Factory New Shelby GT500 5.4L Supercharged Convertible

What happens when a performance legend from Dearborn reunites with a performance legend from Texas? You get the Ford Shelby GT500. The collaboration between Shelby and Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) continues to yield an instant collector's Mustang that delivers serious horsepower numbers from Ford's smooth, supercharged 5.4-liter V-8. Of course, Shelbys are, and always have been, about numbers: performance, horsepower, displacement, and yes, even production. And this 2012 Shelby GT500 convertible, which is still on MSO and has never been titled, continues that tradition. Big horsepower? Check. Screaming performance? Check. Limited production? Check! There's really no better way to see, or be seen, than in a bright colored, sinister looking convertible; and this highly optioned Grabber Blue GT500 ragtop, with its highly desirable special order color combination, is sure to turn heads and drop jaws!

With barely 286 miles on its odometer this 2012 Mustang is a brand new car. Its factory window sticker, which is included with the sale, lists the following options and standard equipment:

STANDARD EQUIPMENT INCLUDED AT NO EXTRA CHARGE

* Aluminum hood with air extractor
* Lemans top stripes with GT500 side rocker stripes
* 19x9.5 painted aluminum wheels
* Power cloth convertible top
* Sport bucket seats with racing stripe inserts
* Shaker 500 audio system with AM/FM, single CD, and MP3 compatibility
* Sirius satellite service
* SYNC voice activated system
* Air conditioning
* Electronic power steering
* SVT tuned suspension
* 3.55 limited slip axle
* Brembo front brakes with 14 inch vented discs
* High performance tires – P255/40 front and P285/35 rear
* Power windows, locks and mirrors
* Tuned stainless steel exhaust with four inch tips
* Universal garage door opener
* Automatic HID headlamps
* AdvanceTrac with ESC
* Anti-lock brakes and traction control
* Driver and passenger airbags
* Side airbags
* SOS post-crash alert system
* Securilock PASS anti-theft
* Tire pressure monitoring system

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT

* Black cloth convertible roof ($00)
* 50 state emissions ($00)
* Oxford white tape stripe ($00)
* Shelby leather Recaro seats ($1,595)
* Shaker 1000 audio system ($1,295)
* Shelby GT500 car cover ($375)

The guys at SVT must've known that people spending more than $50,000 on a new car expect a different level of fit and finish, and with this top of the line Mustang, they certainly delivered. With a smooth, high gloss finish and gaps that are so narrow they're barely even noticeable, it is by far one of the nicest factory Fords we've ever seen. The classic Grabber Blue paint is glossy and looks rich enough to be on a high-end luxury car or fresh out of a custom body shop, and the Oxford White stripes are so clean and straight that you'd think they're even interwoven behind the cars hard parts. Of course, this Mustang has never seen a body shop, because it's a 100% accident and damage-free show piece that has never been in the hands of a single owner. And there's nothing on the car that could even be considered shelf wear. As your number one source for muscle cars of all ages, RK Motors Charlotte has always featured awesome, low-mileage Shelby Mustangs, and this showroom fresh GT500 is only the latest in a long line of exceptionally cool cars!

At the front of the car, a traditional Mustang grille hangs an offset cobra emblem between two intricately detailed HID headlights, a sculpted front valence with traditional halogen fog lamps and a sleek and functional air splitter. At the top of the car, a GT500-exclusive aluminum hood holds an integrated and functional air extractor in front of a chip-free factory windshield and a factory cloth top with a glass rear window. At the sides of the car, large cobra emblems sit above fresh “GT500” call outs which parallel factory side splitters. And at the back of the car a large, trunk mounted spoiler hangs above pristine factory tail lights, a bold “SHELBY” script, a GT500-exclusiver faux fuel filler emblem and a sculpted rear bumper which wraps an aggressive black splitter around huge stainless exhaust tips.

Naturally the car looks great, but its biggest selling point is the all-aluminum, supercharged 5.4 liter V8 that rumbles under its lightweight hood. Cranking out 550 horsepower and a stump-pulling 510 pounds of torque, this car's revolutionary DOHC mill is now 110 pounds lighter than its less powerful predecessor. Translation: The GT500 is now a lot less nose-heavy than its older brothers, and the aluminum block eliminates the supercharger heat soak that always diluted performance. The wet-sump aluminum block uses a newly developed technology that sprays molten steel onto the cylinder walls instead of using pressed-in liners, and as a result, this block is actually 8.5 pounds lighter than the one used in the Ford GT supercar. The supercharger's intercooler was enlarged, and since SVT engineers know that many of their customers will upgrade power output and put the cars on the track, the block is robust enough to handle far more horsepower than it makes stock. In short, you're just not going to break this machine. Twist the key and the 5.4-liter V-8 rumbles to life, sending its bass notes down a tuned 2.5 inch exhaust system to rear mounted four inch tips. Goose the throttle and the Eaton M122 supercharger zings the engine toward redline with surprising efficiency and a docile nature that creates tons of effortless power in any driving conditions.

The rest of the powertrain is similar to the proven hardware of past GT500s, with a slick-shifting 6-speed manual and an interstate friendly 3.55 limited slip rear end providing the motivation. Since the chassis lost more than 120 pounds when the upgraded aluminum engine was introduced in 2011, SVT retuned the suspension to take full advantage of the cars better weight distribution. The new performance package includes electronic power steering, 20.5-percent stiffer front springs and 9.5-percent tighter rears which bring the front of the car 11mm closer to the road and the rear 8mm lower. At the same time, ride compliance was improved thanks to better chassis stiffening, which was long a Mustang sore point; and of course Ford's standard stability and traction control systems are still present and accounted for. Braking is provided by a four wheel discs which have been upfitted with front vented rotors, front Brembo calipers and a standard anti-lock system. And thanks to that improved stiffness, this convertible wears massive 19-inch alloy wheels which are covered in slick graphite paint and mounted to original 255/40 front and 285/35 rear Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. Although the Shelby GT500 convertible is a little softer than the coupe, it's not likely you'll notice because the 6-speed transmission is a delight to row through the gears and the suspension still chews up pavement with the tenacity of a pit bull.

Inside the car, highly bolstered Recaro sport seats with stitched white stripes and cool Cobra logos fit like a glove. And a leather-clad tilt steering wheel with convenient thumb grips sports a snake on its hub. The instrument panel is a familiar Mustang layout which features a programmable “SVT” shift light inside of a large, graphite faced tachometer. And below the great looking metal trim on the dash, a Shaker 1000 stereo system combines with Sirius Satellite radio and Ford's revolutionary SYNC system to become a one-stop shop for all your electronic needs. Between the seats, a slick black and white shifter sits in a Shelby branded console. And naturally, all the luxuries you'd expect in a high dollar modern car are present and accounted for including: cruise control, power windows, power door locks, power mirrors with built in blind spots, power seats, a power trunk, and remote keyless entry with a built in theft deterrent system. It's always hard to describe a car that is essentially new in every way. So I'll just sum this Mustang up by saying that everything is in impeccable working order, from the ice cold air conditioning to Ford's super cool MyColor interior lighting and red lit SVT sill plates.

Documentation for this GT500 includes all the stuff you'd expect from what is essentially a brand new car. The new owner with receive a copy of the Manufacturers Statement of Origin, the cars original window sticker and all of its original books and manuals.

There's no question these cars are instant collectables AND serious threats on the streets to boot. This one, with its classic good looks and killer performance improvements, will have even Viper drivers checking their rear-view mirrors. Authenticity, pedigree, and performance are what make vintage Shelby's blue chip collectables today. In the future, those same things will make cars like this GT500 just as unique!