In august of 1964 was the time when one of the worlds’ most Popular Performance cars was born. Throughout history this car has had many modifications and is still one of the number one cars around. Ford continues to impress the consumers with new innovations and upgrades of this amazing car. Chances are, you've come across this particular car either on the street, at a local auto show, or during a visit to your local Ford dealership. This car is extremely well known for its fantastic performance as well as its up to date sporty looks. It does not matter what year the car is, they are still highly sought after by collectors as long as they are in good condition. If you are still not clear on what car I have just described it is the Shelby Mustang.
From the year 1964-2010 the mustang has only continued to improve its performance as well as gain horsepower. Carroll Shelby's first Mustang was the 1965 Shelby GT350. What really made it special was it was the first race-ready car ever to be marketed by an American automaker. People wanted this car because of its fast acceleration, 0-30 mph in 3 seconds, 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds and 0-100 mph in 21.5 seconds. The Shelby reached a whopping speed of 117 mph. The car cost $4,547, which was much too expensive for the average person. But since the cars performance was so phenomenal for the time, those who were lucky enough to buy one got their moneys worth. The Shelby GT350 featured 306 horsepower courtesy of its modified K-code 289cid V8 engine. This was 35 horses more than offered in the standard 289cid engine. It also featured a four-speed manual transmission and side-exhaust pipes fitted with two-inch Glass-pak mufflers. Since that car was first put out on the market it has upgraded drastically. The combination of the added horsepower, refinement and functionality makes the 2010 Shelby GT500 a unique high performance car. It delivers more horsepower than ever before. It now has 5.4 liter dual overhead cam v-8 engine, has 540 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque!
Safety in cars in 1965 were not nearly as strict as they are today. The only real safety the Shelby Mustang had was a roll bar as well as a safety harness. Laws have changed dramatically since the 60’s. Now the 2010 GT500 has traction control, stability control and front-seat side airbags. There is no spare tire, however, just a temporary tire inflation kit. The Shelby received perfect five-star ratings from the government for frontal crash protection and front passenger side protection. Rear-passenger side-impact protection garnered four stars for the coupe and five stars for the convertible.
The cars are very easy to use because they are automatic cars and they have power steering. They are a smooth ride with good breaks and easy acceleration. They also have many good features like gps systems, air conditioning as well as heaters. We now think those things are customs in every car but in 1965 when the first models came out those things were non existent. Those items have helped the cars become more comfortable. It is also more comfortable to have automatic windows and adjustable seats so you can find the perfect place for you in the car. They have nice leather seating and some have seats in the back. In 1965 the cars had no seats in the back there was just a piece of fiberglass.
The style of the Mustang has always been very aesthetically pleasing. They have the classic “Mustang” racing stripes. If you saw those stripes coming from a mile away you would probably guess mustang! They are the typical muscle car accessories. There is always an option to have that on your car but it adds more of a racecar feel to a Shelby. One of the most attractive parts about the mustang is the body. The shape of the car has smooth rounded grooves that go down the side of the car as well as a square on top of the hood where the noise and heat from the engine comes out. It also has a very attractive grill on the front with the addition of the cobra. But my favorite part about the whole car is of course on the back where SHELBY is plastered on the trunk.
There are so many amazing things about the Shelby Mustang and its amazing to see how much it has changed form the year 1964 when they started making them to the 2010 model. They will continue to improve and will stay at the top of the performance car list.
