2008 Shelby Cobra GT500 By ALAN GELL www.CarColumns.Net WOW!  It looks like a Mustang.  Well, it really is a Mustang.  But it says Shelby on the front and back.  In fact, the Mustang pony emblem isn’t on the front grill or the back gas cap.  Instead, there is a metallic emblem of a snake.  It is a COBRA.  And what a Cobra it is.  With five hundred horses pulling together under the hood, Ford labels this the Shelby GT 500.  It comes in either a coupe or convertible edition and  I had the little blue coupe for a week long test drive.

This is the second year of a unique collaboration of building one of the best high performance Mustangs ever.  Carroll Shelby, the legendary Texas performance racer, paired with Ford’s SVT group.  SVT designates the Special Vehicle Team.  The result is an unmistakable Cobra with undeniable power that is being called the modern successor to the famous Shelby GT500’s of the late 60’s era.

This is almost what might referred to as a Instant Collector’s Car.  It is powered by a supercharged 5.4 liter V-8 engine.  I had the six speed manual shift transmission, which responded instantly to my movements, up or down.  The most I had to worry about was spinning my wheels between shifts due to not letting off the gas enough.  The 5.4 engine was taken from the Triton truck and aluminum heads were added along with specially calibrated camshafts.  The Roots-type supercharger added 8.5 pounds of thrust, along with a water-to-air intercooler.  There is a low-profile intake manifold and fuel comes from a dual-bore electronic throttle body.

It had race-tuned suspension, four piston Brembo brakes, new side air bags to help protect in case of a rollover, and new ambient interior lighting for 2008.  The test model was called Vista Blue Clearcoat Metallic.  It had a white LeMans overbody racing stripe.  The GT500’s suspension is lower than a Mustang GT and uses recalibrated front and rear shocks as well as upgraded front and rear stabilizer bars.

The interior of the Shelby GT500 only comes in two colors – Charcoal Black or Crimson Red.  My test model was the Charcoal Black  The cockpit has been rearranged, with the speedometer and the tachometer swapping places.  This allows performance-oriented drivers to more easily see the shift points when they are changing gears.  A small up or down arrow appears on the display at the optimum shift time.  I found myself watching for those little arrows more often than not.  They were very useful when I was on a long, straight stretch of open road.

          Setting off the overall appearance, as well as provide the necessary road handling for such a great performance vehicle were the 19  by 9 and a half inch wheels.  The actual tires were 255/45 R19.
You can check out the 2008 Shelby Cobra GT500 yourself at a Ford dealership.  If you like Mustangs, you'll love this car.  If you like performance cars, you'll love this car.  If you like the color blue with white stripes, you'll love this car.  You get the idea.  Check it out.