Shelby-licensed manufacturer Classic Recreations has lifted the veil on the carbon fiber GT500CR it announced in 2020. Developed in partnership with SpeedKore, the Mustang takes over a year to build.
Many of the follow-on models that bear Shelby’s name are handcrafted by Classic Recreations, so the Oklahoma-based company has a tremendous amount of experience building custom cars, but calls the GT500 the greatest venture it has ever tackled. SpeedKore – which recently built a 1970’s carbon fiber 1,000 horsepower Dodge Charger – helped by scanning blue light with a steel-cased GT500CR to create the molds used to make the carbon-fiber case. The use of composites shaves 600 pounds off the weight of the Mustang.
Classic Recreations points out that the diet gives the GT500CR the power-to-weight ratio of an exotic car. This claim is supported by Ford’s 5.2-liter Aluminator V8 that generates 810 horsepower, thanks in part to a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger. It toasts the rear tires via a 10-speed automatic transmission connected to a pair of handlebar-mounted shift paddles. Detroit Speed provides the adjustable suspension and the brakes come from Wilwood.
Although the interior looks vintage at first glance, a lot of modern technology has been integrated into it. If you get lost, you can count on a navigation system displayed on a Kenwood touchscreen to find your way. Classic Recreations has also added a Kicker sound system and an OBDII port under the headlight switch on the left side of the dash.
Pricing for the carbon fiber GT500CR starts at $ 265,000 before options enter the comparison, and the composite body is compatible with the high-performance 900S, 900C and 545 models. Classic Recreations has priced the Carbon Edition Shelby GT500CR package at $ 298,000. Enthusiasts taking this more expensive route will benefit from a special delivery experience at Shelby America’s headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. Neither figure is cheap, the carbon fiber GT500CR requires supercar money, but the company points out that each example takes between 12-18 months to build, largely by hand, depending on how it’s configured.