustang would captivate Ford fans for generations. However, Classic Recreations are looking to bring the legendary icon of the muscle car era into the modern age with the Mustang Shelby GT500CR Carbon Edition.
Located in Yukon, Oklahoma, Classic Recreations have been building vehicles in order for the last 15 years. Each one of their projects take approximately 2,500 man hours to finish, thanks in no small part to the extensive coachbuilding involved. They’ve also garnered quite a reputation in the Mustang world, as all of their recreation Shelbys are certified by the Shelby Worldwide Registry and come with official serial numbers. That includes each of the new 25 carbon-fiber bodied Shelby GT500CR Carbon Edition models.
Like with all of their Shelby GT builds, Classic Recreations starts the process with a classic Mustang from 19665-1968 as the basis for the Carbon Edition models. The car is then fitted with an autoclave-cured prepreg carbon fiber body made by Speedkore, which helps contribute to 600 pounds of weight savings over a steel-bodied GT500. To further bring the car up to today’s standards, it is also fit with a Whipple supercharged 5.0L Coyote V8. The engine produces 810 horsepower, and comes mated exclusively to a Tremec T56 six-speed manual.
The Mustang Shelby GT500CR Carbon Edition isn’t just a horsepower machine however, as Classic Recreations have also fit upgrades such as a dual adjustable coil-over suspension, tubular subframe connectors, high-performance Wilwood brakes, a roll bar, and a hydraulic steering rack among others. The company says the end result is a vehicle with the power to weight ratio on par with most supercars, and it appears they’ve given it the hardware to match.
However, just like a modern supercar, the Shelby GT500CR Carbon Edition is going to cost you a lot of cash. Pricing is slated to begin at $298,000, with customers able to customize the car to their desires from there. Certainly a lot of money to pay for a Mustang, but then again it is a rather exclusive product. If it helps you swallow the price tag, the purchase also includes a donation to the Carroll Shelby Foundation.
