Jun

Ford Mustang’s 50th anniversary approaching – is a special Shelby in the wings?

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Performance, Ford, Rumormill

2011 Shelby GT500 – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s time to stoke the raging fires of the rumor furnace once again. The good people at Motor Trend have let it slip that Caroll Shelby may be planning something interesting for the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang. We’re not just talking some fancy badges and a sticker program here, either. Evidently, the man behind some of the meanest snakes on four wheels has been camping out in Dearborn as of late, supposedly hard at work in the FoMoCo labs on the next creation to carry his name.

Those whispers are made all the more interesting by the fact that John Luft, Shelby American’s head honcho, has said that his company is currently eying whether or not to bring a rash of new R models to life. The cars would be fit for track duty straight from the factory, and given the Mustang’s new found ability to handle a road course, odds are we’re not just talking about quarter mile bruisers. Either way, you can bet Ford will pull something special when its pony hits the big half-century. Whether or not that means a fresh new Shelby remains to be seen.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500