01/01/2007
By Mike Blake
Carlisle Events
When Hau Thai-Tang was a five-year-old boy in his native South Vietnam and saw his first Mustang – a 1970 Boss version – he vowed to be a part of Mustangs in the future. Fast-forward 37 years, and Thai-Tang has made good on his self-promise, as he is the director of Ford’s Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team. That’s the group that created Ford’s most exciting vehicle of the year, and the All About Cars "Car of the Year", the 2007 Ford Shelby Cobra GT500.
In a 21st century re-imagining of the 1968 muscle car icon, Thai-Tang and Ford combine Carroll Shelby’s original vision of the GT500 with a 1960s feel and 2007 technology. What Ford got was the most powerful Mustang ever produced, and a head-turning, awesome-driving feel-good vehicle that should take 2007 by storm.
This is a special car. Despite its Mustang heritage, there is no typical galloping pony up front, as it has been replaced with another iconic image, the Shelby Cobra, visible off-center on the grille, on both doors and on the gas cap in the rear. The cantering horse DOES appear on the car, almost subliminally, in the shaded trapezoid in the upper central portion of the windshield.
From that striking Cobra badge on the upper intake and the car’s athletic-looking louvered hood, to its rear decklid spoiler, this Horse-Snake thunders out a powerful appearance enhanced by dark Vista Blue paint and White LeMans stripes that run from nose to tail in historical racing fashion. Additional lower bodyside stripes that include the GT500 logo also borrow from the traditional Shelby Mustangs. In short, this is American Muscle in classic Ford-Shelby style.
This time around, the “500” in GT500 really means something. If you want muscle, you’ve got it with a throaty, potent 500-hp fuel-injected 5.4-liter V-8 engine that produces a whopping 480 lbs.-ft. of torque. The 2007 Coupe out-muscles its 1968 fastback inspiration, as the original housed a 428ci. V-8 that pumped out 360 horses and 420 lbs.-ft. of torque. The new 330ci. (5.4 liters) plant is mated to a smooth 6-speed manual (the original used a 4-speed), and a dual overhead cam replaces the ‘68’s single camshaft.
Side by side with its ’68 sister, the ’07 GT500 is much broader, more well-defined and more muscular-looking than the thinner fastback that captured the imaginations of street racers 40 years ago.
Built in Romeo, Michigan, this all-new, all-exciting street, highway and dragstrip king is a sensuous 188 inches long, a bold 73.9 inches wide and a statuesque 54.5 inches high, with 5.71 inches of ground clearance to keep from bottoming out on those “Bullitt”-type runs.
I took this galloping steed on the track at Pocono Raceway during the International Motor Press Association test days, and found this Snake able to attack in all ranges. She hit 135mph quickly and effortlessly with tons of throttle to spare. She handled the S-curves with alacrity and she proved she is a real driver’s car, while being street safe and street legal. Other tests revealed that the car will easily stampede from zero to 60 in 5.1 seconds and do the quarter-mile in 11.1. Some specially tuned versions will break into the 4s for the quarter.
On the street this is a ride for the ages. You get a good amount of torque steer, and a blend of under steer and over steer just for giggles. The rear-wheel drive beauty can get loose in the rear when you get on the pedal from a stop, but that just makes for an exciting ride.
Inside the cozy cabin, you get a definite ‘60s feel via leather sport bucket seats with embossed Cobra logo, a Shaker 500 AM/FM/6-disc CD/MP3 audio system, air conditioning and light-toned cluster gauges including a boost gauge. The ‘60s-style interior also provides a comfortable 38.6 inches of front headroom. 35.0 inches in back and 42.7 inches of front row legroom with 31 inches and articulated seats in the second row.
Standard safety items include anti-lock brakes with traction control, second-generation dual front air bags, front seat side-mounted air bags, LATCH safety for children and 24-hour roadside assistance. Other functional standard installs include SVT-tuned suspension, 14-inch vented Brembo front brakes, 6-speed Tremec manual transmission dual stainless steel x-pipe exhausts and high performance Goodyear Eagle tires (P255/45ZR18s in front and P285s behind).
Base priced at $40,930, you have to pay for the powerful engine in gas-guzzler taxes of $1300, a fee that pays homage to 500 horses that get you 15mpg in the city and 21mpg on the highway. My weeklong tests yielded a combined fuel average of 15.5mpg. Sirius Satellite Radio added $195 and the GT500 Premier Trim Package including the Shelby white stripe tape, put another $595 on the sticker. Adding destination charges of $745 brings you to a $43,765 final total.
The 2007 Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 is a tribute to the proud past, with striking improvements and unprecedented power. What a great way for that five-year-old boy to fulfill his destiny as an adult … and what a great car to continue the tradition of American muscle.
Visit www.carlisleevents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
MIKE BLAKE, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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