Shelby American Honors the 100th Birthday of Carroll Shelby With a Special Edition Ford Mustang GT
A century ago this month, Carroll Shelby was born. There’s no way his parents looked at him and knew he would become the icon of the automotive world that he became. One hundred years later, Shelby American honors its iconic founder with a Centennial Edition of the Ford Mustang GT.
A specialized version of the Ford Mustang GT is the fitting tribute from Shelby American
Carroll Shelby touched the automotive world in ways that many never thought possible. He was one of the winningest race drivers of his time, developed the iconic Ford GT40 that won LeMans in the 1960s, and created the Shelby Cobra.
There are many other ways Shelby touched the automotive world, but none so important as the founder of Shelby American. As the founder, he was known to bring his Shelby Cobra to various locations wearing different paint colors for sales pitches. Changing the paint made it look like he had several versions, but really there was only one.
In addition to founding his company, Carroll Shelby helped Ford create some of the most powerful and performance-oriented Mustang models in history. His company, Shelby American, honors its founder with a special Centennial Edition Ford Mustang GT. Could there be a better way to honor Shelby’s 100th birthday?
What is the Centennial Edition of the Ford Mustang GT?
This high-performance version of the 2023 Ford Mustang GT receives a Shelby supercharger to take the horsepower from 450 to 750 while also adding a Borla cat-back exhaust system. This incredible Mustang also includes:
- Wider front fenders
- Special 20 x 11 Shelby wheels
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S performance tires
- A Shelby vented hood
- A Shelby Performance radiator
- An upgraded suspension
- Performance-grade anti-roll bars and springs
- Ford Performance Pack brakes
- Special badging and silhouettes throughout the car
Every new Centennial Edition owner also receives a special black Stetson hat, similar to the hat worn by the iconic man himself, and a copy of the Shelby Centennial Book published by Team Shelby.
How strict is Shelby American being with the Mustang used?
New Centennial Edition owners must provide the Ford Mustang GT that will become the foundational car for the array of Shelby American upgrades. Thankfully, the company isn’t too strict about which version owners choose. Car and Driver tells us they allow nearly every model of the iconic Mustang GT.
The only models ineligible for these upgrades are models not wearing a stock Mustang color, the Mach 1, and the California Special Edition. Otherwise, all 2023 versions of the Ford Mustang GT can become a Centennial Edition model.
How many of these special Mustangs are being made?
Shelby American will only build 100 models of the Centennial Edition Ford Mustang GT. The company displayed the prototype in Gardena, California, and it sold out only four days later. Those lucky 100 new owners paid the reserve of $49,995 in addition to the price of the Mustang GT chosen for the high-performance upgrades.
This limited-run car is a fitting way to honor the iconic legend of Carroll Shelby. You might be lucky enough to see one of the 100 models on the road sometime in the near future.
Next, check out how the new Mustang pays tribute to the Fox Body model, or learn more about the 2023 Ford Mustang GT in this video below:
