Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI:PK), will fulfill the dreams of enthusiasts by returning the legendary Shelby GT350 to its lineup of American performance cars. The Shelby team unveiled a supercharged concept version of the Mustang-based 2011 Shelby GT350 to the surprise of thousands gathered at the Barrett-Jackson Auction Opening Night Gala to honor the 45th anniversary of the first GT350 and first Shelby big block Cobra.

“In 1964, Ford Motor Company asked Shelby American to turn their secretary’s car into a race winner to help them sell Mustangs,” said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby American. “Our Shelby GT350 ruled its class at the track and was feared by GM and Chrysler owners on the street. Enthusiasts have anticipated the GT350’s return since it went out of production in 1970. Now my band of hot rodders has created a car worthy of the name.”

The concept behind the GT350 was to build a car that is light, nimble and powerful. Beginning with the “small block” 5.0 liter Ford Mustang GT as its base, the Shelby American team worked with experts from Ford Racing, Goodyear, Borla, Cragar and Baer to create a car that is fast and has razor sharp handling. Every segment of the car is enhanced or replaced to create the ultimate balanced performance pony car that is true to the spirit of the 1965-1970 MY Shelby GT350.

“The 2011 GT350 balances heritage with modern necessity,” said Shelby American president Amy Boylan. “Former Hot Wheels and Ford designer Larry Wood joined Vince LaViolette, Walter Cardenas, Andrew Smidt and the rest of our Las Vegas team to help integrate 1965-1970 Shelby styling cues with modern aerodynamics. We worked with Ford Racing to supercharge the engine with a goal of 500 horsepower, as well as to sharpen the handling. Baer Brakes helped engineer the fantastic brakes and we shod the GT350 with 19” modern Cragar wheels and super sticky Goodyear tires. This Shelby is truly a complete performance package”

“Since this was one of the most important cars in Shelby’s history, everyone stepped up to make sure it meets Carroll’s performance standards,” added Gary Davis, vice president of production for Shelby American. “After it was hand built in our new design studio, it began extensive testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by veteran test drivers Vince LaViolett and Gary Patterson. We’re all proud to be part of this milestone Shelby car.”

Each GT350 will be clad in traditional white with Shelby Guardsman blue Le Mans stripes and feature the new Ford V8 coupled to a 6 speed manual transmission and center exit exhaust. Blue Shelby GT350 valve covers and billet caps set off the supercharged engine. The Baer brake system features 6 piston kit in the front, as well as 14” ERADISPEED rotors in the rear with cooling ducts for all four corners.

The suspension was upgraded with new Ford Racing springs, struts, sway bars and adjustable caster/camber plates. The car also receives a new front fascia, tail light trim, front splitter, rear deck lid filler panel and rear fascia. Functional scoops are located on the side rockers and hood. GT350 badges on the outside and inside include a Shelby serial number. The A pillar carries a fuel pressure, oil pressure and boost gauge.

The Shelby GT350 is a post title program; a customer purchases a car from their local Ford Dealer, which is turned into a GT350 by the Shelby American Team. A limited number will be built in the 2011 model year. A Ford Mustang GT can be dropped shipped by a Ford dealer to Shelby’s Las Vegas facility for conversion or a customer can arrange to have a properly specified car transported to the factory. The Shelby GT350 up-fit completed by Shelby American has a MSRP of $33,995 and does not include the price of the base car.

Renewed and refreshed for 2013 and first introduced in 1965, the genuine American original returns. The 2013 Shelby GT350 continues to impress and build upon recent accolades with its aggressive performance, exhilarating handling and exceptional craftsmanship. The Shelby American team, refined and sharpened design elements and fine-tuned performance attributes with the continuous passion and attention to detail and industry leading performance that continues to make this muscle car a legend. Also New for 2013 is the availability of the entire Ford Mustang color palette, in coupe and convertible configurations, making each vehicle truly unique to their new owner’s dream Shelby.

If you thought you might have to wait some time before the storied Shelby name gets spliced back into the Mustang narrative, think again. An all-new Mustang Shelby GT350, based on the all-new sixth-generation Mustang, is already here—ahead of its official debut later this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. However, this time the car has been developed by Ford Motor Company's [NYSE:F] own SVT performance division and not Shelby American, which ceased production of its own GT350 last year.
There will be something new and special under the hood of this latest beast, and rest assured it’s a V-8. The 2016 Shelby GT350 has what the automaker is calling its most powerful naturally aspirated Ford production engine ever. Ford won’t say exactly where power and torque ratings land, but it confirms that the new top pony will make more than 500 horsepower and more than 400 pound-feet of torque.

Ford says that the new “unique, high-revving” 5.2-liter V-8 has a racing-derived arrangement that spaces crank pins at 180-degree intervals rather than 90-degree ones, which is typical in normal-production models—yes, we're talking a flat-plane crank here. That effectively reduces the overlap of exhaust-pressure pulses, improving breathing—albeit potentially with some sacrifice in smoothness.

That engine is said to make the most of the new Mustang’s finessed chassis dynamics, and it comes paired with a six-speed manual gearbox.

MagneRide comes to Ford

As for those dynamics, this is Ford’s first application of the MagneRide magnetorheological suspension system—one that’s already used across a wide range of performance cars and well-respected. It can fine-tune damping at each wheel, in milliseconds, to filter out road harshness yet provide crisp responses when needed for abrupt maneuvers and in high-performance driving. The GT350 also includes a Ford-tuned Torsen limited-slip differential, which should especially help gain better traction and grip out of corners.

The GT350 also includes special 19-inch alloy wheels—10.5 inches wide in front, 11.0 inches wide in back—with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires and sidewall construction, tread face, and compound all specific to this model. Brakes have been upgraded with big Brembo six-piston fixed calipers and four-piston calipers in back.

Actually a different silhouette than other ‘Stangs

In order to offer up the most performance possible with all those technical upgrades, the GT350 has an aerodynamically optimized shape, ahead of the windshield, that’s unique and up to two inches lower than that of the regular Mustang models. Ford lowered and sloped the hood a bit more versus the base Mustang, while the front fascia is resculpted, with a more aggressive front splitter and a functional hood outlet that aids with cooling as well in reducing front-end lift at high speeds. And they further improved the stiffness of the Mustang’s front end with a new injection-molded carbon fiber composite grille opening and an (optional) front tower-to-tower brace.

Fender vents, an angled-forward grille, a high-pressure engine air intake, and front-brake cooling ducts are additional functional improvements that all factor into this model’s performance. With the Track Pack, the GT350 also includes an engine oil cooler and transmission cooler.

Inside, there’s a flat-bottom steering wheel, as well as an upgraded gauge cluster. And Ford claims to have spent hundreds of hours and many prototypes in developing the special Recaro sport seats, which have a unique cloth upholstery.

Multi-mode driver control system

The 2016 Shelby GT350 comes with a new driver control system with five modes that each offer their own calibration of the anti-lock braking system, stability control, steering effort, throttle mapping, MagneRide suspension tuning, and exhaust settings.

A Tech Pack will bring power leather-trimmed seats plus upgraded Shaker Audio, an eight-inch MyFord Touch screen, and dual-zone automatic climate control.

Ford hasn’t yet confirmed when the GT350 goes on sale, and there are still plenty of important things yet to be released—like performance numbers.